A historic hotel that once hosted Washington, D.C.’s elite and powerful is now a luxury senior living community thanks to a renovation project that updated the building while maintaining its character.
In 2021, Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) and its operating partner, Maplewood Senior Living, announced the expansion of the company’s SHN Architecture and Design Award-winning Inspir brand to the D.C. market.
Instead of building anew in the D.C. area, the companies purchased the former Fairfax at Embassy Row hotel in the city’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. Top of mind for the project planners was both updating the building to serve today and tomorrow’s residents while also preserving the architecture and design that made it a historic property.
During the $200 million repositioning project, Maplewood, Omega and architects with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners reimagined the former hotel with a design that includes widened corridors, outdoor greenery and multiple common areas with “museum-quality art” and custom millwork. The work preserved the building’s original facade but otherwise turned a “dated urban structure” into a senior living community with “modern functionality.”
The end product balances the hotel’s luxurious vibe with the need to serve residents of all acuity levels in a 174-apartment community.
“It was really exciting to envision breathing new life in this historic building, undertaking an adaptive reuse of something that was inherently residential and allowing it to have the next generation use, both for itself, but also for the residents,” Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners Partner Jill Cavanaugh, told Senior Housing News.
For these reasons and more, Inspir Embassy Row earned the top spot in the renovation and repositioning category of the 2025 Senior Housing Architecture and Design Awards.
The concept
Planning for the renovations at Inspir Embassy Row began in July 2021.
At the time, hospitality assets – particularly hotels – were trading at deep discounts due to the Covid pandemic. According to Maplewood Co-CEO Tom Gaston, the operator and its REIT partner Omega saw an opportunity to pick up a unique property at a good price and eventually landed on the D.C. hotel.
Of particular interest was the hotel’s rich history as a venue that hosted the families of George H.W. Bush and Al Gore and over the years attracted notable figures such as Jackie Kennedy, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio and Nancy Reagan.
“When, a storied Washington, D.C. hotel with deep diplomatic and social history, crossed our desk, we knew we had identified a truly unique opportunity to reimagine a landmark as luxury senior housing in a premier neighborhood,” Gaston told SHN.
The project partners sought to preserve the building’s historic facade dating back more than a century. But the building’s interior was a different story and necessitated a redesign. The building was full of “underutilized spaces with untapped potential,” like a sprawling and empty gathering room, dated lobby, sparse rooftop space and a dark and cloistered parking garage with a low ceiling.
The designers reinvisioned these spaces to serve older adults in the modern era. For example, they planned to turn the lobby into a more elegant space with more natural light and sought to transform the vacant rooftop into an “8th floor oasis” with views of D.C.
In the parking garage, the designers planned a wellness floor with a saltwater pool and other spa amenities.
The design team drew inspiration from the surrounding neighborhood’s architecture, and embraced soft, organic materials in the building’s concept. They used clean lines and symmetry in architecture to uplift the look of the building while giving it a timeless feel.
One of the greatest challenges to overcome for the project was navigating the building’s previous two eras of design. The building was originally built in 1924, and received an addition in the 1980s. The building also featured turn of the century, flat clay tile arches in the portions from the original creation, which the architectural team wanted to find a way to preserve.
The property resided within three historic districts and approximately half of the structure was more than 100 years old. That required preserving certain historic elements, according to Gaston. Evaluation and acquisition of the property also occurred during the pandemic, with government offices closed and consultants largely working remotely.
It took careful and extensive coordination to ensure interior transitions for residents to be easy to navigate while having the proper clearances for accessibility purposes, such as bathroom spaces within units.
What helped, according to Cavanaugh, was having an engaged and active client in Maplewood.
“They were very aware of challenges in the field that we were encountering. They were a great partner and communicator in terms of articulating what they wanted,” Cavanaugh said.
It was also important to keep the end user in mind while designing the renovations, according to Cavanaugh. The team set out to find a way to incorporate landmarks throughout the buildings, such as distinct archways and large fireplaces throughout the building and tying in color use for distinct visuals.
