Watergate complex
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The Watergate complex is a group of six buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. The complex includes a development of cooperative apartment residences. It also includes a hotel and an office building, which was the location of the Watergate burglary on June 17, 1972, which led to the resignation of U.S. president Richard Nixon two years later, on August 8, 1974 and serves as the basis for the complex's infamy. The complex covers a total of 10 acres (4 ha) just north of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
BuildingsEdit
Watergate complex buildings include:
- Watergate West at 2700 Virginia Avenue NW, a cooperative apartment
- Watergate 600 (600 New Hampshire Avenue NW), an office building
- Watergate Hotel at 2650 Virginia Avenue NW
- Watergate East at 2500 Virginia Avenue NW, cooperative apartments<ref name="MacPhersonStatus" />
- Watergate North at 2510 Virginia Avenue NW, cooperative apartments with two lobbies (one is North and one is South)
- Watergate South at 700 New Hampshire Avenue NW, cooperative apartments
- Watergate Office Building at 2600 Virginia Ave NW, the office building where the Watergate burglary occurred on June 17, 1972<ref name="Hedgpeth">Template:Cite news</ref>
HistoryEdit
For over a century, the land now occupied by the Watergate complex belonged to the Gas Works of the Washington Gas Light Company, which produced "manufactured gas", a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and other flammable and nonflammable gases, for heating, cooking, and lighting throughout Washington, D.C.<ref name="Penczer">Penczer, Peter R. Washington, D. C., Past and Present. Arlington, Va.: Oneonta Press, 1998. Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="Spot">Evelyn, Douglas E.; Dickson, Paul; and Ackerman, S.J. On This Spot: Pinpointing the Past in Washington, D.C. 3rd ed. Sterling, Va.: Capital Books, 2008. Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="Sanchez" /> Gas production ceased at the site in 1947, and the plant was demolished shortly thereafter.<ref name="Penczer" />
During the 1950s, the World Bank considered building its international headquarters here and on the adjacent site (which now houses the Kennedy Center), but rejected the site for unspecified reasons. It constructed its headquarters at its current location at 1818 H Street NW in Washington, D.C.<ref>"World Bank History: The Bank's Headquarters Building." International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. February 14, 2003. Accessed July 19, 2009.</ref>
Built between 1963 and 1971, the Watergate became one of the most desirable living spaces in Washington, D.C., popular with members of Congress and political appointees of the executive branch.<ref name="MacPhersonStatus"/><ref name="Livingston"/> The complex has been sold several times since the 1980s. During the 1990s, it was subdivided and its component buildings and parts of buildings were sold to various owners.<ref name="Haggerty"/><ref name="Sale"/>
In 1972, the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, then located on the sixth floor of the Watergate Office Building, was burgled; private campaign documents were photographed and telephones were wiretapped.<ref name="LewisPlot" /> The U.S. Senate investigation into the burglary revealed that high officials in the administration of President Richard Nixon had ordered the break-in and later tried to cover up their involvement. Additional crimes were also uncovered. The Watergate scandal, named after the complex, resulted in Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974.<ref name=Kilpatrick1974>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=WoodwardBernstein2005>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=Genovese1999>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Kutler">Template:Cite book</ref>
The name "Watergate" and the suffix "-gate" have since become synonymous with and applied by journalists to controversial topics and scandals in the United States and elsewhere, even extending to contexts where English is not a major language.<ref name="Trahair1994" /><ref name="SmithRichter1993" /><ref name="LullHinerman1997" /><ref name="Hamilton1992" /><ref name="Marirrodriga2008" />
The Watergate area is bounded on the north by Virginia Avenue, on the east by New Hampshire Avenue, on the south by F Street, and on the west by the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway which is along the Potomac River.<ref name="Wheeler">Template:Cite news</ref> It is in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, next to the Kennedy Center and the embassy of Saudi Arabia. The nearest Metro station, 0.4 miles (650 m) away, is Foggy Bottom–GWU station.
Name originsEdit
The name "Watergate" relates to numerous aspects of its physical and historical context. The name "Watergate" and the suffix "-gate" have since become synonymous with and applied by journalists to controversial topics and scandals in the United States<ref name=Trahair1994>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=SmithRichter1993>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=LullHinerman1997>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=Hamilton1992>Template:Cite book</ref> and elsewhere, even in places that do not have English as the main language.<ref name=Marirrodriga2008>Template:Cite news</ref>
The complex sits near the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which operated from 1831 to 1924 and is now a National Historical Park. The remains of the gravity dam across Rock Creek, as well as Waste Weir #1 are at this site.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Land once owned by the canal company was part of the Template:Convert site purchased in 1960 by the project's developer, Rome-based Società Generale Immobiliare (SGI).<ref name="projectsite">Template:Cite news</ref>
In his 2018 book The Watergate: Inside America's Most Infamous Address, author Joseph Rodota gave three accounts of the origin of the name, based on sources inside the development team: Author and playwright Warren Adler, while working as a publicist for the developers, came up with the name; Nicolas Salgo, a New York financier who suggested the original site to Societa Generale Immobiliare, acquired the name from Marjory Hendricks, owner of the Water Gate Inn; and three local executives—Giuseppe Cecchi, an employee of Societa Generale Immobiliare, Nicolas Salgo and Royce Ward—came up with the name, inspired in part by the Water Gate Inn, and recommended it to executives in the Rome office for approval. According to Rodota, the earliest use of the name Watergate in the surviving files of Societa Generale Immobiliare is a June 8, 1961, memorandum authored by Giuseppe Cecchi, summarizing an early meeting with officials of the future John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts about the proposed project.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In his 2009 book Presidential Power on Trial: From Watergate to All the President's Men, William Noble wrote that the Watergate "got its name from overlooking the 'gate' that regulated the flow of water from the Potomac River into the Tidal Basin at flood tide."<ref name="noble">Template:Cite book</ref> That gate (near the Jefferson Memorial) is about Template:Convert downriver from the Watergate complex.
