The Mayflower Hotel
Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia
Marker Inscription
National Register of Historic Places Renaissance Mayflower Hotel The hotel opened February 18, 1925. Its first major event was the inaugural ball of President Calvin Coolidge. It has entertained every president since and has been the residence of a number of vice presidents, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, senators, and Congressmen while in office. United States Department of the Interior November 14, 1983
Erected by National Register of Historic Places
The Story
The Mayflower Hotel opened in 1925 on Connecticut Avenue and immediately became a hub of Washington's political and social life, hosting Calvin Coolidge's inaugural ball as its first major event. Over the decades it entertained every president who followed and served as an in-town residence for vice presidents, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, and members of Congress. Its Beaux-Arts grandeur earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Why it matters
For a century the Mayflower has been a backstage setting for the ceremonies and deal-making of American national politics.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- National Geographic Society0.1 mi away · 1145 N Street Northwest, Washington
- Sumner School0.1 mi away
- B'Nai B'Rith Klutznick Museum0.2 mi away · DC
- Decatur House0.3 mi away · 1610 H Street Northwest, Washington, DC
- Decatur Carriage House0.3 mi away
- Heurich House Museum0.3 mi away
Attractions
- White House Peace Vigil0.4 mi away
- Almas Temple0.5 mi away · 1315 K Street Northwest
- Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain0.7 mi away
- Lockkeeper's House0.9 mi away · DC
- Lock 01.0 mi away
- World War II Memorial1.0 mi away · 1964 Independence Avenue Southwest, Washington, DC
Food & drink
- Peet's Coffee0.4 mi away · 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC
- Chopt0.4 mi away
- Starbucks0.4 mi away · 1730 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC
- Naan & Beyond0.4 mi away · 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC
- Subway0.4 mi away · 555 13th Street Northwest, Washington, DC
- M.E. Swing Coffee Roasters0.4 mi away · 1702 G Street Northwest, Washington, DC
Places to stay
- The Mayflower Hotelnearby · 1127 Connecticut Avenue Northwest
- The Quincy, Ascend Hotel Collection0.1 mi away · 1823 L Street Northwest
- AC Hotel0.2 mi away · 1112 19th Street Northwest, Washington, DC
- Club Quarters0.2 mi away · 839 17th Street Northwest
- Capital Hilton0.2 mi away · 1001 16th Street Northwest
- The St. Regis Washington, D.C.0.3 mi away · 923 16th Street Northwest, Washington, DC
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · Calvin Coolidge
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Photophone First Wireless Message Site
Washington, DC
In the spring of 1880, Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Charles Sumner Tainter were experimenting in Washington with the "photophone," a device that transmitted sound on a beam of light rather than a wire. On June 3, 1880, they sent an intelligible voice message between two Washington rooftops, a feat Bell himself considered his greatest invention. This marker stands at the building from which that wireless transmission was launched toward 1325 L Street.
Bulfinch Gate House (15th Street)
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Washington, DC · est. 1950
Around 1828, architect Charles Bulfinch—then completing the United States Capitol—oversaw construction of a pair of small gate houses guarding the western entrance to the Capitol grounds. The structure marked here stood until 1874; its companion survives today near 17th Street and Constitution Avenue.
Alexander Graham Bell
Washington, DC · est. 1947
On June 3, 1880, Alexander Graham Bell transmitted speech through the air on a beam of light—not a wire—using his newly invented 'photophone,' sending a wireless voice message from the top of this building to a receiver blocks away. Bell considered the photophone among his most important inventions, though the world was not yet ready to use light for communication. The plaque was placed in 1947 to mark the centennial of his birth.