Ask Georgetowners who have resided here since the 1960s and they’ll remember the classic Fairfax Hotel at 2100 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Most often missed: the famed Jockey Club with its dark paneled walls, rich leather chairs, oil paintings of racehorses and a wealth of stories about regulars Nancy Reagan, Jackie Kennedy and, even earlier, Bing Crosby.
Those are all memories now. The Fairfax has been transformed into a new option for high-end senior living: Inspir, a Maplewood Senior Living brand. The $200-million, 215,000-square-foot complex next to Dupont Circle opened in April. Reflecting the 1927 hotel’s rich history, Inspir offers 174 studios, one- and two-bedroom and penthouse apartments for independent or assisted living starting at $4,275 a month.
On the ground floor, the bright and welcoming entrance lounge, where coffee is served upon request, leads to a series of luxuriously furnished social gathering areas for residents: a library, a coffee bar, an art workshop with digital accessories, a large ballroom and a cozy bar and lounge open almost every evening.
To the side is a theater with couches and lounge chairs and a stage for lectures, movies, TED Talks and the like. “Regular and special almost daily events will be suggested and organized by community members and staff,” said GM Ted Cox, a longtime D.C. resident.
“Wellness living, we believe, entails the chance for residents to be physically active and to socialize while living in their own luxurious residence. Those are important goals of Inspir,” Cox said, acknowledging that loneliness and lack of exercise have become top health concerns for Americans of all ages. He eagerly showed off the just-completed wellness center, which takes up an entire floor.
Inspir’s cozy library. Photo by Joseph Romeo.
A beautiful, aqua blue, four-foot-deep saltwater swimming and exercise pool — not too big, not too small — is available…