Historic US Hotels Offer New Archives, Tours, and Art for 250th Anniversary
As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, numerous historic hotels and resorts are unveiling their rich histories through new archives, curated exhibitions, guided tours, and preservation efforts. The Jekyll Island Club in Georgia, the birthplace of the Federal Reserve in 1910, now showcases a dedicated Federal Reserve Room. In Washington, D.C., the Willard InterContinental, known for coining the term 'lobbyist,' offers tours led by historians. The Watergate Hotel introduces the Americana Suite alongside 'The Great American Road Trip' exhibition, curated by Daniela Mercuri. The Jefferson hotel presents Suite 250, complete with a private sunset cruise on the Potomac. Charleston Place features 'Liber(tea)' afternoon tea with a historian-led stroll through Revolutionary-era Charleston. The Pinch boutique hotel is housed in restored 19th-century buildings, while San Francisco's Palace Hotel, famous for its stained-glass Garden Court where President Woodrow Wilson promoted the League of Nations in 1919, remains a popular destination. These venues blend architecture, design, and American history, serving as vibrant landmarks.
Key facts
- Jekyll Island Club opened in 1888 as a retreat for families like Rockefellers and Vanderbilts.
- The Federal Reserve was conceived at Jekyll Island Club in 1910.
- The Willard InterContinental has been at its Pennsylvania Avenue address since 1850.
- Abraham Lincoln stayed at the Willard before his inauguration.
- Martin Luther King Jr. worked on his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the Willard.
- The Watergate Hotel's Americana Suite focuses on late 1960s and early 1970s culture.
- The Jefferson hotel's Suite 250 includes a private sunset cruise on the Potomac.
- San Francisco's Palace Hotel Garden Court has a stained-glass dome with over 70,000 pieces of colored glass.
Entities
Artists
- Maxfield Parrish
- Daniela Mercuri
- Thomas Jefferson
- Abraham Lincoln
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Woodrow Wilson
- Theodore Vail
- Alexander Graham Bell
- Thomas Watson
- John F. Kennedy
- Jacqueline Kennedy
Institutions
- Jekyll Island Club
- Willard InterContinental
- The Watergate Hotel
- The Jefferson
- Charleston Place
- The Pinch
- San Francisco's Palace Hotel
- Method Co.
- Morris Adjmi Architects
- National Geographic Museum of Exploration
- Mosaic Jekyll Island Museum
- AT&T
Locations
- Georgia
- United States
- Washington, D.C.
- Pennsylvania Avenue
- Charleston
- South Carolina
- King Street
- George Street
- Jekyll Island
- Georgia coast
- San Francisco
- California
- Potomac
- Lincoln Memorial
- Washington Monument
- Jefferson Memorial