The George Washington Hotel


  • Address: 103 E Piccadilly St
  • Vicinity: N Cameron St
  • Phone: 1-540-678-4700
  • Travel Genus: Lodging , Sight
  • Sight Category: Building
  • Lodging category: Casual Lodging

Built in 1924 in the City of Winchester, Virginia, The George Washington Hotel was the first southern hotel in the chain of Colonial Hotels managed by the American Hotel Corporation. The five-story, U-shaped, brick, parapeted, flat-roofed building constructed on a raised basement was one of the first fire-proof hotels in the city. Sited on the corner of North Cameron and East Piccadilly Streets within the state and nationally registered Winchester Historic District, the hotel is one of Winchester's tallest buildings and the surviving grand dame of the downtown. Designed by architect Clarence L Harding of Washington, DC, the hotel showcases distinct characteristics of the Colonial Revival and Neoclassical Revival styles. These features include a grand entrance, topped by an in-set arched window and flanked by giant pairs of fluted pilasters, original windows including tripartite double-hung, wood-sash windows with swag decorations on the first floor, and six-over-six, wood-sash windows topped by concrete lintels with keystones on the upper floors. The parapet ornamentation is enhanced by a bracketed cornice, a cartouche, and rectangular panels with swag insets. The interior lobby, ballroom, and dining room exhibit many original architectural elements including door and window trim, floors, egg-and-dart plaster moldings, freestanding giant piers, pilasters, and coffered ceilings. A 1929 compatible addition, designed by architect Marcellus Wright of Richmond, Virginia, gave the hotel its current U-shape. Remodeling was done in 1950-51 to update the facility, and again in the mid-1970s when the hotel closed. The George Washington Hotel underwent a complete rehabilitation from 2003-2008 following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and has regained its status as a grand hotel after reopening on May 1, 2008. The period of significance begins in 1924 with the construction of the hotel and ends in 1951 when the first remodeling took place. - NRHP, 10 November 2009


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Timeline

Y/M/D Person Association Description Composition Food Event
Y/M/D Person Association Description Composition Food Event
1924/06/18 Clarence L Harding Architect The George Washington Hotel opens, originally built by Wise Granite and Construction Company of Richmond, Virginia, with 102 rooms, only 45 of those rooms had private baths
1929/00/00 Marcellus E Wright Sr Architect 1929 addition adds 50 rooms, built by contractor Quigley Hafer of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
1954/04/00 Television host and Apple Blossom Festival Grand Marshal, Ed Sullivan, attends the joint Civic Club's luncheon at The George Washington Hotel. Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival
1957/05/03 Grand Marshal of the Apple Blossom Festival, James Cagney attends a luncheon at The George Washington Hotel just before riding in the grand feature parade. Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival
1964/05/00 Lyndon Baynes Johnson Minister of Crown Apple Blossom Queen Lucy Baines Johnson, daughter of President and Mrs Lyndon Johnson, attends an Apple Blossom Dance in the ballroom of The George Washington Hotel. Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival
1964/05/00 Lady Bird Johnson Celebrity Apple Blossom Queen Lucy Baines Johnson, daughter of President and Mrs Lyndon Johnson, attends an Apple Blossom Dance in the ballroom of The George Washington Hotel. Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival

Data »

Particulars for The George Washington Hotel:
Architectural Style American Colonial Revival
Area of Significance Architecture
Criteria Architecture-Engineering
Sight Category Building
Historic Use Hotel
Architectural Style Neoclassical
Owner Private
Historic Use Restaurant



US National Registry of Historic Places Data »

Accurate at time of registration:

PLACE DETAILS
Registry Name:
Registry Address:
Registry Number: 10000383
Resource Type:
Owner: Private
Architect: Harding, Clarence L.; Wright, Marcellus
Architectural Style: Colonial revival, Classical revival
Other Certification: Date received-pending nomination
CULTURAL DETAILS
Level of Significance: Local
Area of Significance: Architecture
Applicable Criteria: Architecture-Engineering
Significant Year: 1924, 1929, 1951
Historic Function: Domestic, Commerce, Trade
Historic Sub-Function: Restaurant, Hotel
Current Function: Domestic, Commerce, Trade
Current Sub-Function: Hotel Restaurant

Accommodations »


Lodging
Lodging category Casual Lodging
Lodging Attribute Grand Hotel
Lodging Style Hotel

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