Another namesake, the "Water Gate Inn" restaurant (1942–1966), operated on the site for more than two decades before the Watergate complex was built.<ref name="saharch">Template:Cite book</ref>
Watergate steps performance stageEdit
In 2004, Washington Post writer John Kelly argued that the name was most directly linked to the "Water Steps" or "Water Gate", a set of ceremonial stairs west of the Lincoln Memorial that led down to the Potomac.<ref name="Kelly">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AIAGuide" /><ref name="steps">Template:Cite book</ref> The steps had been originally planned as a ceremonial gateway to the city and an official reception area for dignitaries arriving in Washington, D.C., via water taxi from Virginia, though they never served this function.<ref name="Kelly" /> Instead, beginning in 1935, a floating performance stage on the Potomac River was anchored to the base of the steps. It was the site for open-air concerts and the audience could sit on the stairs.<ref name="Kelly" /><ref name="AIAGuide" /> Up to 12,000 people would sit on the steps and surrounding grass to listen to symphonies, military bands, and operas. The barge concerts ended in 1965 when jet airliner service began at National Airport and the noise impaired the venue's viability.<ref name="Spot" /><ref name="Kelly" /><ref name="AIAGuide" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The music venue was depicted in scenes in the motion pictures Houseboat (1958)<ref name="Spot" /> and Born Yesterday (1950).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
PlanningEdit
The Watergate complex was developed by the Italian firm SGI.<ref name="Lindsay">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="RomanGiant">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The company purchased the Template:Convert that belonged to the defunct Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in February 1960 for $10 million.<ref name="Lindsay" /><ref name="RomanGiant" /><ref name="Willmann">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The project was announced on October 21, 1960.<ref name="Willmann" /> Luigi Moretti of the University of Rome was the chief architect, and Milton Fischer of the D.C.-based firm of Corning, Moore, Elmore and Fischer the associate architect.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="Wheeler" /><ref name="AIAGuide">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Lindsay" /><ref name="Willmann" /><ref name="EisenTouch">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="WillmanShudders">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NewHotel">Template:Cite news</ref> The apartment buildings included two-story units on the first and second floors, while the top-floor units had private rooftop terraces and fireplaces.<ref name="MacPhersonStatus">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Livingston" /> The design for the entire complex also envisioned an electronic security system so extensive that the press claimed "intruders will have difficulty getting onto the grounds undetected."<ref name="Livingston" /> Boris V. Timchenko, a noted D.C.-based landscape architect, supervised the design of the grounds, which included more than 150 planters, tiers of fountains designed to create sounds like a waterfall, landscaped rooftop terraces, swimming pools, and a Template:Convert park.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="NewHotel" /> Landscape features such as planters would also be used to create privacy barriers between apartments.<ref name="EisenTouch" /> The complex was the first mixed-use development in the District of Columbia,<ref name="Sanchez">Sanchez, Carlos. "Watergate Blends Luxury, Convenience." The Washington Post. March 23, 1991.</ref><ref name="Cube1">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and was intended to help define the area as a business and residential rather than industrial district.<ref name="NewHotel" /> The Watergate complex was intended to be a "city within a city", and provide so many amenities that residents would not need to leave. Among these were a 24-hour receptionist, room service provided by the Watergate Hotel, health club, restaurants, shopping mall, medical and dental offices, grocery, pharmacy, post office, and liquor store.<ref name="Sanchez" /> At the time, it was also the largest renewal effort in the District of Columbia undertaken solely with private funds.<ref name="Clopton" />
Initially, the project was to cost $75 million and consist of six 16-story buildings comprising 1,400 apartment units, a 350-room hotel, office space, shops, 19 luxury "villas" (townhouses), and three-level underground parking for 1,250 vehicles.<ref name="Wheeler" /><ref name="Willmann" /><ref name="EisenTouch" /> The Watergate's curved structures were designed to emulate two nearby elements. The first was the proposed Inner Loop Expressway, a curving freeway expected to be built just in front of the Watergate within the next decade.<ref name="Livingston" />Template:Efn The second was the nearby Kennedy Center, then in the planning stage and whose original design was supposed to be curvilinear.<ref name="AIAGuide" /><ref name="Lindsay" /> Although the Kennedy Center later adopted a rectangular shape for cost reasons, the Watergate complex's design did not change.<ref name="Lindsay" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Incidentally, the curved structures would also give apartment dwellers an excellent view of the Potomac River.<ref name="EisenTouch" /> Because of the curves in the structure, the Watergate complex was one of the first major construction projects in the United States in which computers played a significant role in the design work.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="Sanchez" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Approval controversiesEdit
Because the District of Columbia is the seat of the United States government, proposals for buildings in the city (particularly those in the downtown area, near federal buildings and monuments) must pass through an extensive, complex, and time-consuming approval process. The approval process for the Watergate complex had five stages. The first stage considered the proposed project as a whole as well as the first proposed building.<ref name="GoAhead" /> The remaining four stages considered the four remaining proposed buildings in turn.<ref name="GoAhead" /> At each stage, three separate planning bodies were required to give their approval: The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the District of Columbia Zoning Commission (DCZC), and the United States Commission of Fine Arts (USCFA) (which had approval authority over any buildings built on the Potomac River to ensure that they fit aesthetically with their surroundings).<ref name="White">Template:Cite news</ref>
