Watergate East: a Timeless Gem

This Midcentury Modern 14-story, 240-unit historic building continues to be the town within the city envisioned and designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti. Situated on a prominent bend in the Potomac River, Watergate East is the grand entrance to the Watergate complex. Fountains divide north and south lobbies, with steps down to the open-air concourse or up to the extensive lawns and gardens with views unlike any in Washington.

Watergate East, the first of the 6 Watergate buildings (and the largest of the 3 residential buildings), is one of the capital city's architecturally significant residential buildings.* The complex was built between 1964 and 1971 by Società Generale Immobiliare (SGI), once the largest real estate and construction company in Italy, at a cost of $78 million.       

Modernized in 2019, the large, sunlit lobbies with full-height windows reflect Moretti's vision to bring the outside inside. As with the lobbies, the recently renovated landscaped yards continue the original plan of noted landscape architect Boris Timchenko — offering views from ground-level walkways and cantilevered balconies looking down onto the green roof and open spaces, the flowering trees, and vibrant profusions of seasonal color. In city-side apartments, views are of monuments and the cozy homes of Foggy Bottom seen through a flowering treescape. Rooftop, smoke-free terraces, open all year, offer city and river views for every resident. In summer the large centrally-located swimming pool is a welcome retreat for residents and their guests. Like all great work, Moretti's architecture transcends time and place, allowing the past to be easily incorporated into the present.

It is a short walk to the shops and waterfront of Georgetown, to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to the charm of historic Foggy Bottom, and to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

*Watergate is included in the Smithsonian published book "Best Addresses: A Century of Washington's Distinguished Apartment Houses” (Smithsonian Institution, 1988) by James M. Goode. Buildings described as a "best address" have a certain cachet, inspiring visions of elegant spaces with fine architectural detailing and historical significance.