An inn stood at the site that became Kirkwood House as early as the 1820s. The building that became Kirkwood House was designed for Azariah Fuller by architect
John Haviland and opened to the public on December 1, 1847. A. and E. H. Fuller had previously operated a Fuller's Hotel at 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue. In 1853, Senator
William Upham of Vermont died of
smallpox at Irving House, and this apparently prompted a name change and/or a change of ownership. The interior was repainted white (previously having been a dull red), and new furniture was made of
rosewood and green velvet. During the
Lincoln administration, Kirkwood's was considered one of the principal hotels of the city, along with Willard's, the National, and the
Metropolitan, all located along Pennsylvania Avenue. Circa 1864, J. H. Kirkwood and A. W. Kirkwood sold out and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where they took over management of the
Weddell House, supposedly called the "Astor House of the Lakes." The Kirkwood House hotel then came under the control of one Christopher C. Sprague (and company). In 1864, Sprague advertised in the ''Boyd's Directory for Washington, D.C.'' that "The comfortable and convenient hotel, long established and well known, is still in operation. The patronage of the public is invited." As
Vice President of the United States under Lincoln, Andrew Johnson made Kirkwood House his residence in Washington, D.C. Vice President Johnson apparently had a ground-floor suite at the hotel at the time of Lincoln's assassination. According to ''
Leslie's Illustrated News'' Johnson took the
oath of office, administered by
Salmon P. Chase, in a room called the small parlor. By 1868 the building had changed hands again; a D.C. tourist guide described it at that time: "It contains about 200 rooms, and can accommodate about 350 guests. It is spacious, elegantly appointed, and its table and attendance is altogether unexceptionable. These, with the advantage of its central location, will always render the Kirkwood a distinguished and fashionable resort. Hendley & Greene, proprietors." In spring 1874 the Kirkwood was put up for sale to real-estate investors. The footprint of the building was said to be and there were about 120 rooms. Demolition of the Kirkwood took place in November 1874. By January 1875 workers were excavating the site for a new building foundation. The Kirkwood was replaced with the Centennial Building, which in turn became the
Raleigh Hotel. The Raleigh stood until 1966 when it was taken down and replaced with an office building. ==References==