Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-21
oLD-TiME TAV ERIN S
MEMORIES RECALLED BY DEMOLI-
TON II zsSLARD.s HOTEL,
Charles Dickens and Many CHER
Noted People Were Among
L. Ealr,y Guests.

1.-THE razing Of the other portion Of the
Willard Hotd building, at 14th and Penn
sylvania avenue. noted in The Star of the
7th." says ae oldl resident, recalls much
Of the tradition of the past, for from the
earliest days of the District has it been
the site Of a public house. 1 have heard
it said that when the city lots were put up
for sale in 1898 the corner ones were
purchased by Walter Stewart, who came
here from Maryland, and whose descend
ants are to be found among US today, and
that he kept here a tavern, which most
likely was frame building, and that after
him came one John Hoye.
Dickens was guest here sixty years
ago. and he describes the hotel, as 1t was
in that day, in his American Notes in no
very complimentary terms. The nefghbor-
hood. in the first quarter of the nineteenth
century, was one of the principal parts of
the city, and hotels, or taverns, as they
were then called were not wanting. The old
Mansion House. once kept by Mcleod, was
on the avenue above with the Washington
Hotel opposite near 18th street, while near
14th and F streets was Peacock's Hotel.
The Bank of the Metropolis was at 18th
and F streets, and at the southwest corner
OF l4th and f streets was the home of Col
onel kearney, long a distinguished engineer
officer.
THE Count de Melville, the French minis
ter. resided on the present site of the Cor
w
corner was looked upon by Col. John Tay-
loe of Virginia a suitable one to improve,
and, purchasing lots l and 2, on the avenue,
and 16 on 18th street, in-1S15 he erected
row of three-Storied brick dwellings on
the avenue and separate house on late
street. The avenue houses were soon taken
for hotel purposes. Col John Strother OF
Virginia. who had besides military pres
tige, reputation as an innkeeper, became
the proprietor and conducted 1t for some
years as the Mansion House.
Some of Strother's Guests.
Under his management he had from time
to time such distinguished men as John
Quincy Adams. Chief Justice Marshall. JUS
tice Story, Calhoun, Clay, Webster. Van
Buren,, Rufus King, ]. s. Barbour and r.
G. Hayne. with others. Col. Strothers was
succeeded about 1896 by Barnard, after
whom it was taken for the temporary quar-
tiers of the Post Office Department, which
was burned December 15 1896.
Then 1t was taken by the Fullers, who
had previously conducted stage line to
Baltimore, with stables on the northeast
corner of the power house square Oath and
streets, the elder Fuller residing in the
house on 18th street north Of the hotel.
Under their management the house was
well patronized and the City Hotel became
a most popular one. the home of the celeb
rites of the day, Dickens being here about
1910.
The Coming of the Willards.
1.-THE Willards came in 1S47, the Fulers
going to a house which on the site
of the Raleigh. The Wizards met with such
success that within ten years they were en-
abled not only to purchase the property.
but to secure the remainder Of the 14th
street front to + street. and In 1878 erect
addition more than doubling its capac-
ity, and the old church edifice known as
DR.. Lanier's was bought and used till
few months since Willard Hall.
1T has housed the leading men and
women of the day, statesmen, diplomats
and other noted persons, and has been the
scene of many a notable banquet, ball or
other event
THE building was formally opened by the
Wiliards on October "a, 1917. with a grand
banquet attended by many members of
Congress. and, if I do not mistake, Ed
ward Everett the principal speaker.
followed by number of senator's, represent
atives and others. Jenny Lind, who sang
here In 1852. was a guest. Lord Napier also.
far to send an embassy to visit this
country, the members were received with
much ceremony and escorted by process
sion to Wizards and housed for several
weeks.
Il viewed the gaudiy dressed orientals
as little better than barbarians then, and
when I recall that scene and read of what
progress they have made in less than half
a century think the Sobriquet Yankees of
the East is not inappropriate.
THE fact that the old site is to have
fine a structure erected upon it indicates
that the present owner, Captain Willard
has as much faith in the future of the To-
cation for hotel purposes his father and
uncles had over half a century ago."