Photos show Watergate apartments before Nixon sullied its image
Published 7:28 pm, Sunday, August 13, 2017
Close-up of lifeguard Linda Fox as she sits poolside at the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. In the center rear is the Watergate East co-op apartment building. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessClose-up of lifeguard Linda Fox as she sits poolside at the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. In the center rear is the Watergate East co-op apartment building. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture
... moreAerial view of the Watergate complex located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, Washington DC, 1969. Pictured are Watergate West (left), the Watergate Hotel and Office buildings (center), and Watergate West. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessAerial view of the Watergate complex located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, Washington DC, 1969. Pictured are Watergate West (left), the Watergate Hotel and Office buildings (center), and Watergate West.
... moreChinese-born American journalist and political operator Anna Chennault (left) talks with various unindentified guests on a roof deck of the Watergate East co-op apartment building, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessChinese-born American journalist and political operator Anna Chennault (left) talks with various unindentified guests on a roof deck of the Watergate East co-op apartment building, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo
... moreView looking up at balconies of the Watergate East co-op apartment building, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
View looking up at balconies of the Watergate East co-op apartment building, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Exterior view of the Watergate East co-op apartment building, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Exterior view of the Watergate East co-op apartment building, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
View of Chief of Protocol of the United States Emil Mosbacher (1922 - 1997) and his wife, Patricia Ryan Mosbacher (1927 - 2009), both formally dressed for a White House dinner, as they stand beside the open for of a car in the driveway of the Watergate Hotel, Washington DC, 1969. Mosbacher was a two-time America's Cup-winning yachtsman before working in President Nixon's White House. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessView of Chief of Protocol of the United States Emil Mosbacher (1922 - 1997) and his wife, Patricia Ryan Mosbacher (1927 - 2009), both formally dressed for a White House dinner, as they stand beside the open for
... moreAmerican civil servant US Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans (1908 - 1998) and his wife, Kathleen (nee Carmody, 1910 - 1984), look at photographs in their apartment in the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. Decorated with African decor, the room features both zebra and tiger rugs, wall-mounted spears, a large pair of tusks, and various pieces of sculpture. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessAmerican civil servant US Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans (1908 - 1998) and his wife, Kathleen (nee Carmody, 1910 - 1984), look at photographs in their apartment in the Watergate complex, Washington DC,
... moreTwo unidentified women, one with a wrist cast, use equipment in the exercise room of one of buildings in the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. The women at left uses a rowing machine, while the other rides a stationary bicycle. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessTwo unidentified women, one with a wrist cast, use equipment in the exercise room of one of buildings in the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. The women at left uses a rowing machine, while the other
... moreChinese-born American journalist and political operator Anna Chennault (center left) talks with various unindentified guests during a party at in an apartment at the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessChinese-born American journalist and political operator Anna Chennault (center left) talks with various unindentified guests during a party at in an apartment at the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969.
... moreAmerican civil servant US Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans (1908 - 1998) sits on a sofa a reads documents in his apartment in the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessAmerican civil servant US Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans (1908 - 1998) sits on a sofa a reads documents in his apartment in the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE
... moreView of Martha Beall Mitchell (1918 - 1976) as she plays piano for her stepdaughter, Marty Mitchell (born Martha E Mitchell, later Savidge), and husband, Attorney General of the United States John N Mitchell (1913 - 1988), in the living room of their apartment in the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessView of Martha Beall Mitchell (1918 - 1976) as she plays piano for her stepdaughter, Marty Mitchell (born Martha E Mitchell, later Savidge), and husband, Attorney General of the United States John N Mitchell
... moreAmerican politician US Senator Jacob K Javits (1904 - 1986) dives into a swimming pool at the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. At left are the Watergate Hotel and Office buildings. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessAmerican politician US Senator Jacob K Javits (1904 - 1986) dives into a swimming pool at the Watergate complex, Washington DC, 1969. At left are the Watergate Hotel and Office buildings. (Photo by Michael
... moreIn a pink-theme hair salon at the Watergate complex where they both live, Martha Beall Mitchell (1918 - 1976) (center, facing right) talks with Kathleen Stans (nee Carmody, 1910 - 1984) as they wait for their appointments, Washington DC, 1969. The girl at center is Mitchell's stepdaughter, Marty Mitchell (born Martha E Mitchell, later Savidge). At the time, Mitchell was married to US Attorney General John N Mitchell, while Stans was married to US Secretary of Commerce Maurice Stans. (Photo by Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
lessIn a pink-theme hair salon at the Watergate complex where they both live, Martha Beall Mitchell (1918 - 1976) (center, facing right) talks with Kathleen Stans (nee Carmody, 1910 - 1984) as they wait for their
... moreSome 43 years ago, Americans were likely still stewing over the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon.
The administrators of the Watergate complex probably weren't happy either; what with their name becoming synonymous with corruption and one of the greatest political scandals in American history.
READ ALSO: Washington Post columnist asks if Trump will get away with what Nixon could not
Construction on the complex began in 1963 and finished sometime in the early 1970s. It included a hotel, three apartment complexes and two office buildings.
Prior to getting smeared with the paintbrush of political corruption, its name was a reference to a water gate at the Potomac River.
Today, the complex has been split apart under various owners. The infamous hotel recently reopened after some renovation work in 2o16.
READ ALSO: FBI locker provides fascinating look at more than a century of crime fighting
We've collected some Getty Images photography that show what life was like at the Watergate complex before the scandal. You can see them in the gallery above.
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