AROUND TOWN

At 2101 16th Street, NW stands The Camden Roosevelt apartment building, which opened in 1920 as a residential hotel. The five-tier, eight-story Renaissance Revival building was designed by Appleton P. Clark, Jr. (1865-1955) and cost an estimated $2M to complete.

The Hadleigh Apartment Hotel, as it was formerly called, was built in response to the growing demand for luxurious compact living in major cities across the United States. The apartment hotel leased to long-term tenants and rented furnished rooms for “transient guests.” “Non-housekeeping” (one or two rooms with a bath) apartments were available, as well as “light housekeeping” and “full housekeeping” apartments comprising one room with bath to seven rooms with two baths. “Light housekeeping” units contained “disappearing beds” (also known as Murphy beds).

The Hadleigh offered guests and residents such luxury amenities as a 300-seat cafe, a ballroom, a telephone switchboard, private phone booths, a news and cigar stand, doctor’s offices, and a rooftop garden. On the basement level, residents and guests could find a delicatessen and grocery store, drug store, barber shop, hair salon, and manicurist, as well as a men’s haberdashery, The Hadleigh considered itself a “tipless” hotel, as all units were equipped with Receivador cabinets (also known as The Automatic Servant), which allowed for delivery and retrieval of parcels and laundry without intrusion or tipping of employees.

As The Hadleigh functioned as a hotel, the building offered a la carte dining and entertainment for guests and residents alike. Dances, recitals, and concerts were held in the ballroom.

In December 1922, the Hadleigh Apartment Hotel was sold and renamed the Hotel Roosevelt. The new owners operated the Roosevelt “exclusively as a hotel.” However, large five-, six-, and seven-room “housekeeping apartments” were still available for leasing.

Although still operating throughout the 1940s, Hotel Roosevelt slowly fell into disrepair. In 1949, the hotel lost its hotel business license due to poor plumbing. In 1952, the hotel came under scrutiny of the District Licensing Corporation when permanent tenants complained of the lack of hot water. It was then discovered that the hotel was operating without a license. The hotel was fined $900 and required to undergo renovations to the plumbing system to regain its business license. In 1954, after extensive renovations to the boiler and plumbing systems, the District reinstated the hotel’s business license. In addition, a new dance floor was installed in the Victory Room.

In September 1956, the building was sold, and the contents were liquidated. In 1963, New York real estate investor Sylvan Lawrence converted the Hotel Roosevelt into The Roosevelt, a senior living community. The building was converted from a 600-room hotel to 365 air-conditioned apartment units. Single occupancy was $140/month and included two meals, maid and linen services, and access to recreational facilities. Building services included many of the same luxury amenities offered at the Hotel Roosevelt, such as a large dining room, barber shop, beauty salon, drugstore, newsstand, deli, coffee shop, tailor and shoe repair services, and a cocktail lounge. Although the residents were required to be ambulatory, a fully-equipped clinic staffed with registered nurses was available 24 hours a day. In 1986, The Roosevelt was purchased by the city and continued operating as a senior community until 1998. The Roosevelt remained vacant until 2002, when Summit Properties Inc. purchased and carefully restored the building, including many of (including many of the original Receivadors).

The building now has 198 apartments ranging from a 495-square-foot efficiency to 1,641-square-foot three-bedroom units. 2024 rents range from approximately $2,590 for a studio apartment to $6,400 for a three-bedroom/two-bath apartment. The Camden Roosevelt offers stellar amenities, including a 24-hour fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, a wine cellar, valet parking, a bar and billiards room, saunas, and much more.

The Camden Roosevelt Apartment building is designated as a contributing member of the Meridian Hill Historic District.