In December 1961, 14 months after the project was publicly announced, the NCPC voiced its concern that the project's 16-story buildings would overshadow the Lincoln Memorial and the proposed "National Cultural Center" (later to be called the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts).<ref name="Clopton">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the District of Columbia had a Template:Convert height limit on all buildings except for those located exclusively along business streets.<ref name="Clopton" /> To obtain a height waiver, SGI would have to include retail office space in the complex, but the site was then zoned only for apartment buildings.<ref name="Clopton" /> Thus, initial approval first had to be won from the District of Columbia Zoning Commission.<ref name="Opponents" />
By the time the DCZC met to consider approval in mid-April 1962, the cost of the project had been scaled back to $50 million.<ref name="Opponents">Template:Cite news</ref> Because the District of Columbia lacked home rule, DCZC planners were reluctant to act without coordinating with agencies of the federal government.<ref name="Opponents" /><ref name="GoshkoChange" /> Additionally, many civic leaders, architects, business people, and city planners opposed the project before the DCZC because they feared it was too tall and too large.<ref name="Opponents" /> By the end of April, DCZC had announced that it would delay its decision.<ref name="Isaacs">Template:Cite news</ref> The Commission of Fine Arts also had concerns: it felt some of the land should be preserved as public space<ref name="Clopton" /> and objected to the height of the proposed buildings as well as their modern design.<ref name="FineArtsDelay">Template:Cite news</ref> Three days after the DCZC meeting, the USCFA announced it was putting a "hold" on the Watergate development until its concerns were addressed.<ref name="FineArtsDelay" /> To counter this resistance, SGI officials met with members of the USCFA in New York City in April 1962 and defended the complex's design.<ref name="Isaacs" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> SGI also reduced the planned height of the Watergate to 14 stories from 16.<ref name="Livingston">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Wheeler" /> In May 1962, the NCPC reviewed the project. Additional revisions in the design plan pushed the cost back up to $65 million, even though only 17 villas were now planned.<ref name="RomanGiant" /> Based on this proposal, the NCPC approved the Watergate plan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
With the support of the NCPC, SGI dug in its heels: It declared it was not interested in developing the unsightly, abandoned commercial site unless its basic curvilinear design (now called "Watergate Towne") was approved, and it lobbied DCZC commissioners in late May, lecturing them on the District's architectural heritage and the beauty of modern architecture.<ref name="Sanchez" /><ref name=GoshkoMay1962130Feet>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> SGI officials also lobbied the USCFA. Meanwhile, White House staff made it known that the Kennedy administration wanted the height of the complex lowered to Template:Convert.<ref name="Livingston" /> Three key staff were opposed to the project on height grounds: Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Special Assistant to the President; August Heckscher III, Special Consultant on the Arts; and William Walton, a Kennedy family confidant.<ref name="SternWH">Template:Cite news</ref> The three briefed President John F. Kennedy on the issue, but it was not clear who made the decision to request the height reduction or who made the request public.<ref name="SternWH" /> The White House announcement surprised many, and offended federal and city planners, who saw it as presidential interference in their activities.<ref name="SternWH" />
SGI's chief architect, Gábor Ács, and Watergate chief architect Luigi Moretti flew to New York City on May 17 and defended the complex's design in a three-hour meeting with USCFA members.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="GoshkoChange">Template:Cite news</ref> SGI agreed to shrink three of the planned buildings in the development to 13 stories (112 ft), with the remaining building rising to Template:Convert.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="Wheeler" /><ref name="GoshkoChange" /> SGI also agreed to add more open space by reducing the size of the Watergate to Template:Convert from Template:Convert and by reorienting or re-siting some of the buildings.<ref name="GoshkoChange" /> The USCFA gave its assent to the revised construction plan on May 28, the White House withdrew its objections, and the DCZC gave its final approval on July 13.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="Isaacs" /><ref name="GoshkoWins">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="FinalDCApproval">Template:Cite news</ref> The final plan broke one building into two, creating five rather than four construction projects.<ref name="GoshkoWins" /><ref name="FinalDCApproval" /> Moretti later admitted he probably would have lowered the height of the buildings anyway,<ref name="EisenTouch" /> and thought that the approval process had gone relatively smoothly.<ref name="WillmanShudders" /> Construction was expected to begin in spring 1963 and last five years.<ref name="FinalDCApproval" />
The Watergate project faced one final controversy. The group Protestants and Other Americans United for Separation of Church and State began a national letter-writing campaign opposing the project, alleging that the zoning waivers would not have been given had the Vatican not been a major investor in SGI.<ref name="Sanchez" /><ref name="Protestants">Template:Cite news</ref> By mid-November 1962, more than 2,000 protest letters had been sent to Congress and another 1,500 to the White House.<ref name="Protestants" /> But the group's attempt to stop construction failed, and the project went forward.
