Evening star., 1933-03-05


son are listed by historians as having been
guests at this old structure. A modern build
ing, now occupying the SITE soon Is to be re-
moved, in keeping with the Federal develop
ment plan.
Another old hostelry that found a place In
the history of the avenue was Made's Hotel.
on the southwest corner Of Third street. It
was established in 1848.
On the northwest corner of Third street was
originally the noted Gadsby's Hotel the third
tavern Of that name to be operated here. Guests
there were said to include Vice Presidents Han
nibal Hamlin and Henry Wilson. This old
structure. extensively remodeled, now is known
as the Vendome
One Of the old-time buildings still holding
a prominent position on the Avenue is the
National Hotel, northeast corner of Sixth
street, which was built in 1927 by the Calvert
estate. Webster and Clay lived there for Q
time, historians report. and Clay died there.
Other hotels ct this intersection were the
st. James and the Howard House, both razed
in recent times, and the Atlantic Hotel
The old Metropolitan Hotel, at 615 Pennsyl-
vania avenue was erected in 1851 and was
the successor to several earlier hostelries. As
early 1902 William Woodward bought the
eastern part Of the present hotel site and
opened there the Woodward's Centre Tavern.
The same site was occupied by Davis Hotel
in 1903 and still later, in 1920, the Indian
of Landlords" It was there that Chief Justice
Cranch of the District Supreme Court admin
istered the oath Of Office to President-elect
John Tyler in 1841. The present old building
is doomed to be razed in the near future, ac-
cording to new construction plans
An old theater building dating back to
Civil War days stood on site at the corner
OF street and Louisiana avenue just south
of the Avenue and west of Ninth street. was
taken down in times N M
the erection Of the monumental new home for
the Department of Justice. whose huge steel
frame now is nearing completion
This former structure opened in 1862 as
the Gymnasium and later known as the
Washington Varieties, oxford Hall. Canterbury
and as Walls Opera House in 1866, when it
was taken under the management of James r.
Ford, whose own theater had been closed per-
manently upon the death Of President Lincoln.
There Laura Keene, j. M. Wallach, jr and
Edwin Forrest gave their last Washington per-
formances. In more recent years it was known
as the Bijou, Empire and Majestic Tneater
To the north of the Franklin Statue, at the
northeast corner of Tenth and D streets just
off Pennsylvania avenue, stands the Hutchins'
Building, where in 1881 the first experimental
electric lighting plant was established and
operated for Illuminating the Avenue in honor
Of the reunion of the Grand Army of the Re-
public, at the time of the dedication of the
statue of Gen Thomac
A T the southeast corner of Eleventh and the
Avenue stands a structure erected in 1866
to house Harveys Oyster House, established
originally in 1858 in an old blacksmiths shop.
President and Mrs. Lincoln are said to have
visited the place in 1863 to try steamed"
oysters, then a new thing. Others said to
have visited that building are Gen Grant,
James G. Blaine, Roscoe Conkling and Presi-
dents Garfield. Arthur, Roosevelt and Taft.
Future development Of the Federal building
program will eliminate this building
Just to the east Of Harvey's Building is the
now unused entrance to what was once the
New Capital Theater. dating from 1904 Though
rebuilt numerous times portions of the side
and rear walls Of the 1904 structure are said
to be still standing.
This nall was used for the gay inaugural
balls staged at the time of the assumption of
the reigns of government by Van Buren in
1897 Polk 1845; Taylor, 1849; Pierce 1853
and Buchanan. 1857. In recent years the
place was called the Presidents Theater
A series of hotels served periods of life on
the site at the northeast corner of Twelfth
street. now occupied by the Raleigh Hotel
Its history goes back to the 1820s, when a
small building there was known Applers. A
later building. erected in 1847.' which subse-
quentIy became the Kirkwood House, was the
residence of Vice President Andrew Johnson
The Kirkwood House is known in history prin-
cipally as the place where Johnson's assassi-
nation was attempted by conspirators. There
also johnson took the oath of Office imnedi-
atey following the death of Lincoln. The
present building was erected in 1898.
Political prisoners during the early days OF
the Civil War are reported to have been quar-
tered in the Prescott Hotel which formerly
stood on the site now occupied by the old
Southern Railway Building, on the south side
of the Avenue west of Thirteenth street.