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Oak Lawn (Washington, D.C.)

Adams MorganBuildings and structures demolished in 1952Demolished buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.Dupont CircleSecond Empire architecture in Washington, D.C.
Treaty Oak and Oak Lawn Washington, D.C
Treaty Oak and Oak Lawn Washington, D.C

Oak Lawn (later known as the Dean Estate, Temple Heights, and Temple Hill) was a large house and wooded estate that once stood on the edge of today's Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. The estate was bounded by 19th Street, Columbia Road, Connecticut Avenue, and Florida Avenue. Previously called Widow's Mite, the estate was originally several hundred acres, but by the 19th century, had been reduced to around 10 acres (4 ha). The house was built around 1820 and was greatly expanded in 1873 by Thomas P. Morgan, one half of the eponym of the Adams Morgan neighborhood. A large oak tree, nicknamed the Treaty Oak, was reportedly hundreds of years old and stood just a few yards from the house. Oak Lawn was located on a hill. Due to its expansive views of the city, the estate was sought after by local developers. The surrounding neighborhoods evolved into bustling residential and commercial areas. However, Oak Lawn remained a wooded, undeveloped tract until the 20th century. In 1922 the land was sold to a Masonic group who wanted to build a large temple complex. However, due to the Great Depression and a lack of funds, the plan was canceled. In 1940, a local developer selected Frank Lloyd Wright to design a massive mixed-use project there (Crystal Heights) that would include 14 towers and a hotel: that project was also canceled. During the next 20 years, multiple plans for Oak Lawn never came to fulfillment. The Oak Lawn house was demolished in 1948, and the Treaty Oak cut down in 1953. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Washington Hilton and two commercial buildings were built on the property that had been home to the old estate.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Oak Lawn (Washington, D.C.) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Oak Lawn (Washington, D.C.)
Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Washington

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 38.916275 ° E -77.044703 °
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Washington Hilton

Connecticut Avenue Northwest 1919
20009 Washington
District of Columbia, United States
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Phone number
Hilton

call+12024833000

Website
www3.hilton.com

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Treaty Oak and Oak Lawn Washington, D.C
Treaty Oak and Oak Lawn Washington, D.C
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Washington Hilton
Washington Hilton

The Washington Hilton is a hotel in Washington, D.C. It is located at 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., roughly at the boundaries of the Kalorama, Dupont Circle, and Adams Morgan neighborhoods. The Washington Hilton, located on the former site of the Oak Lawn estate, was designed by architect William B. Tabler and developed by Uris Buildings Corporation. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 25, 1962 and the hotel officially opened three years later, on March 25, 1965. The hotel structure features a distinctive double-arched design. It long sported the largest pillar-less hotel ballroom in the city. Numerous large events have been regularly hosted at the Hilton Washington, including the annual dinners of the White House Correspondents Association and the Radio and Television Correspondents Association, as well as the National Prayer Breakfast. During the 1960s and 1970s, the hotel hosted a number of big musical acts for concerts in their large ballroom, including The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. In 1972 it was home to the first International Conference on Computer Communications which demonstrated new ARPANET technology. The hotel was the site of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981. The attempt occurred at the hotel's T Street NW exit. As a result, the hotel is sometimes colloquially referred to by locals as the "Hinckley Hilton".The hotel was renamed the Hilton Washington in 1998. It was purchased in June 2007 by an investment firm jointly owned by former professional basketball star Magic Johnson. From 2009-2010 it underwent a $150 million renovation. When that was completed, the hotel returned to its original name.

Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan
Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan

On March 30, 1981, United States president Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. as he was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton. Hinckley believed the attack would impress actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had developed an erotomaniac obsession. Reagan was seriously wounded by a .22 Long Rifle bullet that ricocheted off the side of the presidential limousine and hit him in the left underarm, breaking a rib, puncturing a lung, and causing serious internal bleeding. He was close to death upon arrival at George Washington University Hospital but was stabilized in the emergency room, then underwent emergency exploratory surgery. He recovered and was released from the hospital on April 11. No formal invocation of sections #3 or #4 of the Constitution's 25th amendment (concerning the vice president assuming the president's powers and duties) took place, though Secretary of State Alexander Haig stated that he was "in control here" at the White House until Vice President George H. W. Bush returned to Washington from Fort Worth, Texas. White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and DC police officer Thomas Delahanty were also wounded. All three survived, but Brady suffered brain damage and was permanently disabled. His death in 2014 was considered a homicide because it was ultimately caused by his injury.Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of attempting to assassinate the president. He remained confined to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a DC psychiatric facility. In January 2015, federal prosecutors announced that they would not charge Hinckley with Brady's death, despite the medical examiner's classification of his death as a homicide. Hinckley was released from institutional psychiatric care on September 10, 2016.