The project won its $44 million financial backing in late 1962, and its construction permits in May 1963.<ref name="White" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Construction began on the first building, the Watergate East apartment, in August 1963.<ref name="Wheeler" /><ref name="WGEast">Template:Cite news</ref> The builder was Magazine Bros. Construction.<ref name="Livingston" /> Groundbreaking occurred in August 1963, and major excavation work was complete by May 1964.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="Wheeler" />
The U.S. Commission on Fine Arts attempted once more to revise the project. In October 1963, the USCFA alleged that the height of the Watergate complex, as measured from the parkway in front of it, would exceed the agreed-upon height restrictions.<ref name="White" /> SGI officials, however, contended that architects are required by law to measure from the highest point on the property on which they are to build; using this measurement, the building met the May 1962 agreement stipulations.<ref name="White" /> On January 10, 1963, SGI and the USCFA agreed that the height of the complex would not exceed Template:Convert above water level (10 inches below that of the nearby Lincoln Memorial), that fewer than 300 apartment units would be built (to reduce population congestion), and to eliminate the proposed luxury villas (to create more open space).<ref name="GoAhead">Template:Cite news</ref> Luxury penthouse apartments, however, could extend above the Template:Convert limit if they were set back from the edge of the building and the 14th floor was foregone.<ref name="GoAhead" /> With these adjustments, the total cost of the first apartment complex (excluding plumbing, electricity, and decoration) was estimated at $12,184,376.<ref name="GoAhead" />
ConstructionEdit
Construction proceeded. The foundation and basement of the first building, the Template:Convert Watergate East, were completed by September 1964, and the metal and concrete superstructure rose in October.<ref name="WGEast" /> In September 1964, the Watergate's developers signed a first-of-its-kind agreement under which the Washington Gas Light Co. would provide the entire complex with its heating and air conditioning.<ref>"Watergate, Gas Co. Sign Unusual Pact." The Washington Post. September 9, 1964.</ref> The Watergate East was completed in May 1965, and a month later the first model apartment unit was opened to the public for viewing.<ref>"First Watergate Building Nearly Ready." The Washington Post. May 22, 1965; "Watergate Apartment Model Opens." The Washington Post. June 19, 1965.</ref> The building formally opened on October 23, 1965, and the first tenants moved in a few days later.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref>"Formal Opening Wednesday For Watergate East." The Washington Post. October 24, 1965; "Watergate East Gets First Tenants." The Washington Post. October 24, 1965.</ref> Prices for the 238 cooperative apartment units ranged from $17,000 for efficiencies to more than $250,000 for penthouses, and were almost completely sold out by April 1967.<ref name="MacPhersonStatus" /><ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="NewHotel" /> The average apartment contained two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a dining room, and a kitchen, and cost $60,000.<ref name="MacPhersonStatus" /> Each parking space in the underground garage cost $3,000.<ref name="MacPhersonStatus" /> The tenants took title to their building on April 8, 1966.<ref>"Watergate Operating As 'Co-Op'." The Washington Post. April 9, 1966.</ref> In November, a Safeway supermarket, a Peoples Drug (now known as CVS pharmacy), beauty salon, barber shop, bank, bakery, liquor store, florist, dry cleaner, post office, upscale shops, and high-end restaurant took up residency in the retail space on the ground floor.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="NewHotel" /><ref name="InPlace" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Riverview Realty was the leasing agent for the complex.<ref name="Livingston" />
Construction began on the second building, the 11-story office building and hotel, in February 1965.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Both opened on March 30, 1967; the Watergate Hotel welcomed its first guests the same day.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 12-story hotel initially included 213 rooms, while the 12-story office building, attached to the hotel by a colonnade, had Template:Convert of office space.<ref name="NewHotel" /> The combined hotel/office building included a health club, space on the ground floor for shops, and a restaurant, the Roman Terrace, on the top floor.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="NewHotel" /> Later in April, the Democratic National Committee leased office space in the building's retail office portion.<ref name="Democrats">Template:Cite news</ref>
The third building in the complex, Watergate South,<ref name="Sanchez" /> opened in June 1968. It contained 260 residential units, more than any other building in the complex.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Construction on the fourth building in the complex, the Watergate West apartments, began in July 1967.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Apartments in the unfinished building, priced from $30,000 to $140,000, began selling in October 1967, an indication of how popular the complex was with District residents.<ref name="InPlace" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Watergate West topped out on August 16, 1968, at which point the cost of the project had risen to $70 million.<ref name="Spreads">Template:Cite news</ref> Construction was completed in 1969.<ref name="Livingston" />
Fifth buildingEdit
Controversy arose over the construction of the Watergate Office Building, the complex's fifth and final structure. Its original design called for a Template:Convert structure with the upper floors set back to create more space and light.<ref name="Morgan" /> But in June 1965, as excavation and clearing began for the Kennedy Center, its advocates began agitating to lower the planned height of the final Watergate building.<ref name="Morgan">Template:Cite news</ref> The general counsel for the Kennedy Center told the USCFA that the Watergate Town (the development had dropped the "e") was planning a Template:Convert building that would harm the aesthetics of the Kennedy Center and intrude on its park-like surroundings.<ref name="Morgan" /> The Watergate's attorneys responded that their building would stay within the agreed-upon Template:Convert height.<ref name="Morgan" />
