Watergate
One word says it all — Watergate.
It triggers the memories of some of the lowest points in American politics and the Oval Office.
The burglary of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office; the bugging of DNC headquarters; the arrest of five men at Watergate; the attempted cover-up; Woodward and Bernstein; the “plumbers”; Deep Throat; G. Gordon Liddy; a little old country lawyer named Sam Erwin; Nixon campaign checks; White House subpoenas; “I am not a crook”; Halderman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean; White House Oval Office tapes; 18 missing minutes; the Supreme Court decision - United States v. Nixon; and almost three years after the initial break-in, a Presidential resignation.
And it all started at the Watergate office-apartment-hotel complex, near the Kennedy Center in northwest DC’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood.
The ten-acre Watergate “superblock” was designed by the Italian architect, Luigi Moretti, who rose to prominence in 1938 when, at the age of 29, designed the fencing hall at the Foro Italico, Mussolini’s new sports center in Rome. A few years prior to designing the Watergate, he also helped design housing for the athletes for the 1960 Rome Olympics.
The Watergate consisted of six buildings, three apartment buildings, two office buildings and a 400 room hotel - The Watergate Hotel, which is closed until late 2009 for major renovations and conversion into luxury 96 co-op apartments. Prices are expected to range from $650,000 for a one bedroom, to $9 million for the largest penthouse condo (5,400 sq. feet with 3 bedrooms).
Back in 1972, one of the tenants of the 2600 Virginia Ave., NW office building was the Democratic National Committee headquarters, which was located on the 6th floor.
A few of the more famous (or infamous) residents of the residential buildings have included Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bob and Elizabeth Dole, Sec. of State Condi Rice, Bill Clinton’s former secretary Betty Currie, former Bush cabinet member Paul O’Neill and Monica Lewinsky.
Some of the best views of the complex and of the Georgetown Harbor Waterfront are from the nearby Kennedy Center River Terrace, which you can walk around from 10:00 a.m. until about 10:00 p.m. daily. There is no admission charge to enter the Terrace.
The Watergate Complex
The complex boarders Virginia Ave., New Hampshire Ave., F Street NW and Rock Creek Parkway.
Washington, DC (map it)
Nearest Metro Subway Station - Foggy Bottom/George Washington University station (23rd and I St.) - Blue and Orange lines, then a 3-block walk.
Images - Personal collection
_________________________________________________
Comments Off