Old Post Office Tower

The Old Post Office Pavilion, now known as the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC, is a striking historic building complex on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Built in the Romanesque Revival style between 1892 and 1899 to designs by architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke, the structure is made of granite, steel, and iron. With its clock tower, which rises more than 270 feet, it was the tallest building in the capital when it was completed. Because of height restrictions introduced later, it is now the third-tallest structure in the District of Columbia, after the Washington Monument and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The building is part of the Federal Triangle and the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, which underscores its status as a protected landmark.

The history of the Pavilion is closely tied to historic preservation in the city. When plans for its demolition became public in the 1970s, citizen protests led to the founding of the D.C. Preservation League, and the building was saved. Since 1983 it has been called the Nancy Hanks Center, in honor of the first woman to chair the National Endowment for the Arts. The clock tower holds ten bells, which the British Ditchley Foundation gave to the United States in 1976 and which are rung on special occasions. After years of use as an office building and unsuccessful attempts by the federal government to find a new use for it, a private consortium acquired the rights to the property for sixty years in 2013.

Following a comprehensive renovation, the building first opened as a luxury hotel in 2016. After a change of ownership and a brief closure in 2022, it now operates as the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC. Today, you can admire the impressive architecture, including the large five-story atrium, and experience the historic atmosphere of the former post office building in its modern use as a hotel. The site remains a central landmark on Pennsylvania Avenue, reflecting both the architectural and political history of the city.