The disagreement continued for nearly two years,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> delaying the planned fall 1967 start to construction.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Watergate apartment residents such as Senator Wayne Morse lobbied the USFCA, DCZC, and NCPC to force SGI to accede to the Kennedy Center's wishes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 1967, the USCFA reaffirmed its approval of the Watergate project.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When the DCZC appeared on the verge of giving its approval as well, the Kennedy Center argued that the DCZC had no jurisdiction over the controversy.<ref name="WestZoners">Template:Cite news</ref> The DCZC disagreed, and re-asserted its jurisdiction.<ref name="WestZoners" /> The Kennedy Center then argued that the DCZC had not properly considered its objections, and should delay its approval pending further hearings.<ref name="RulingDueSoon">Template:Cite news</ref> The District's legal counsel disagreed, giving the DCZC the go-ahead to reaffirm (or not) its approval ruling,<ref name="RulingDueSoon" /> which the Zoning Commission did on November 30, 1967.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Although it appeared that SGI was winning the legal battle over the fifth building, D.C. city planners attempted to mediate the dispute between the Kennedy Center and the Watergate and achieve a contractual rather than legal solution. Three separate proposals were made to both sides on December 7, 1967.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On April 22, 1968, SGI agreed to turn its fifth building slightly to the southwest in order to open up the Watergate complex a little more and give the Kennedy Center a bit of open space.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although the Kennedy Center accepted the proposal, it demanded that the fifth building include apartment units, rather than be completely devoted to office space, to maintain the area's residential nature.<ref name="Compromise">Template:Cite news</ref> The fight now moved to the NCPC. In June 1968, the NCPC held a hearing at which more than 150 Watergate apartment residents clashed with SGI officials over the nature of the final building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On August 8, 1968, SGI and the Kennedy Center reached a resolution, agreeing that only 25 percent of the fifth building's Template:Convert would be used as office space and that the remaining space would become apartment units.<ref name="Compromise"/> The NCPC approved the revised plan in November 1968, and the DCZC did so five weeks later, specifically zoning the building for nonprofit and professional use only.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The fifth building was completed in January 1971.<ref name="Wheeler" /> Its first tenant was the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which secured occupancy in February 1971, and its first major tenant was the Manpower Evaluation and Development Institute, which leased the entire eighth floor.<ref name="Livingston" /> In October 1972, several high-end fashion boutiques, jewelers, and a restaurant opened in a retail space named "Les Champs".<ref name="Livingston" />
The total cost of the project was $78 million.<ref name="Sanchez" />
Critical receptionEdit
The Watergate's initial reception was poor, but the complex soon became recognized as one of D.C.'s finest examples of modern architecture. When models of the Watergate were unveiled in 1961, critics said the structure "would ruin the waterfront".<ref name="Livingston" /> Other critics denounced it as "nonconforming" and decried it as "Antipasto on the Potomac".<ref name="Isaacs" /> As noted above, many individuals also felt the complex blocked views of the Potomac River, tended to overshadow nearby monuments and other buildings, and consumed too much open space. Some residents even felt the construction of the units was substandard.<ref name="Titanic">Template:Cite news</ref> Architectural critics called the detailing "clunky".<ref name="AIAGuide" />
The Washington Star newspaper, however, was an early proponent of the Watergate. In May 1962, it editorialized: "It is true that the so-called 'curvilinear' design is at variance with most commercial architecture in Washington. But in our opinion the result, which places a premium on public open space and garden-like surroundings, and which proposes a quality of housing that would rank with the finest in the city, would be a distinct asset."<ref name="Livingston" /> The curving design has continued to draw praise. A noted 2006 guidebook to the city's architecture concluded that the Watergate brought a "welcome fluidity" to the city's boxy look.<ref name="AIAGuide" /> Others praised the complex's internal public spaces. When the Watergate East opened in 1965, The Washington Post called these areas opulent and evocative of the best in Italian design.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The New York Times characterized the design as "sweeping", and complimented each building's spectacular views of the Potomac River, Virginia skyline, and monuments.<ref name="NewHotel" /> Many residents later said the flowing lines reminded them of a graceful ship.<ref name="MacPhersonStatus" />
Watergate IIEdit
In 1970, as the Watergate was nearing completion, SGI proposed building a "Watergate II" apartment, hotel, and office complex on the waterfront in Alexandria, Virginia, several miles down the Potomac River from the original Watergate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although the project initially received support from Alexandria city officials and business people, residents of the city's Old Town strongly objected.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Swap">Template:Cite news</ref> The project stalled for two years due to protests from residents and a land dispute regarding title to the waterfront land on which the project was to be sited.<ref name="Swap" /><ref name="WillmanSecurity">Template:Cite news</ref>
The Watergate II project was eventually abandoned in favor of a much larger complex near Landmark Mall in Alexandria (a site nowhere near water).<ref name="WillmanSecurity" />
Watergate buildingsEdit
The entire Watergate complex was initially owned by Watergate Improvements, Inc., a division of SGI.<ref name="WillmanShudders" /> In 1969, the Vatican sold its interest in SGI and no longer was part-owner of the Watergate.<ref>"Vatican May Sell Watergate Interest." The Washington Post. June 19, 1969.</ref> Although the Watergate was considered one of the most glamorous residences in the city, as early as 1970 residents and businesses complained of substandard construction, including a leaking roof and poor plumbing and wiring.<ref name="Titanic" />
