Even Henry Winkler of Happy Days
fame was dazzled when he first saw it. I was, too, when I came
across it unexpectedly about five years ago. After all, of all the
sights in Washington, one of the most unexpected has to be that of
Marilyn Monroe.
Since June 2001, a
bronze, life-size replica of the sexy screen legend has resided at
the St. Gregory Hotel, a boutique property managed by Capital
Hotels & Suites. The statue, which stands in the center of the
lobby, has become as well known as the hotel itself. Hector Torres,
vice president of Capital Hotels, said that even if the St. Gregory
name does not click with people, when you say its where the statue
of Marilyn is, they say, Oh, of course!
The hotel is popular
with actors and other artists visiting Washington as well as
business travelers. Winkler, in town for a play, said, Whoa! when
he saw it, Torres said. He added that its not unusual for people to
drive up in cabs, run into the hotel, take a picture of Marilyn and
leave.
The statue, created by
J. Seward Johnson, is worth the trip to 2033 M St. N.W. It is a
based on the iconic scene from The Seven Year Itch, when Marilyns
white dress flutters up as she stands over a subway
grate.
Just as Marilyn Monroe
humbly began life as Norma Jean Baker, the St. Gregory was a bland
office building before Capital Hotels poured millions into
developing it into an inviting boutique hotel.
The initial impetus [for
bringing the statue to the hotel] was the president of the company,
Jay Haddock, and I thinking about how we could make the hotel
unique. We wanted to create a boutique-style hotel without all of
the trendiness. Most hotels have a nice little table in the lobby
with a bunch of flowers. Very ho-hum. We wanted to make an artful
statement.
After thumbing through a
catalog, Haddock came across the Marilyn sculpture. Soon after,
Marilyn was on her way to Washington.
But after years of
holding court at the St. Gregory, the hotel is saying goodbye,
Norma Jean -- at least for a short time.
It has nicks and bumps
here and there. So it really needs to be [refurbished] to keep it
looking fresh and crisp, Torres said.
Marilyn left the St.
Gregory this month and returned to Sewards studio in Santa Monica,
Calif. Filling in for Marilyn is Unconditional Surrender, another
of Johnsons works that is a replica of another iconic image: the
soldier and young woman kissing in Times Square on V-J Day, which
marked the end of World War II.
The statue was unveiled
in New York a couple of years ago in honor of the 60th anniversary
of V-J Day. It was a big hit there. Torres believes it will be big
hit for the hotel, as well. But Marilyn will be back, perhaps in
about three months, Torres said.
Meanwhile, plans are in
the works to add a cocktail lounge. We are going to call it Norma
Jeans, Torres said.