Evening star., 1949-05-22
The Old Kirkwood House
By Joan Cieeess Proctor

W loan (loeetf Frocfcs
Speaking Of the Raleigh Hcsel
and the site upon which tt ssAnca
We nn6 that this corner va NO,
occupied for hotel purposes snsa
1921. when David Appler epsnse
The Fountain Inn. . rather small
building. and no, equal 10 Mr.
Fullers patronaEe, and % In IssT
we nnd him removing the cd
euiidins and replacing II with cns
more modern and up-to-dsts. Ave
stories high. with n rooms. Two
years later J. Thomas Of the
Howard House. New York. va
operating here. the name having
been changed 10 Irving Hotel.
J. II. and A. ". Ktrkvooc later
were operating the ''KHkvooc
House" and The Star of sspssm-
Der 10. isss. gives us this infor-
nation:
"A force Of mechanics 10 eusily
engaged making alterations In the
kirkwood House at the northeast
corner OF Pennsylvania avenue
and Twelfth street NV. emeei.
fishing and otherwise improving II
In recent years this has grown 10
be one Of the most popular hotels
IN the United States and its pro-
prietors have gained Nation wide
regulations.
It was suggested In The Eve
ming Star today that II would be
profitable for the owners OF the
property adjoining the Kirkwood
House 10 form q joint stock COM
pany. embracing In its possessions
their houses and lots. a. well as
the present hotel, all OF which
could with comparatively little ex-
pense be % remodeled as to quad
ruple the capacity OF the hotel
Throughout the recess OF Con-
gress this summer the Kirkwood
House has been crowded with
guests. II Its capacity had been
much greater 1t would doubtless
have been kept full. for no other
public house is better established
among the habitual visitors to the
Federal metropolis.
Popular Hostelry
This hotel, now known as the
Kirkwood House. was erected In
l847. In that year a building on
this site. occupied by the Fountain
Inn. was torn down and four
story hotel building was put up
1t was first known as Fuller's
House. later as the Irving House
and finally as the Kirkwood
House"
or the earlier hotels which have
occupied this corner. the Kirkwood
was the most historic. and yet as
early as 1880. while the Irving
House was still there. the City
Directory gives the names of the
following members OF Congress
who made this hotel their home
Senator William Upham Of Yer
mont, Representative George A
Caldwell of Kentucky. Charles E
Clark Of New York. Andrew Ewing
Of Tennessee. William Hebsrd Of
Vermont. John c, Mason OF Ken
lucky. Joseph E. Mcdonald OF
Iowa, j. X. McLanahan Of Penn
sylvania and Lucius B. Peck OF
Vermont.
Naturally the connection OF the
Kirkwood House with the assas-
sination Of President Lincoln has
given It It's most historic phase.
and yet there was nothing that
occurred here to the discredit OF
the house. though II was entirely
through good fortune that another
murder was not committed be-
meath It's roof at the time. for Vice
President johnson was also mark
ed for assassination by the con-
spirators on the evening OF April
IA. 1865.
johnson was then making the
Kirkwood House his home and. ac-
cording to the confession OF At
zerodt. the plan was that Booth
who made all the plans--was TO
kill the President and Gen. Grant.
Payne should murder Secretary
Seward. while Atzerodt would
either kidnap or dispatch the Vice
President.
Johnson Wasn't In
Booth and Payne carried out
their part Of the conspiracy -
the circumstances permitted. but
aside from the renting OF . room
In the Kirkwood House BY At
zerodt on the morning Of April Il.
that person seems TO have done
nothing worse than to have car
ried q message for Booth 70 Oyster
Bay.
Booth. II would seem. vas not
Those Were the