The three Watergate Apartment buildings have a total of about 600 residential units.<ref name="Cube1" /> Notable occupants over time have included: Alfred S. Bloomingdale,<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref name="LandRush" /> Arthur F. Burns,<ref name=Graff>Template:Cite book</ref> Anna Chennault,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Bob and Elizabeth Dole (Watergate South),<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref name="EislerBait" /><ref name="Men">Bernstein, Carl and Woodward, Bob. All The President's Men. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994. Template:ISBN</ref> Plácido Domingo,<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Leiby">Template:Cite news</ref> Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Watergate South),<ref name="ReliableSource">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="EislerBait">Template:Cite news</ref> Alan Greenspan,<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Monica Lewinsky (she stayed briefly at her mother's apartment in the complex),<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Senator Russell Long,<ref name="MacPhersonStatus" /><ref name="Rosen" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Clare Boothe Luce (after 1983),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Robert McNamara,<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="ReliableSource" /> John and Martha Mitchell,<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref name="Men" /><ref name="Rosen">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Paul O'Neill,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Abraham Ribicoff,<ref name= "Graff" /> Condoleezza Rice,<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Mstislav Rostropovich,<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Maurice Stans,<ref name="Men" /><ref name="Leiby" /> Ben Stein,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Herbert Stein,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> John A. Volpe,<ref name= "Graff" /> John Warner and Elizabeth Taylor (during their marriage),<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Caspar Weinberger,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Charles Z. Wick,<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref name="LandRush">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Rose Mary Woods.<ref name="ReliableSource" /><ref name="Men" /> The Watergate's popularity among members of Congress and high-ranking executive branch political appointees has remained strong ever since the complex opened. So many members of the Nixon administration settled there that the Washington, D.C., press commented on it<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and nicknamed it the "Republican Bastille".<ref name="Livingston" /> The complex enjoyed a renaissance during the early 1980s and became known as the "White House West" due to the large number of Reagan administration officials living there.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="LandRush" />
The Watergate complex changed hands in the 1970s, and each building was sold off separately in the 1990s and 2000s (decade) (see below). Strict lease agreements, however, have kept the apartment buildings in residents' hands: In the Watergate South, for example, owners cannot rent their unit until a full year has passed, and no lease may last more than two years.<ref name="Sanchez" /> In 1977, one of the Watergate's financiers (Nicholas Salgo) and Continental Illinois Properties bought SGI's stake in the development for $49 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two years later, Continental Illinois sold its interest to the National Coal Board Pension Fund in the U.K.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Salgo did the same in 1986.<ref name="Livingston" /> The coal board pension fund put the Watergate complex up for sale in 1989, and estimated the complex's worth at between $70 million and $100 million.<ref name="Haggerty">Template:Cite news</ref> Several buildings were sold in the 1990s (for details, see below).<ref name="Haggerty" /> The property was valued at $278 million in 1991.<ref name="Sanchez" /> Efficiency units in that year sold for $95,000, while penthouse apartments went for $1 million or more.<ref name="Sanchez" /> Various buildings were sold again in the early 2000s (decade).<ref name="Sale">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005, all of the retail space in the complex was put up for sale.<ref name="Hedgpeth" />
Little redevelopment of the site has occurred in the 40 years since the Watergate was first built. The complex still includes three luxury apartment buildings, the hotel/office building, and two office buildings.<ref name="Cube1" /> The entire development was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 21, 2005.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Watergate EastEdit
The Watergate East apartment building is probably the second-best known of the five buildings in the development. It became the most sought-after living location in the city when it opened in 1966.<ref name="MacPhersonStatus" />
Problems with the building's construction became apparent shortly after its occupancy. The roof was leaking by 1968.<ref name="Blackmail">Template:Cite news</ref> In October 1968, The Washington Post published reports that SGI refused to fix the leaks unless residents dropped their opposition to the construction of the complex's fifth building.<ref name="Blackmail" /> By 1970, problems at Watergate East led the press to dub the building the "Potomac Titanic",<ref name="Titanic" /> and its residents filed suit against the developer in 1971 to correct the structure's problems.<ref name="InPlace">Template:Cite news</ref> Another lawsuit, filed in February 1970, sought exclusive access to the underground parking garage the cooperative claimed as its own, and demanded that the developer stop selling spaces in the residents' parking area.<ref name="InPlace" /> SGI filed a $4 million counterclaim alleging "malicious embarrassment" and five years later paid residents $600,000 to settle the cases.<ref name="Livingston" />
The Watergate East was also the site of a major protest in 1970. In the weeks before the jury verdict in the Chicago, Illinois, trial of the Chicago Seven, political activists began planning and then advertising that a protest would occur at the home of United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell (who lived in the Watergate East).<ref name="Bar">"Police Bar March on Mitchell Home." The New York Times. February 20, 1970.</ref> As expected, the verdict was handed down on February 18, 1970 (all the defendants were found not guilty of conspiracy but five were found guilty of incitement to riot<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>). That night, more than 200 people rallied at D.C.'s All Souls Unitarian Church to prepare for the mass protest demonstration the next day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On February 19, several hundred protestors gathered in front of the Watergate East and attempted to enter the building.<ref name="Bar" /><ref name="Arrested">Template:Cite news</ref> Several hundred police, bused in to prevent the demonstration, engaged in street fighting with protestors, forced them to retreat, and eventually launched several tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.<ref name="Bar" /> More than 145 protesters were arrested.<ref name="Arrested" /> Although a second protest was expected the following day, it never emerged and police spent the day drinking coffee and eating cookies and pastries baked at the Watergate East's pastry shop.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Watergate East tenants' cooperative refinanced its mortgage some time after 2000, and bought the land beneath its building.<ref name="Wheeler" />
Watergate Hotel and Office BuildingEdit
The Watergate Hotel and Office Building is one of the five buildings in the Watergate development.
