Hotel Monaco Washington
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The Hotel Monaco Washington is a 183-room high end boutique hotel at the corner of 7th and F Streets Northwest in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. Hotel Monaco is one of 10 Kimpton hotel properties in the Washington Metropolitan Area and is located across the street from the National Portrait Gallery and the Verizon Center.[1][2] The hotel opened in the summer of 2002 and was named one of the 80 best new hotels in the world in 2003 by Condé Nast Traveler.[2]
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[edit] Architecture
The Hotel Monaco is located inside the neoclassical General Post Office building, a National Historic Landmark constructed in 1839 that was the first all-marble building in Washington and patterned after the Roman Temple of Jupiter.[3][4] The hotel, listed on the Historic Hotels of America, occupies an entire city block between 7th and 8th, and E and F streets. The four-story building is separated by a courtyard. One half of the structure was designed by Robert Mills, designer of the Washington Monument, while the other half was designed by Thomas U. Walter, one of the architects for the United States Capitol.[5][2]
Kimpton began a $32 million dollar renovation on the General Post Office Building in 2000 after an agreement with the General Services Administration to lease the building for 60 years.[6] The main post office area was transformed into the hotel lobby and the mail-sorting pavilion became the restaurant.[7]
[edit] Room design
The hotel rooms feature vaulted 12-18 ft (3.7-5.5 m) ceilings and long windows. The color scheme of each room is eclectic. The drapes are charcoal and white patterned, the walls are yellow, lounge chairs are periwinkle blue, chandeliers are lime green, and damask pillows are a mixture of orange and red.[8][9][2] A bust of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and a good friend of Robert Mills, sits on top of a neoclassic armoire in each room.[10] In addition to standard rooms and suites, the hotel features "Tall Rooms" with 18-foot ceilings, 96-inch (244 cm) beds, and raised showerheads. First floor rooms are mostly below ground with only small windows near the ceiling letting in sunlight. The second through fourth floor exterior rooms face the city, while the interior rooms face the courtyard and restaurant. Each guest is given a complimentary goldfish at check-in which hotel staff feed and maintain during the guest's stay.[9]
[edit] Restaurant
Hotel Monaco's restaurant, Poste Moderne Brasserie, is a 174-seat American restaurant and bar with an entrance in the hotel lobby and a second entrance on 8th Street that was once a carriageway passage for horses and buggies.[11][12] Poste features an outdoor terrace for dining during the spring and summer months.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Rosenwald, Michael (2007-11-19). "Welcoming a New Guest To the Trendy Hotel Club". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ a b c d Ford, Elise (2003), Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2004, Frommer's, pp. 87, ISBN 0764555782
- ^ "General Post Office". National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ a b "Hotel Monaco - Overview". National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Hotel Monaco - Historical Significance". National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Economic Development In The District Of Columbia". General Services Administration (2002-03-08). Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Hotel Monaco (Tariff Building)". Architectural Record. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Hotel Monaco". The Economist. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ a b "Hotel Monaco Washington, DC". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ Rubin, Karen. "Hotel Monaco is perfect for weekend getaway to DC". Travel Writer's Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ Epstein, Edward (2006-07-02). "Portrait of a new Washington". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Poste: A classy new brasserie in an historic setting". The Hill (2002-09-11). Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
