RSS FeedHistory on Foot: Old Ebbitt Grill
While meeting with some out of town clients over drinks at Old Ebbitt Grill (675 15th St., NW) last night, one of my guests asked “Is it true that this bar is where the British soldiers sat drinking beer watching the White House burned?” I was embarrassed that I had no idea if this was true or not. Based on the history of Old Ebbitt on their own web site, I don’t think so. Interestingly, though, Old Ebbitt Grill, founded in 1856, is the oldest saloon in Washington. The original location is thought to have been much closer to PQ, on the edge of Chinatown. Old Ebbitt moved to its current location on 15th Street in 1983. Popular with locals and tourists alike for its raw bar and burgers, next time you visit, take a moment to revel in the bar’s history of entertaining the likes of Presidents McKinley, Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Warren Harding, and probably a “redcoat” or two over the years!
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Old Ebbitt has only been in that location for a few decades, of course, but the construction of Metropolitan Square did requiring razing Rhodes’ Tavern, which is probably what your friend was thinking of. However, according to that Wikipedia page, it actually wasn’t Rhodes’ where the British watched the White House burn, it was another place up closer to 15th & Penn, I imagine where the Sofitel is today?
The Old Ebbitt issues a card with their history on it that makes the claim about 1856, but it’s not true. The Old Ebbitt Grill first opened for business in 1926. The 1856 date refers to the opening of the Ebbitt Hotel, which was located where the National Press Building now stands. The only connection between the two is that the founder of the Old Ebbitt Grill bought and reused some of the fixtures from the Ebbitt Hotel’s bar when the hotel closed in 1925. You can read more about the history of the Ebbitt Hotel at: http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2010/02/old-and-older-ebbitt-house-and-new.html
@DCSuzyJ – thanks! and corrected…
@JohnDeFerrari – interesting! I know you’ve done lots of great research on DC buildings and spaces…
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@pqliving @oldebbitt Very interesting — I love it there! (You may want to correct the “it’s” in the article to “its.”)