The old ebbitt grill, washington's oldest saloon, was founded in 1856 when, according to legend, innkeeper william e. Ebbitt bought a boarding house. Today, no one can pinpoint the houses exact location, but it was most likely on the edge of present-day chinatown.
As a boarding house, the ebbitt guest list read like a who's who of american history. President mckinley is said to have lived there during his tenure in congress, and presidents ulysses s. Grant, andrew johnson, grover cleveland, theodore roosevelt and warren harding supposedly refreshed themselves at its stand-around bar.
Each table in the ebbitt was graced by a blue history card that read: "many other famous statesmen, naval and military heroes, too numerous to mention here, have been guests of the house. "
old ebbitt became washington's first known saloon. As the years passed, it moved to a number of new locations. By the early 20th century, the ebbitt had relocated to what is now the national press building at 14th and f streets nw. Two saloons coexisted there, a dutch room and an old english room. In the 1920s, when the ebbitt moved to a converted haberdashery at 1427 f street nw, they were combined into a single old ebbitt grill.
By 1970, the old ebbitt grill had fallen on hard times and an auction was held to satisfy a federal tax claim. Stuart davidson (1922 - 2001) and john laytham (1944-2019), owners of a newer washington institution, clyde's of georgetown, expressed an interest in buying the ebbitt's collection of antique beer steins to display at clyde's.
But when auction proceeds fell short of the lien on the property, bidding began again, but this time on the entire contents. And suddenly, for $11,200, the two partners unexpectedly found themselves owners of a second saloon, the old ebbitt grill.
They got a lot of history and myth for their money. The old ebbitt grill was the first expansion beyond the original clyde's in georgetown. Today, clyde's restaurant group has grown to include 13 properties.
In 1983, the old ebbitt grill was uprooted one last time when it moved around the corner to its current location at 675 15th street nw to the beaux-arts building that was once the old b. F. Keith's theater. Bringing its rich history with it, the "new" old ebbitt remains a historic landmark.