Watergate HotelEdit
Management and ownership of the hotel have changed several times since the mid-1980s. In 1986, Cunard Line, the cruise ship company, took over management of the hotel and began redecorating and refurbishing it.<ref>"Cunard to Manage Watergate." The Washington Post. April 17, 1986.</ref> The British Coal Board pension fund sold the hotel portion of the building to a British-Japanese consortium in 1990 for $48 million.<ref name="Haggerty" /> Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, the real estate affiliate of the Blackstone Group, bought the hotel for $39 million in July 1998.<ref name="Cube1" /> For a few years in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade), the Watergate Hotel was operated by the Swissôtel hotel group.<ref name="Cube1" /> But the hotel underperformed other Swissôtel operations of similar size, location, and price.<ref name="Cube1" /> Jean-Louis Palladin's eponymous restaurant in the building closed in 1996.<ref name="EislerBait" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The hotel subsequently underwent a renovation in 2000.<ref name="AIAGuide" /> Swissôtel was purchased by Raffles Hotels and Resorts, and Raffles' management contract ended in May 2002.<ref name="Cube1" />
Blackstone began managing the hotel, and put it up for sale in the fall of 2002 (with an asking price of $50 million to $68 million).<ref name="Cube1" /> Monument Realty bought the hotel for $45 million in 2004 and planned to turn it into luxury apartment co-ops.<ref name="Rein">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Wilted">Template:Cite news</ref> But many residents in other parts of the complex (some of whom owned the 25 percent of the hotel not sold to Blackstone)<ref name="EislerBait" /> argued that a hotel would better enhance the livability of the area and challenged the conversion in court.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Lengel">Template:Cite news</ref> The hotel closed on August 1, 2007, for a $170 million 18-month renovation, during which the hotel rooms were intended to be roughly doubled in size to Template:Convert.<ref name="Lengel" /> But the renovation never occurred, and the building sat empty—consuming $100,000 to $150,000 a month in security, heating, electricity, water, and other costs.<ref name=Wilted/> Lehman Brothers, Monument Realty's financing partner, went bankrupt in 2008 and Monument was forced to attempt to sell the property.<ref name=Wilted/> No buyer emerged and the Blackstone Group regained ownership of the hotel.<ref name=Wilted/>
The Blackstone Group transferred the Watergate Hotel to its Trizec Properties subsidiary. Trizec did not pay the hotel's property taxes for 2008 (which amounted to $250,000), and estimated that it would take $100 million to make the hotel habitable due to the stalled 2007 renovation.<ref name=Wilted/> The hotel was put on the market in May 2009, but once again no buyer emerged. The hotel was auctioned off on July 21, 2009 (with the minimum bid beginning at $25 million), but there were no buyers and Deutsche Postbank, which held the $40 million mortgage on the property, took over ownership.<ref name=Rein/><ref name=Wilted/> The bank began marketing the property for sale, and Monument Realty submitted a bid in October 2009 to buy the hotel back.<ref name=ReinBuyBack>Template:Cite news</ref> Monument was outbid by developer Robert Holland and the Jumeirah Group (a luxury hotel chain based in Dubai), but the deal collapsed in November 2009 when financing fell through.<ref name=ReinBuyBack/> Euro Capital Properties purchased the hotel in May 2010 for $45 million, with plans to rehabilitate it over the next two years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Euro Capital announced its year-long, $85 million renovation of the hotel in January 2013. Among the improvements it wished to make were the addition of six outdoor "summer gardens" where liquor may be served. The plan would require the approval of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, which voted to protest the liquor licenses unless the company reached an agreement with all the tenant associations in the Watergate cooperative.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A year later, the company said its design team, led by the architectural firm BBGM, had completed a plan to increase the number of luxury hotel rooms from 251 to 348, renovate the lobby to add a bar and lounge, add a restaurant with some outdoor seating, and add a rooftop bar with a small water feature. Euro Capital also said it would seek a hotel management company to continue to operate the Watergate Hotel as an independent hotel. Construction on the new interior elements was planned to start in March 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Euro Capital received the construction permits for its now $100 million renovation in May 2014. Architect Bahram Kamali of BBGM said the renovation would completely replace the electrical, HVAC, mechanical, and plumbing (fresh water and sewage) systems. The renovation now featured two new restaurants, upgraded ballrooms, and a new spa and fitness area.<ref name=grunelytapped/> The meeting space, which was quite small by industry standards, was expanded to Template:Convert, and the ballroom enlarged slightly to Template:Convert. Watergate officials said the new rooftop bar will seat 350, and other internal structural changes will add nearly 100 guest rooms.<ref name=reopenhotel>Template:Cite news</ref> Kamali said the interior would feature expensive, high-quality plaster, stone, and wood finishes, but the exterior's iconic textured concrete balconies would remain unchanged except for repairs, repainting, and new windows. Grunley Construction would oversee all the renovations.<ref name=grunelytapped>Template:Cite news</ref> Israeli artist and interior decorator Ron Arad designed all the metal sculptures and other work that would be featured in the hotels' bar, lobby, and other interior space.<ref name=reopenhotel/>
