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Wardman Tower
Wardman Park was Washington's largest and grandest hotel when it was completed in the 1920's. The 1929 Stock Market Crash destroyed Harry Wardman's fortune and his property was seized by his creditors. The Sheraton Corporation bought Wardman Park, including the Wardman Tower apartment complex, in 1953 and began rebuilding the Park. When it was completed in 1980, the Sheraton-Washington Hotel, encompassing 12 acres, was still Washington DC's largest hotel.
The Wardman Tower itself, which is pictured here, was designed by Mihran Mesrobian and built in 1928 by Harry Wardman as a residential annex to his hotel complex. The Tower was home to more top-ranking government officials than any other apartment building in Washington. Residents here included Lyndon Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover (all three being US Presidents), Spiro Agnew, Henry Wallace, Charles Curtis (all three being Vice Presidents), Clare Booth Luce, Barry Goldwater, John Foster Dulles (Secy of State), Millard Tydings (Senator), Adlai Stevenson, Perle Mesta (socialite and diplomat), and Earl Warren. |