Then and Now: The Portland Flats

Then (left): The Portland Flats, at the corner of 14th and Vermont on the south side of Thomas Circle. The building was designed by architect Adolph Cluss and built in 1879. This was Washington’s first luxury apartment building, and comparable to the Watergate today. When it opened, rents were $150 a month, an unheard of price, considering that a house in Mount Pleasant could be rented for $50 a month. The building was razed in 1962.

Now (right): The aesthetically sterile Residence Inn. This building replaced the Portland Flats and originally was an office building. It has undergone some facade changes since its construction, but generally reads the same.