The cost of the renovation was pegged by Euro Capital at $125 million in November 2014. The 336-room hotel reopened in 2016, nine years after it had closed.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Office buildingEdit
The office building portion of the building contains Template:Convert.<ref name="Hedgpeth" />
In 1972, the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) occupied the entire sixth floor of the 11-story building at 2600 Virginia Avenue.<ref name="LewisPlot">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Kessler">Template:Cite book</ref> The DNC had occupied the space since the building opened in 1967.<ref name="Democrats" /> On May 28, 1972, a team of burglars working for President Richard M. Nixon's re-election campaign bugged the phones of and took photos in and near the DNC chairman's office.<ref name="Kutler" /><ref name="Men" /><ref name="Emery">Template:Cite book</ref> The phone taps were monitored from the burglars' rooms (first Room 419, later Room 723) at the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge across the street at 2601 Virginia Avenue NW.<ref name="Kutler" /><ref name="Men" /><ref name="Kessler" /><ref name="Emery" />Template:Efn During a second burglary on June 17, 1972, to replace a malfunctioning phone tap and collect more information, five of the burglars were arrested and the Watergate scandal began to unfold.<ref name="LewisPlot" /><ref name="Kutler" /><ref name="Men" /><ref name="Emery" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A plaque on the sixth floor of the office building portion of the Watergate Hotel commemorates the break-in.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The sixth floor space, occupied by SAGE Publishing since 2015, houses a private exhibit commemorating the break-in and ensuing scandal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters was not the first break-in at the Watergate. The first break-in at the complex was the burglary of a residential unit in 1969 owned by Rose Mary Woods, President Nixon's personal secretary.<ref name="Livingston" /><ref name="WoodsBurglary">Template:Cite news</ref> The burglars took jewelry and some personal items.<ref name="WoodsBurglary" /> Woods was later accused of [[Nixon White House tapes#18½-minute gap|erasing Template:Frac minutes]] from President Nixon's secret Oval Office audio taping system—specifically, the tape from June 20, 1972, that proved central to the Watergate scandal.<ref name="Kutler" /><ref name="Men" /><ref name="Emery" />
In 1993, the British coal board pension fund sold the office portion of the building as well as the land under two of the three Watergate apartment buildings to JBG (now JBG Smith), an American firm, and Buvermo Properties, a Dutch company.<ref name="Haggerty" /> In 1997, they sold the office building to The Blackstone Group's Trizec Properties division.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trizec sold it to BentleyForbes, a private firm owned by C. Frederick Wehba and members of the Los Angeles-based Webha family, in 2005.<ref name="Hedgpeth" /><ref name="Rein" /><ref name="SoldForbes" /> In November 2011, after 20 months on the market, BentleyForbes sold the office building for $76 million to the Penzance Cos.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2012, the owner implemented a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the Watergate Office Building's lobby, common areas, and Virginia Avenue entrance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hitt Contracting designed the renovations, and oversaw the construction.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Penzance sold the office building to a subsidiary of Rockwood Capital for $75 million at the end of 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Brian Friedman acquired the building in 2019 for $101.5 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Watergate SouthEdit
Among the notable people who have lived at the Watergate South is former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As with the Watergate East, residents of this building have discussed buying the land beneath their building, but there is no urgency as the lease on the land does not expire until 2070.<ref name="Wheeler" />
Watergate WestEdit
Construction problems and leaks at Watergate West led the press to ridicule this building, like others in the complex, as the "Potomac Titanic".<ref name="Titanic" /> On March 2, 1971, residents of the Watergate West filed a lawsuit against SGI in which they claimed their units had defective stoves, faulty air conditioning, leaky windows and balconies, and deficient plumbing.<ref name="InPlace" /> SGI said the problems were similar to those with any new building, and that it had already spent $300,000 on repairs.<ref name="InPlace" />
Like the Watergate East, residents of this building have discussed buying the land beneath their building but do not need to do so until the land lease expires in 2070.<ref name="Wheeler" />
Watergate 600Edit
Britain's National Coal Board Pension Fund sold the Watergate Office Building to John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance in the early 1990s.<ref name="Haggerty" /> The building's office spaces were renovated in 1994,<ref name="AIAGuide" /><ref name="SoldForbes">Template:Cite news</ref> while the entire building saw extensive renovations in 1997.<ref name=sernowashreit>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Atlantic magazine owner David G. Bradley purchased the building in 2003.<ref name="Sale"/> He renovated it once again, expanding its lobby and restaurant space.<ref name=sernowashreit />
In March 2017, Bradley sold the building to the Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (WashREIT) for $135 million plus ownership in a WashREIT operating unit.Template:Efn WashREIT said it would continue renovating various spaces, upgrade and expand the rooftop amenities, and build a new fitness center and conference center.<ref name=sernowashreit />
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
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