Walgreens Cleveland Park: Site of the Last Chapter of the Cuban Missile Crisis

On the outside, it says “Walgreens,” and inside, Walgreens Cleveland Park is your typical drugstore, selling pharmaceutical items, beauty care and cleaning supplies. But Walgreens Cleveland Park is not an ordinary Walgreens.

The shiny black-and-white facade resembles that of a 1950s diner, with glass cube walls and neon signage. In fact, it was the former site of the Yenching Palace Chinese restaurant, a long-running traditional Chinese diner that closed in 2007. And Yenching was no ordinary Chinese restaurant: it was the site of some significant historic moments in American politics.

Nothing quite says “peace” like a cup of tea and MuShu pork, but that's where representatives of President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev resolved the Cuban missile crisis and prevented the countries from going to war with each other. Years later, President Nixon would choose the same restaurant for discussions with delegates from the People's Republic of China, more fittingly since its cuisine would more likely satisfy the guests.

The actual building started as a food shop in the 1920s, and then became a seafood restaurant. In 1955, it was purchased and turned into the famed Yenching Palace. It claims to have “more diplomats daily than the White House” and attracted celebrities, including the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger. The reason for Yenching's popularity is unclear, but some say its ability to self-promote and smart business tactics brought its notoriety and eventual place in American history.

When the Yenching Palace closed, the residents of Cleveland Park fought to maintain the facade when Walgreens decided to take it over. Today, the store's street-facing front retains the spirit of the Yenching Palace with its bright neon lighting and entrance. A large panel describing the history of the space and of Cleveland Park draws people to stop and photograph the unique Walgreens.

"When the kids were still around, we used to go there a lot," noted New York writer Seymour Hersh told The Washington Post in an early 2007 story about the Chinese restaurant's closing, remembering how one of those famous Cuban Missile Crisis negotiators was introduced to him there. "It stayed the same. Everybody else got yuppified. We're very fancy here [in Cleveland Park] now. I live in Yuppieland."

Walgreens Cleveland Park Yenching Palace Cuban Missile Crisis Washington DC