Riggs Washington DC Review

Overview: What is Riggs Washington DC?

Riggs Washington DC occupies the former Riggs National Bank building at 9th and F Streets NW in Penn Quarter. The building, designed by James G. Hill and Arthur B. Heaton, was completed in 1891 in Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style and is one of the last remaining examples of that style in Washington. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lore Group reopened the property as a 181-room hotel in 2020, with a design by creative director Jacu Strauss.

Where is Riggs Washington DC? Location and access

900 F Street NW in Penn Quarter, walking distance to the Capital One Arena, Smithsonian museums on the National Mall, Ford's Theatre, and Chinatown. Metro is a short walk.

Nearby landmarks

• Capital One Arena
• Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
• Ford's Theatre
• National Mall
• Chinatown
• White House

Rooms at Riggs Washington DC

181 guest rooms and suites. Each room is designed to feel like a private safety deposit box: Italian Carrara marble, bespoke Voutsa wallpaper and headboards, and D.S. and Durga amenities in the signature Debaser scent. Four First Lady Suites run 500+ square feet, each themed to a different First Lady. The Riggs Suite is a 760-square-foot transformation of the bank's former boardroom.

Service and staff

Lore Group service standards: specific, unpretentious, cultured. Silver Lyan's bar team (under Mr Lyan's brand) drives some of the most distinctive beverage programming in the city.

Amenities at Riggs Washington DC

Over 4,000 square feet of event space, including the Riggs Suite, two private dining rooms, and a rooftop terrace with views of the Capitol. Concierge and fitness are on property.

Full amenity list

• Cafe Riggs restaurant
• Silver Lyan bar (in original vault)
• Rooftop with Capitol views
• Fitness center
• 4,000 sq ft event space
• Four First Lady Suites
• Riggs Suite (former boardroom)

Food and drink

Cafe Riggs is a modern American brasserie in the original banking hall, with Corinthian columns and 30-foot ceilings preserved. Silver Lyan, housed in the original bank vault, is Mr Lyan's first bar outside Europe and has been named among the world's best.

Design and architecture

Jacu Strauss led the hotel's reinvention as a design narrative inspired by the golden age of banking. The original banking hall, boardroom, and vault are preserved and reused. The guestroom safety-deposit-box concept is executed through proportion, materials, and metal details rather than theme-park replication.

Fun facts about Riggs Washington DC

• Built in 1891 as the Riggs National Bank, it was known as "The Bank of Presidents."
• 23 US Presidents banked here, including Lincoln, Grant, Eisenhower, Nixon, Van Buren, and Tyler.
• Riggs financed Samuel Morse's invention of the telegraph in 1845.
• Riggs financed Robert Peary's first expedition to the North Pole in the 1860s.
• Riggs provided the 7.2 million dollars in gold for the 1868 US purchase of Alaska.
• Silver Lyan cocktail bar is housed in the original bank vault.
• The building is one of the last remaining examples of Richardsonian Romanesque Revival architecture in Washington, DC, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.