Levi and Mary Leiter: Quintessential Parvenus and Buccaneers
The current site of the large International-style hotel at 1500 New Hampshire Avenue was once home to one of the largest and grandest mansions in Washington, built by Levi Ziegler Leiter (1834-1904).
Levi Ziegler Leiter was born in Leitersburg, Maryland (just north of Hagerstown) in the town founded by and named after his grandfather, Abraham Leiter. While some of his ancestors were Mennonites, Levi Leiter was raised as a Lutheran.
