page_title: Kennedy–Warren Apartment Building
section_title: Restoration of the historic main building
hierarchical_section_title: Kennedy–Warren Apartment Building / Restoration of the historic main building
caption_attribution_description: English: Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington The Art Deco building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
context_page_description: The Kennedy–Warren is a historic eleven-story apartment house in Washington, D.C. It is located at 3131–3133 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. between the Cleveland Park and Woodley Park neighborhoods. The Art Deco building overlooks the National Zoological Park and Klingle Valley Park, which is near the Art Deco Klingle Valley Bridge. The original main building was built between 1930 and 1931 with 210 apartments.
  The plans of its architect, Joseph Younger, called for a northeast wing and a south wing as well, but construction of these was stopped because of the onset of the Great Depression. The northeast wing was later built in 1935 with 107 additional apartments, as economic conditions improved in Washington. And the B. F. Saul Company, owner of the building since 1935, added the south wing between 2002 and 2004. The architect of the northeast wing was Alexander H. Sonneman, and of the south wing was Hartman-Cox. The current total number of apartments, ranging from efficiencies to three-bedroom units, is 425.
  The Kennedy–Warren is considered the largest and best example of an Art Deco building in Washington.
context_section_description: In 2009, B. F. Saul undertook the restoration and renovation of the historic main building, a project that was expected to cost $60 million. Contractors installed new double-hung mahogany windows, built a new roof and roof deck, and carefully cleaned the brick façade and aluminum spandrels following preservation standards. After discussions with the Art Deco Society of Washington as well as the residents, B. F. Saul decided to preserve the original floor plans of most apartments. As the contractors renovated each apartment, they kept the original hardware, including the glass doorknobs and brass hinges, as well as the kitchen cabinets and apartment doors, and sanded and stained the original wood floors. To bring the building up to current standards, the wiring and plumbing were replaced, and a sprinkler system and central air-conditioning installed in the apartments and public areas. The central air-conditioning replaced window units as well as the huge basement fans, which had been in use since 1931. The company put new stoves and refrigerators in the apartments and, for the first time, washers and dryers. Shops and businesses on the lobby floor supplied such services for the residents.
  Valley Craftsmen of Baltimore, Maryland, restored the elaborate Art Deco lobby. They re-stenciled the beamed ceiling in a geometric Art Deco design using gold leaf, and hand-painted the walls to resemble the original veneer panels. B. F. Saul replaced the missing Art Deco chandeliers and wall sconces and restored the handsome inlaid Art Deco elevator doors on the second, third, and fourth floors. On each side of the lobby is a lounge. The south lounge was restored to its original design, and the north lounge was converted to a piano bar which is open to residents. On the second floor there is a ballroom with fine Art Deco detailing. The ballroom was a popular venue for events of all kinds, and many of the best known big bands of the era played there. It has been closed for many years, but current plans (2011) call for it to be restored and reopened as an event space.
  The Kennedy–Warren had a dining room which was operated as a public restaurant from 1931 until it closed in 1990. Such dining rooms once were common in Washington apartment houses, but the only one still in operation as of 2011 is in the Westchester, at 4000 Cathedral Avenue, N.W. B. F. Saul reportedly plans to reopen the Kennedy–Warren dining room, but it will be open only to residents.
caption: Limestone Aztec eagles above an entrance to the Kennedy–Warren
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