Editing Watergate complex (section)

===Critical reception===
[[File:Watergate complex washington.jpg|thumb|Characteristic architecture of the Watergate complex]]
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">{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Philip D. |title=Watergate: Potomac Titanic |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 3, 1970}}</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>{{cite news |last=Wagner |first=Ruth |title=Oriental Opulence and Italian Grandeur |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 6, 1965}}</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" />