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Stuart Long. Photo by Andrew Lightman

The Hawk 'n' Dove has been sold. And with that, a forty-four year run by Stuart Long has come to a close. He once said “I just want to run joints” and he has done just that , and done it  brilliantly. The iconic Pennsylvania Avenue local saloon and political salon was opened because there was nothing like it in the neighborhood, and there was a need. It was the start of Long’s highly successful career as a restaurateur and real estate investor. And it’s been part of history ever since.

For those working at the Library of Congress and the Congress itself in the mid-sixties, food and drink choices were severely limited. The 100 block of the Avenue—now home to the Madison Building—then featured a row of greasy spoons called, less than invitingly, but appropriately, Ptomaine Row. Long, 25 at the time, and a recent graduate of GW Law School, was working at the Library and thought that a more upscale saloon, modeled on places like New York’s PJ Clarke’s, could be successful. There was a row of three buildings in the 300 block—Alex’s, one of the greasy spoons that is today the little “pub” bar, Libby’s Antiques (which subsequently settled where Port City Java stands today), and the law offices of Henry Lange, father of Michael Lange, who became Long’s partner when the elder Lange gave his son the buildings. The two literally built the bar themselves, scouring country auctions and sales for everything from the old paneling to the mortuary clock that has hung above the bar since the beginning.

On December 23, 1967, the Hawk and Dove opened its doors. The name? The bar opened during the depths of the Vietnam War, but Long, a staunch anti-war Democrat, wanted both Democrats and Republicans to spend their money at his establishment—a stroke of business savvy that has continued to pay off over the years. Of course, the Hawk became a headquarters for people coming to Washington to protest the war, so crowded on demonstration days that one early bartender recalls crying on the job because so much tear gas had permeated customers’ clothing.
  
Other Long business decisions that have had a real impact: the Hawk’s was the first outdoor patio on the Avenue, a forerunner of things to come; Long organized a restaurant alliance that engaged in the hoary battles with the Alcoholic Beverage Commission that led to the end of DC’s blue laws prohibiting liquor sales on Sunday; and he also ended a regulation that said one had to be seated at the bar to order a drink (Long’s interim solution? A stool painted white that served as the “ordering” stool.)

It was through his fights with DC Government that he met Marion Barry, who was “up-and-coming” at the time, Long became a key player in his first campaign, and Barry became an habitué of the Hawk. Long became very active in DC politics, and the Hawk became a hangout for a long list of DC and Ward 6 politicians. That history merits an article of its own, but there is not a single elected or appointed DC official—or anyone who wants to be—who has not visited the Hawk and Dove, whether for one of the legendary Ward 6 Democrats annual Christmas parties, for a fundraiser, or a quiet dinner in the small side room to strategize a campaign, or to watch a game from the round table in the pub bar.

In fact, this is the place to salute some of the ghosts whose spirits are part of the bar’s fabric—Ted Gay, owner of Capitol Hill Art and Frame, who, among other things, founded the Ward 6 Democrats while sitting at the bar, Richard Rauch, an Iowa native who worked for the House doorkeeper, but whose life was devoted to promoting local and national Democratic and gay rights issues with anyone who came within hearing distance, and Jan Eichhorn, promoter of local candidates, and promoter of those legendary parties. No article about the Hawk would be complete without their presence.
The Hawk also became a watering hole for members of Congress needing a place to eat when the Nixon impeachment hearings were going on, and when any other critical legislation kept—and still keeps--the flag flying late over the House dome. Paul Meagher, who has managed the place since 1975, says that the Hawk is now serving the grandchildren of original customers, that thousands of bartenders and waiters have come and gone (except for the daytime waitresses and James, the waiter, who fall into the “been-there-forever” category), and that more than 5,000,000 Hawkburgers have been served. And now that’s all about to change.

The new face of the Hawk is Xavier Cervera, another impresario of Capitol Hill eateries, The Hawk will join the Chesapeake Room, Senart’s Oyster and Chop House, Molly Malone’s, Lola’s and a host of other in-the-works establishments in Cervera’s portfolio. He waxes enthusiastic about his plans (closing in October and re-opening in about six months), and has not only purchased the name, but a good deal of the memorabilia (including the clock, some wall sconces and photographs) which will be returned to the walls. But he adds that it will be a “100% renovation.” He will open three heretofore hidden fireplaces, and plans to panel the walls and bar with the 30,000 pounds of dark mahogany he has already purchased. As for the exterior, he has consulted with Nancy Metzger of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, and the Historic Preservation Office, for their advice prior to a September 6th CHRS hearing, and looks forward to the façade being an asset to the Avenue

The most radical change—but the one probably least unexpected—will be the replacement of the many small rooms, both upstairs and down, with what Cervera describes as a welcoming, open space overlooked by a mezzanine, and featuring a 50-foot exhibition bar, dispensing 25 beers on tap and 16 wines by the glass. With a locally-sourced, seasonal bistro menu prepared in an open kitchen, Cervera wants the Hawk to be family-friendly, a place that people will visit two or three times a week and return to on the weekend for a good brunch, highlighted by a DIY Bloody Mary bar. He also wants to make sure people know that the Hawk’s will be a dog-friendly patio.