WASHINGTON, D.C.—Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC has partnered with New Columbia Solar to bring renewable energy to their National Historic Landmark building at 700 F St. NW in Penn Quarter with the addition of a 265-kW rooftop solar system. This partnership highlights Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ commitment to clean energy and sets a precedent for the modernization of historic buildings across the District with solar power.
Constructed as the nation’s first General Post Office in 1842, the building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants utilized its expertise in the area of adaptive reuse to create the award-winning, luxury hotel from a relic 19th century government building. The boutique hospitality company worked with Oerhlein & Associates Architects and Heritage Consulting throughout the rehabilitation process to carefully restore the property and open as the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC in 2002.
With the addition of more than 590 solar panels, the 184-room hotel will generate more than 316,000 kilowatt-hours of on-site energy per year, and nearly 7 million kilowatt-hours over the system’s expected 20+ years of operation. At peak production, the solar system will provide up to 20 percent of the hotel’s electricity usage. Throughout this project’s development, it was important to create a minimal-impact design to preserve the historic structure, including the use of non-penetrative racking attachments, and to ensure all equipment remained out of public view to not disturb the guest experience.
Marks Critical Milestone in Building’s History
“We’re thrilled to have partnered with New Columbia Solar on this project,” said Bill Hanley, Director of Sales and Marketing for Hotel Monaco DC. “The addition of the new solar panel system marks a critical milestone in the building’s history and underscores Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ commitment to creating an environmentally responsible experience for guests.”
“Working on a Federal Historic Landmark building is a monumental achievement for us. This pivotal project is an example of how the District’s historic preservation, modernization, and climate priorities can be successfully blended, embodying the commitment to expand locally-sourced solar energy in the District. We continue our efforts to make it as easy as possible for property owners like Hotel Monaco to go solar in the hopes that many more historic buildings will follow suit,” says New Columbia Solar’s CEO, Mike Healy.
Hotel Monaco DC also has several other green practices in place to make each guest’s stay as environmentally friendly as possible: a partnership with Clean The World to recycle bar soap, energy-efficient LED lightbulbs in all guestrooms and public spaces, energy-efficient HVAC units to optimize heating and cooling, large refillable toiletries to eliminate the disposal of small plastic bottles, low-flow and low-flush toilets to conserve water, participation in Nespresso’s capsule recycling program, the recycling and composting of all paper, plastics, glass and cardboard on property, and sourcing ingredients from nearby farms and food purveyors to reduce carbon emissions and support the local economy at their on-site restaurant, Dirty Habit DC.