Lighting was also of the utmost importance to bring into the building to break up the “forest of sameness” so there was a degree of differentiation between spaces.
“This is a pretty high end brand of senior living, and so we didn’t want everything to seem chaotic,” Cavanaugh said.
In the end, Gaston said a key aspect of the concept was turning the adaptive reuse challenges of the building into strengths.
“We preserved and enhanced signature spaces such as the Jockey Club and the grand ballroom, while layering in five distinct outdoor amenities that are rare in an urban senior living setting,” he said. “The result is a community that feels reflective of Embassy Row, rooted in history yet reimagined as a modern, wellness-focused residence for older adults.”
The construction
After demolition in 2022, construction crews with Turner Construction Company began work in 2023 on time.
One particular challenge that arose was a lack of existing drawings throughout the building, and the teams had to base a lot of their knowledge from laser scans. While the scans revealed a lot, it couldn’t show everything, such as what was above ceilings and underneath floors.
Throughout the construction process, surprises were encountered “all the time,” according to Cavanaugh.
“None of these unforeseen conditions were catastrophic,” Cavanaugh said. “But, there’s typically some degree of surprise in a column that is in one location in your drawings, and it’s actually six inches over.”
Due to increased construction costs attributed to the pandemic, Omega and Maplewood increased the budget for Inspir Embassy Row, though Gaston noted most of the pressures were able to be mitigated.
While there were plenty of surprises that arose throughout the construction process, nothing reached the point where a stop work order was needed and construction continued continuously. While there were inefficiencies that arose and created slight delays, Gaston noted the project was delivered on time, which is credited to the level of communication between all teams working on the project.
“[It was] a sequence of work that wasn’t ideal for anyone, but being able to be dynamic, flexible and responsive … We all work with each other, and I think that’s really a good testament to the team.”
The completion
Work wrapped up on Inspir Embassy Row in early 2025, only slightly behind schedule. The end product has received praise across the board from client satisfaction, residents and industry recognition, Cavanaugh said.
“We continue to go back there to the building to give tours … it is an active, activated place with a ton of programming and a ton of motivated residents,” Cavanaugh said. “This is like a hotel, and it’s really cool to see.”
SHN Design Award judges were impressed with the efforts made to preserve the historic facade of the former hotel with only minimal changes, along with the efforts made to repurpose areas such as the rooftop and parking structures into amenity spaces like the rooftop lounge, wellness center and pool.
“A terrific example of hospitality repurposed for seniors housing,” Chris Frommel, vice president and managing partner of Apture, wrote. “The design and amenities are terrific, and the building unquestionably integrates into the community.”
Erin Berry Harps, director of interior design for Aptura, noted the community blends historic charm with a modern reimagining of the building’s architecture with a design that “showcases a creative reinterpretation that honors the character of the original structure while introducing fresh, contemporary elements.”
Ben Seager, principal at firm KTGY, added the removal of “overly ornate trim in common areas helped streamline the aesthetic, resulting in a cleaner and more contemporary feel,” and noted the amenities bring a lot for residents.
According to Gaston, the project exceeds original expectations by “delivering the full Inspir promise with luxury hospitality standards, thoughtfully designed residences, multiple outdoor
terraces, a dedicated wellness floor and rich cultural and culinary programming, all within the preserved shell of an historic Embassy Row landmark.”
Lease up and occupancy are “on track” for the property as well. The community is a cornerstone for the brand and a template for future growth, Gaston said.
“Going forward, the community will serve as a flagship in our marketing, investor relations, and thought leadership—illustrating how Inspīr can enliven historic neighborhoods, honor architectural heritage and meet the evolving expectations of today’s older adults and their families,” Gaston said.
For Blinder Belle Architects and Planners, the project acts as a way to expand its offerings into senior living, and it is now in the process of working with several other operators to work on three or four properties to tap into additional emerging markets.
