Capital Hilton

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Capital Hilton is a historic hotel in Washington, D.C., just north of the White House at 1001 16th Street NW. It opened on January 18, 1943, originally as the Hotel Statler, built by Statler Hotels. The 14-story building has about 544 rooms and was designed by Holabird & Root LLC and A.R. Clas Associates.

In 1947, Larry Doby became the hotel’s first Black guest when the Cleveland Indians visited to play the Washington Senators. Scenes from the 1950 film Born Yesterday were filmed outside the hotel and in its lobby.

The Statler Hotels chain was sold to Hilton Hotels in 1954, and the hotel was renamed The Statler Hilton in 1958. It became The Capital Hilton on January 15, 1977.

Ownership changed hands several times: CNL Financial Group began co-owning with Hilton in 2003; in 2007 it was sold to Ashford Hospitality Trust. In 2013 Ashford spun off Capital Hilton into Ashford Hospitality Prime, which later became Braemar Hotels & Resorts in 2018. In 2014, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added Capital Hilton to its Historic Hotels of America list.