Evening star., 1952-10-02
Roosevelt Hotel
Faces Move 10
Force Repairs
Court Action Aimed
At Closing 1t Unless
Changes Are Made

Chunges Are Made
Owners of the 65o-room Roose
velt Hotel on Sixteenth stree
NV. today faced court actiol
aimed at forcing extensive repair
or closing the hotel under threa
of fines for operating without
license.
The hotel was refusing nev
guests today and it's manager
Christopher Toole, said the onl,
guests now there are permanent.
He said the handsome eight-Stor,
hotel is closed"
The owner, Mrs. Maria Krame
of New York City, who bought tn,
hotel in 1941 for over 81 million
told reporters. eve haven't mad,
q penny since I don't know when.
Assistant Corporation Counse
Clark King said his Office woulC
ask for fines of $500 a day against
the hotel If it continues to operate
as a hotel, or apartment house
or rents public rooms for dance.
and entertainments.
Licenses for all three service.
are lacking. Mr.. King said, ano
the law provides that operations
cannot continue without them
Mr.. King explained his Office has
no authority to order closure OF
the hotel and eviction of the ten
ants. but the management must
do this to escape further court
action.
To Convert to Oil.
Mrs. Kramer told authorities she
had a $4,000 contract with local
oil company to convert the heating
to oil burners. This Improvement.
however, probably will not solve
the problem of damaged boilers
which have failed to pass District
inspection, Mr.. King indicated.
longtime tenants of the apart
ment-hotel include Senator Lam
ger, Republican, of North Dakota,
who has lived there with his fam
lily for years. The Senator and
his family are in North Dakota
until after the November elections
A recent tenant was Represent
ative Spence, Democrat, Of Ken
lucky, who moved to a new resi-
dence at the end of September.
Mrs. Kramer, who owned the
Lincoln and Edison Hotels in New
York when she bought the Wash
ington property, added that many
tenants are refusing to pay rent
This began, she said. when the
hot-water system was damaged
last summer.
Court Appearance Due.
Mrs. Kramer is expected to ap-
pear in Municipal Court on Tues
day to answer charges against the
Roosevelt Hotel Corp. of operating
without a District license for the
last year.
The charge was made by Mr.,
King after a hearing in his office
yesterday. Two months ago the
corporation counsel's Office noti-
fed the owners that the action
would be taken to court unless
the improvements were made in
so days, Mr.. King said.
Chatham T. Nottingham, super
intendent of licenses. said the last
license issued for the Roosevelt
expired October 81. 1949.
He said the licenses were with
held pending reports from various
inspection agencies of the Dis
trict as to building repairs, ele-
vators. plumbing, heating and
sanitary conditions.
Mr.. Nottingham said he re-
ceived adverse reports in July and
that, on August 4, he disapproved
the hotels application for re-
newal of its license. He then
notified the police and the build
ing inspectors Office, he said. Mr.
Kings action followed.
Conditions Cited.
William H. Cary, jr., director
of public health engineering, said
the hotels boilers are cracked,
the heating system Is imperative
there is poor ventilation in the
bathrooms and a collection of
broken furniture, dirty mattresses
and Stagnant water has been al
lowed to accumulate in the base
ment.
Mr.. Cary added that the struc-
ture, while f1reproofed. is now in
tested with rats.
Charles O'Connell, the Build
ing Inspections Department rep-
resentative in Municipal Court,
said some of the hotel floors are
cracked. cooking utensils were
found to lack proper cleaning
and a trash room was infested
with flies.
Mr.. Toole told Mr.. King he had
sent in checks for license fees
along with applications for Ii
censes and was under the i'm
preston licenses had been granted
He pointed out the District had
not refunded the fees.
"I was surprised because
thought we were properly II.
cenSed," he said.
Tenants Complain.
The corporation counSel's Office
has received q number of com.
plants from tenants in recent
months.
Questioned by reporters, Mr.
Toole said he did not know how
the remaining tenants can bt
obliged to vacate. if the court rule.
against the hotel. Such q ruling
he implied, might force the man.
agement to cut of all services.
During the war. boarding house
owners who could not meet ths
licensing requirements sometime.
found themselves caught between
u