Washington Hilton

History

The Washington Hilton, located on the former site of the Oak Lawn estate, was designed by architect William B. Tabler and developed by Uris Buildings Corporation. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 25, 1962 and the hotel officially opened three years later, on March 25, 1965. The hotel structure features a distinctive double-arched design. It long sported the largest pillar-less hotel ballroom in the city. Numerous large events have been regularly hosted at the Hilton Washington, including the annual dinners of the White House Correspondents Association and the Radio and Television Correspondents Association, as well as the National Prayer Breakfast.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the hotel hosted a number of big musical acts for concerts in their large ballroom, including The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. In 1972 it was home to the first International Conference on Computer Communications which demonstrated new ARPANET technology.

The hotel was the site of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981. The attempt occurred at the hotel's T Street NW exit. As a result, the hotel is sometimes colloquially referred to by locals as the Hinckley Hilton.

The hotel was renamed the Hilton Washington in 1998. It was purchased in June 2007 by an investment firm jointly owned by former professional basketball star Magic Johnson. From 2009–2010 it underwent a $150 million renovation. When that was completed, the hotel returned to its original name.

References

References

1. "Washington Hilton".
2. See, e.g., [http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/content/view/2358/28/ ''Big Ballroom at the Washington Hilton'', Albuquerque Journal online edition, February 3, 2007]; [http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/03/30/publiceye/entry1458326.shtml Hillary Profita, ''Behind The Scenes Of History: Covering The President On March 30, 1981'', CBS News, March 30, 2006]; [http://yellowpages.washingtonpost.com/Spa+At+The+Washington+Hilton.327671.4320600.home.html ''The Spa at the Washington Hilton'', Washingtonpost.com]{{dead link. (June 2021)
3. See generally [http://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+washington+hilton%22 Google Search: "The Washington Hilton"]
4. Dunlap, David W. "William B. Tabler Sr., Architect of Hilton Hotels, Dies at 89." ''New York Times.'' February 10, 2004.
5. Kihss, Peter. "Harold Uris, Skyscraper Developer and Philanthropist, Is Dead At 76." ''New York Times.'' March 29, 1982.
6. (March 1965). "Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress".
7. (13 January 2012). "Ladies and Gentlement, From Los Angeles, California ... The Doors!". Ghosts of DC.
8. "Hendrix Plays the Washington Hilton (1968)". Ghosts of DC.
9. [http://archive.salon.com/news/feature/2000/04/15/mayor/index.html Harry Jaffe, ''Prepping for the protests'', Salon.com, April 15, 2000]
10. "Barry Svrluga, ''National Pastime'' (2006), excerpted at".
11. "Denis Dutton, ''The White House Press Correspondents' Dinner'', Sunday Star Times (New Zealand), May 7, 2006".
12. "Hotels Capitalize on Capital's Convention Center".
13. "Washington Hilton restoration completed – Washington Business Journal".