Chief Ike's Mambo Room in Washington, D.C., Photo from Facebook

A renowned bar in Washington, D,C., whose name was based on the mistaken notion that President Dwight D. Eisenhower was Indian is closing after 23 years in business.

Growing up, owner Al Jirikowic remembers seeing Eisenhower -- popularly known as "Ike" -- wearing a headdress. The image inspired the name of Chief Ike’s Mambo Room, which opened in July 1992.

“The name came from when I was 4, and I saw a picture of Eisenhower in a ceremonial headdress,” Jirikowic told The Washington Post. “For years I thought the president of the United States was an Indian.”

Although a photo doesn't appear to be available online, Eisenhower wasn't the only leader of the U.S. to don a headdress. President Calvin Coolidge was named an honorary Sioux chief during a visit to South Dakota in 1927 and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wore one in 1933.

Then-vice president Richard Nixon in a headdress in 1960. Photo from American Society Through Indian Eyes

During a 1960 visit to the North Dakota when he served as vice president, President Richard Nixon donned a headdress.

The nation's only real Indian vice president was Charles Curtis, who was a member of the Kaw Nation before the tribe was forced to move to Oklahoma from Kansas, its ancestral homeland.

Get the Story:
Storied D.C. dive bar Chief Ike’s Mambo Room is closing (The Washington Post 3/24)
Chief Ike’s Mambo Room Will Close at the End of the Week (The Washington City Paper 3/23)
Chief Ike’s Mambo Room to close doors after more than 20 years in Adams Morgan (WJLA 3/23)