The owners of the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel are lowering the curtain on the 30-year-old Café Promenade to make way for a 3,800-square-foot gala event space as part of a multimillion-dollar redesign of the lobby.

The renowned restaurant will close Aug. 11. A temporary restaurant will be set up in the Colonial Room during the retooling of the lobby, event space and new restaurant area.
A new restaurant and bar will open in late fall. The historic ballroom's skylight, chandeliers and murals will remain intact.

The restaurant was christened the Palm Court when the hotel opened in 1925 at 1127 Connecticut Ave. NW, a gathering spot for elegant tea dances and concerts with the National Mall as its neighbor. It was renamed the Mayflower Lounge after Prohibition was repealed and then dubbed Café Promenade in 1983.