Kennedy was a partner with two brothers, William and Gordon, in Kennedy Brothers Company, a real estate development firm that had built a number of apartment houses in Washington, including Meridian Mansions (now The Envoy) at 2400 16th Street, N.W., facing Meridian Hill Park.

Kennedy and Warren had been promised a loan by the Integrity Trust Company in Philadelphia to build the northeast and south wings, but it fell through with the worsening economic depression.

[3] Since the site of the Kennedy–Warren slopes steeply from Connecticut Avenue down to the National Zoo, the lobby level is designated as the third floor.

The building is an imposing sight on Connecticut Avenue because of its massive size and fine detailing, which includes tan and orange variegated brick, limestone carvings, and the extensive use of aluminum.

Three enormous fans drew cool air from Klingle Park at the back of the building and forced it through the public corridors.

Cross-ventilation during temperate weather was so effective that doorstops were required to prevent doors from slamming closed if left ajar.

Hartman-Cox consulted with Robert M. Swedroe Architects and Planners of Miami, who are experts in apartment floor plans.

They proposed replacing the long corridors with two widely spaced elevators, which in some cases open directly into the apartments.

The amenities include a fitness club with steam rooms and a swimming pool facing the zoo.

[5][6][7] Shortly after the expansion construction began in 2002, B. F. Saul made several attempts to effectively remove the original wings of the Kennedy–Warren from being subject to the rent control laws of Washington.

Although many tenants originally believed that the owners simply wanted to increase rents to take advantage of what was at the time a strong real estate market, it was later revealed that the company intended to gut the interior of the "Historic Wings" to convert them to high-end luxury apartments.

[8][9][10] In 2009, B. F. Saul undertook the restoration and renovation of the historic main building, a project that was expected to cost $60 million.

After discussions with the Art Deco Society of Washington as well as the residents, B. F. Saul decided to preserve the original floor plans of most apartments.

To bring the building up to current standards, the wiring and plumbing were replaced, and a sprinkler system and central air-conditioning installed in the apartments and public areas.

They re-stenciled the beamed ceiling in a geometric Art Deco design using gold leaf, and hand-painted the walls to resemble the original veneer panels.

Such dining rooms once were common in Washington apartment houses, but the only one still in operation as of 2011 is in the Westchester, at 4000 Cathedral Avenue, N.W.

General Watson was President Franklin Roosevelt's senior military aide and appointment secretary.

He accompanied FDR on all his travels, and died aboard ship in February 1945 while returning from the Yalta Conference.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973) and his wife, Lady Bird, lived in a three-bedroom apartment in 1937 and 1938 when he first came to Washington as a junior congressman from Texas.