Superficially, with its stark interior, this indoor parking garage is as mundane and unremarkable as any garage anywhere. However, having played a role in the downfall of a president, this unassuming garage at 1401 Wilson Blvd. in Rosslyn may very well be the most significant parking garage (featuring the most famous parking space) in all of American history.
Indeed, it was here in this garage (under the Oakhill Office Building) that Bob Woodward, the acclaimed reporter for the Washington Post, regularly and clandestinely met with "Deep Throat," his key informant on the Watergate scandal.
On those occasions when these two men met, they convened at space 32 on parking level D just below the street. They routinely met well after midnight when no one else was around and when the garage was undoubtedly dark. Situated deep in the back of the garage, in addition to the likelihood of being dark, the space also possessed the additional advantage of being next to an exit door that leads into the office building above. One can easily imagine this exit having provided a quick means of ingress and egress for both men.
On the day of my visit, however, I rather uneventfully walked in from the main garage door, which is located on Nash St. It was on a Saturday afternoon, so the garage was not full of cars as I suspect it would have been if it had been a weekday. Without cars, the garage looked eerily empty and quite dingy with every crevice exposed and every aging wall in full view.
I walked slowly around, snapping pictures, and peering at any and all of the markers to find the space in question. Once I made my way to the very back, I saw the number "32" printed on a concrete pillar (which, long ago, might have provided convenient cover). Right below the number, there was a perfunctory historical marker amateurishly taped to the pillar.
Of course, without the cars in the way (and the obvious hindrance that one would certainly have posed if it had been parked there), I was afforded a completely unimpeded view of the famed parking space. As I stared at it, that space looked, not surprisingly, just like most indoor parking spaces (seemingly plain and covered with some dust and dirt). Admittedly, I am not a huge history buff; but, I do recognize that, for political historians, this is no ordinary spot.
For well over thirty years, the real identity of Deep Throat had been a matter of great conjecture and a closely guarded secret (one that, amazingly, had not been leaked). It was not until 2005 that Deep Throat, in his nineties and in failing health, revealed his true identity (Associate Director of the FBI, Mark Felt) in a Vanity Fair article.
With Deep Throat's identify revealed and the story of the clandestine garage meetings with Woodward in wide circulation again, the parking garage at 1401 Wilson Blvd. gained much notoriety. Now, years later, the garage has very much retreated from the limelight with its fleeting 15 minutes of fame having long passed. Supposedly, a permanent historical marker was to have been placed somewhere in or around the parking garage. But, to date, I don't think one has been erected. At least, I didn't see one when I was there. I guess, in a nod to Bob Woodward himself, the lack of a permanent historical marker is, somehow, appropriate (in that, currently, it takes a bit of investigation just to find parking space 32D).
Ultimately, this most clandestine of spots probably is best suited as a side trip for those who would be more apt to visit the sites down on the National Mall (or for locals who may be a bit jaded about traversing the official "tourist" circuit).
However, for those who would make the effort, an excursion out to Rosslyn to "spy" this little piece of history is not a bad idea at all. Yes, it's not everyday that a parking garage is a sightseeing destination; and, it can feel a bit odd to search out a parking space (when the intent is not to park there yourself). Yet, in the end, when we consider what happened (and imagine the hushed voices that once hovered over that space), certainly, there may not be a more noteworthy patch of concrete anywhere. read more