Cadillac Hotel - Logan Circle Area

This newly renovated condominium building on Logan Circle was formerly known as the Cadillac Hotel, and just a generation or two ago, listed in the Green Book Guide for Black Travelers, meaning that it was a place that didn’t discriminate and was safe to stay in. It was a symbol of freedom, in a place that wasn’t free.

Hospitality in DC was not the only place that denied equality. Garfinckel’s Department Store did not allow African Americans to shop there, and only Hecht’s (now Macy’s) downtown allowed African Americans to open charge accounts.