The hotel was owned by James Wormley, a free-born black man who had spent time in Europe learning fine culinary skills.

The hotel became a hub for both local and foreign government officials.

According to historian Vann Woodward, the hotel was the site of the Wormley Agreement, which led to the Compromise of 1877 and the election of President Rutherford B. Hayes.

The hotel was later demolished and the Union Trust Company built on its site in 1906.

[1][2] Sandra Fitzpatrick and Maria R. Goodwin, The Guide to Black Washington, rev.