Whitelaw
Known Name(s)
Whitelaw (Primary) Whitelaw (Secondary)
Address
13th & T St. NW Washington, DC (Primary) (1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961)1839 13th St. NW Washington, DC (Secondary) (1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961)
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel
Physical Status
Extant
Detailed History
The building was called Whitelaw Hotel. The ground floor shops included a tailor, beauty shop, restaurant, a physician, and a barber as well as four floors of apartments. It was designed by Isaiah T. Hatton (1883-1921 from Hagerstown MD), an African American architect for John Whitelaw Lewis, founder of the United Savings Bank (info from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitelaw_Hotel). Newspaper articles indicate that the hotel was frequently used by various groups, such as the New York State Beauticians Society, the Shriners, and the Robert T. Freeman Dental Association of Washington DC. Important African American visitors to Washington also stayed there include Mary McLeod Bethune. See also, the DC Preservation League entry, https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/59
