Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Elizabeth Taylor. John Mitchell. Monica Lewinsky. Condoleezza Rice. Modern American history lived in the Watergate. 

A warm June evening greeted my parents and I as we strolled through the tree-lined trails on Roosevelt Island in the center of the Potomac. In between the trees, full of scampering squirrels and marshlands echoing with the croaks of frogs, the DC and Arlington skyline shines in its revivalist glory. The Lincoln Memorial glows white and reflects on the water like a temple of godly proportions. The towers of Georgetown University’s Healy Hall shoot prominently out of the bustling neighborhood below. These buildings, with angular shapes, white facades, columns, and occasional gothic spires, starkly contrast with the sleek, organic shapes that comprise the Watergate complex across the river. It is safe to say that Watergate stood out from the start. 

Architect Luigi Moretti sought to physically challenge the landscape of the U.S. capital. Through presenting a complex that appears welcoming with its multiple, curving buildings, endless layers of swerving lines, and terraces overlooking serene gardens, he showcased an alternative to how the government should brand itself. He saw the imposing, federalist offices as disproportionate  and undemocratic. The Watergate provided office spaces, luxury hotel suites, and numerous amenities with an air of swanky 60s luxury that drew in incredibly affluent individuals. Politicians, movie stars, and fashion designers mingled in the new beating heart of Washington’s political and cultural landscape. This contrast between politics and stardom was reflected in the decorative elements used in the Watergate at the time. Many of the building’s private apartment interiors, with vibrant wallpaper and furnishings, reflected the expensive taste and eclectic lifestyle of each unique tenant. For the public spaces within and between the buildings, interior designer Ellen Lehman McCluskey deliberately chose a far more traditional, baroque approach when faced with the challenge of furnishing such curving spaces. Despite Moretti’s attempt to rebrand a democratic hub, some of the most undemocratic, notorious political scandals source themselves from his modernist masterpiece. 

After the 1972 break-in, only seven years after the complex opened to the public, the Watergate remained cursed. Offices, particularly those close to the site of the Democratic National Committee, remained vacant for years. The hotel was bought and sold through the latter half of the twentieth century, and the need for renovation became apparent. Euro Capital Properties bought the building in the early 2000s, and a reimagined Watergate opened to the public in 2016 after an extensive multi-million dollar renovation. 

Today, the Watergate embraces its scandalous past with mid-century decor that transports guests into the hotel’s 60s heyday. Guests can lounge in stunning rooms with stellar views of the Potomac, dine in a glorious retro cocktail bar, and even stay in the notorious room 214. This room, now titled as the “Scandal Room”, is the exact location where E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy managed the Watergate break-in operation while communicating with the burglars via radio. 

The Watergate is undoubtedly controversial, but it gleams with modernist opulence. It is luxury with political power seeping from its cracks. It remains a physical allegory for the DC of today.