AROUND TOWN

In 1942, Washington, DC faced a critical housing shortage for single women moving to the city for clerical jobs at the various war-time agencies created during World War II. In response to the shortage, the Federal Public Housing Authority built the Meridian Hill Hotel for Women located at 2601 16th Street, NW. All rooms had air conditioning and running water, and most rooms shared bathrooms that were located at the ends of each hallway. Maid service was included in the weekly fee. The building offered amenities such as drug store and news stand, a beauty parlor, library, doctor’s office and swimming pool. Rental fees at the hotel were $8.25-9.50 per week for a single room, and $7.00-7.50 per week for a double occupancy room. Unfortunately, the rental fees were designed to be affordable to higher-paid government workers only.

The international-style hotel was designed by Washington, DC architect, Louis Justement (1891-1968), at a cost $1.75M. Also designed by Justement was the E. Barrett Prettyman US Federal Courthouse for the District of Columbia and the Howard University Law Library.

By the end of 1945, many of the wartime agencies were abolished and “government girl” jobs were terminated. Many women in jobs that were not abolished were replaced by returning soldiers. Accordingly, in 1948, the Meridian Hill Hotel for Women was considered surplus and sold by the U.S government to the owners of the Times Square Hotel in New York for $2.75M. The hotel remained a women-only hotel for the next 20 years.

From 1968 until 2013, the building served as the Meridian Hill Hall dormitory for Howard University. In 2016, Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners entered into a 99-year ground lease with Howard University and turned the vacant dormitory into a luxury 200-unit apartment building. Rents range from $1900 for a studio to $3,961 for a two bedroom/two bath unit.

2601 16th Street, NW is designated as a contributing structure of the Meridian Hill Historic District.