in 1957 as a 267-room hotel, and on October 12 the new owners announced plans to spend $100,000 refurbishing the structure. In 1958, a fire caused by an electrical short-circuit on the sixth floor led to $25,000 worth of damage, but no structural problems. The Cairo began to decline during the 1960s, when it was inhabited by squatters, prostitutes, drug addicts, student protesters, criminals, and even feral dogs. In June 1964, the FBI tracked a 24-year-old escaped convict to the building. In 1966, the D.C. Department of Health considered leasing the run-down building for use as a rehabilitation center for alcoholics. After a series of failed attempts at renovation, including a closure on August 7, 1972, the building was restored in 1974 under the leadership of architect Arthur Cotton Moore. It was converted into condominiums in 1979. At the building's centennial celebration in October 1994, Ross Elementary school students sang "Happy Birthday" to the building in thanks for a $1,000 donation made by the Cairo Condominium Unit Owners Association. Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans read a proclamation declaring it "Cairo Day" in DC. Of the building, he said, "It is a real monument in the area." 21st century On May 29, 2007, a fire emptied the Cairo of its roughly 400 residents. At least nine emergency vehicles responded to the blaze. The fire heavily damaged one of the central units of the tenth floor. Firewalls prevented its spread, although some other units suffered water damage. The building was repointed between 2007 and 2009, a $2.1 million project funded by the condominium owners, who paid fees ranging from $7,980 to more than $25,000, depending on the size of their apartments. In summer 2010, the lobby's years-old carpet was pulled up, exposing the original terrazzo flooring for restoration. It revealed echoes of the façade's middle-eastern theme, with sandy hues and an interlocking tile pattern. References External links Metro Weekly feature article, High Times: A Brief History of 17th Street's Tallest Resident Washington Post: D.C.'s Fear of Heights Cultural Tourism DC: facts about the Cairo Google Maps satellite view of the Cairo 1920s Ads for The Cairo Hotel Thomas F. Schneider, architect of the Cairo, biographical notes The Cairo: Tower of Style and Elegance, Washington Post review, 1996 Testing the Upper Limits of D.C. Building Height Act, Washington Post, an architect's view Turning Points: Moments in DC's History, Washingtonian Magazine, "No Tall