This year saw the openings of many significant event and meeting venues in Washington, including restaurants, outdoor spaces, private rooms, hotels, entertainment venues, and more. Here's a look at the most notable venues to open in 2012.
After a $29 million upgrade in April, the Howard Theater returned as a more tech-savvy venue. The space features a $2 million updated acoustic system, 10-foot video screens, and recording capabilities, plus the balcony has two 200-inch HD jumbo screens. Even more: Hydraulic platforms can turn the theater from supper-club-style seating for 650 into a flat ballroom space for 1,100 in 40 minutes. Other updates include interior accents like black walnut walls, oak floors, and Brazilian-granite bars on each level, as well as catering, brunch, and dinner menus created by chef Marcus Samuelsson.
Clyde's Restaurant Group opened the Hamilton, a 37,000-square-foot dining and entertainment venue, in January. The bilevel space in Penn Quarter has five street-level dining areas with the capacity for as many as 400. For groups, the Loft, a private room on the third floor that includes a large piano bar area, seats 80 or holds 100 for receptions. In the basement is Live, a 17,000-square-foot music venue and performance space that boasts an advanced sound system and seating for 400.
After a $20 million face-lift, the Madison hotel reopened in April, revealing a redesigned event space, guest rooms, and food and beverage outlets, all with the mission to instill a youthful feeling in the historic hotel. The rooms for events are equipped with 60-inch plasma TVs, Bose speakers, ergonomic chairs, and other technology suitable for meetings and functions. The Federalist restaurant also got a makeover: The 108-seat restaurant has a 12-seat private dining room and a 30-seat patio that can be enclosed in inclement weather.
After a three-month renovation to the space, the Sunset Room by Wolfgang Puck at National Harbor opened in May; it's the first property of its kind for Wolfgang Puck Catering. The venue boasts the same sweeping Potomac River views but now includes a new 5,100-square-foot kitchen, updated contemporary decor by Martin Vahtra of Projects Design, and an emphasis on fresh, locally sourced food. The venue includes two main spaces, the Plaza View and the Harbor View. Both rooms include separate outdoor terraces and atria that allow for check-in and breakout space. The Plaza View holds 250 for receptions, 150 seated without a dance floor, or 120 seated with a dance floor, while the Harbor View has room for 450 for receptions, 350 seated without a dance floor, or 250 seated with a dance floor.
Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square, located across the street from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, completed a renovation in March. The Events DC-operated venue includes a 150-seat theater, nine rooms for events, a grand exterior plaza, and the L’Enfant Map Room, which showcases an illuminated floor map of Washington, D.C.
In July, Del Frisco’s Grille opened its Washington outpost right on scenic Pennsylvania Avenue. The steakhouse and seafood joint can seat 150 or host receptions for 300, while the patio, which overlooks the Wilson Building and Capitol building, holds 150 for cocktails or 106 seated. Inside, the private wine rooms seat 25 with an option to create a specialized menu and take advantage of full audiovisual capabilities. A raised, semiprivate dining area near the kitchen seats 30.
In May, Gaylord National Resort started booking events at its RiverView Terrace, a 15,000-square-foot outdoor event venue along the Potomac River. The open-air space can be configured in various ways and has room for as many as 700 guests seated or 1,200 for receptions. Amenities include full or partial tenting, twinkle lights for the greenery and terrace, and a private fireworks display over the Potomac River. The site has built-in handicapped access, tent anchor points, on-site electrical hookups, and designated catering staging areas. Catering is provided by Gaylord’s banquets department, while the resort has a list of preferred audiovisual vendors. RiverView Terrace is available for booking seasonally from April through October.
Close to Nationals Park, the Fairgrounds is a mixed-use venue made of refurbished shipping containers that opened in the spring. The outdoor space, which is available from March through mid-November, can host a wide range of events including pop-up bars, restaurants, and live-music gatherings, as well as functions with space for food-truck service and farmers' markets. Private events can be held at the Fairgrounds for as many as 8,000 people, and a private tent is available for 400.
Daily deals Web site LivingSocial opened its first event venue, 918 F Street, in February. The 27,000-square-foot building from 1890 still showcases its history with the original façade, but it was refurbished with new, modern walls and an open design. The company hosts a variety of different activities such as dance and yoga classes, cooking demonstrations, chef-hosted dinners, and mixology lessons for as many as 140 in its five-level space. For culinary enthusiasts, the demonstration kitchen holds 36 and is equipped with live, automated video feeds of the hosting chef. In addition to the classes, which lend well to company teambuilding outings, the space is available for private buyouts of the five floors, including a speakeasy-style basement bar. Catering options are available, as are in-house concert and sound packages, a video projection system, and staging options.
Passion Food Hospitality's Fuego Cocina opened in October, bringing Mexican cuisine and more than 100 types of tequila to Clarendon. The restaurant is available for full buyout for parties for as many as 450, and the downstairs lounge holds 40 seated or 60 for receptions. The downstairs lounge combined with the bar area—highlighted by a 50-foot bar—can host 200 for receptions. The restaurant's upper level seats 150 or holds 200 for receptions. For smaller parties, the semiprivate dining room upstairs seats 20.
