Carlton Hotel (The St. Regis)
Known for many years as the Carlton Hotel, The St. Regis is an example of Beaux Arts design, used to enhance the commercial value and social prestige of this 1920s hotel just two blocks from the White House.
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The Carlton Hotel was designed by architect Mihran Mesrobian (1889-1975) and built in 1926 by developer Harry Wardman (1872-1938). Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, this eight-story hotel at 16th and K streets NW is a significant example of this monumental architectural style that was popular in the early decades of the 20th century and was used for many important buildings, from banks to courthouses. Mesrobian designed many significant buildings in Washington, including the Hay-Adams Hotel, Wardman Tower, and Sedgwick Gardens — the latter of which includes a rare interior designation.
Due to the Great Depression, Wardman was forced to sell the hotel in 1930. The building then functioned as office space for the White House during World War II and the years of the Truman Administration (1945-1953). The hotel was sold in 1953 to the Sheraton Hotels brand, which renamed the hotel the Sheraton-Carlton Hotel. The Sheraton-Carlton closed in 1986 for extensive renovations. After reopening in 1988, the hotel’s name reverted to the Carlton Hotel. In 1999, it was renamed The St. Regis.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: June 28, 1990
Within Sixteenth Street Historic District
