Early History

The first residents of The Broadmoor were moving in just as the stock market crashed in the fall of 1929. An early brochure described the building, which at the time was considered to be somewhat far out of town, as the "home of prominent business executives, senators, representatives, Army and Navy officers, and of a select cross-section of official Washington." Most of the apartments at The Broadmoor were available on long-term leases, but others were offered to hotel guests by the day or week. And the public facilities - most notably the dining room, known prior to 1938 as the "Silver Grill" - became a popular site for wedding receptions, school proms and other large social functions.

Amenities included a beauty shop, a barber shop, a pastry shop, a valet and laundry service and a newsstand. Elevator operators were employed at The Broadmoor, and round-the-clock switchboard operators to handle the house telephone calls, all of which were routed through a central switchboard. The building boasted what is believed to be one of the first underground garages in any Washington apartment building.

Architecture

The building, built by Harry Bralove and Edward C. Ernst, was designed by notable Washington apartment house architect Joseph H. Abel, a proponent of the "International" style. The first luxury residence on Connecticut Avenue north of Rock Creek, it was constructed on a vacant, hilly site sloping into Rock Creek Park.

The U-shaped building is approached through brick entrance gate posts by a brick sidewalk laid in herringbone pattern alongside a curvilinear brick wall. The building is characterized by projecting towers and bays leading to a brick porte-cochere. The tapestry brick facades are textured with rough bricks projecting from the surface in random patterns. The decorative elements are of Indiana limestone and vary from hand-carved heraldic tower accents to applied decorative balconies with limestone cross motifs.

The foyer and lobby areas contain an interesting mixture of different elements from different periods. The lobby, originally Tudor in style, was later changed to Art Deco in a substantial remodeling job undertaken in 1938-1939 . Fluted columns and recessed dome ceilings were added, as were Art Deco motifs, which can still be seen in the door and the wainscoting.

During World War II, when housing in Washington was scarce, rooms and baths were built on the ground floor of each wing of the building, and alcoves near the elevators were closed in to create additional rooms.

There are 194 apartments in the building, which vary greatly in size and layout. There are also five guest rooms for use by guests of Broadmoor residents. (Click here or on the thumbnail image at left for a larger image of the floor plan).

Co-Op Conversion

Rent controls were instituted by the federal government during the war, and when these were not immediately removed after the war was over, The Broadmoor, like many other Washington buildings, was converted to cooperative ownership.  After much preliminary negotiation and detailed planning, The Broadmoor Cooperative Apartments was incorporated in 1948, and acquired the option to purchase the entire property for $2.375 million.  It was the first Washington cooperative to be organized on a membership, rather than a stock-ownership, basis. According to press accounts, more than 100 apartments were sold in the first five days after public announcement of the plan was made, nearly all of them less than a month later.

Note: The short history of The Broadmoor that appears on this page is excerpted from The Broadmoor of Cleveland Park, a 1983 pamphlet prepared at the direction of The Broadmoor Board of Directors.