washingtondc

Evermay, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

I first mentioned Evermay when it went on sale last fall for $49 million but didn't give it the full estate of the day treatment. Now that it has had a $10 million price chop it seems as good a time as any to take a second look. Evermay, a Georgian Revival estate on 3.58 acres, is Washington D.C.'s priciest home. The 12,000-square-foot house was commissioned in 1801. It created by Samuel Davidson, a businessman and international maritime merchant who once owned more than 150 acres of land in the heart of the city, land eventually occupied by the White House, Treasury, Old Executive Office Building and Lafayette Park. Evermay is located in walking distance to the White House with views of views of the Washington Monument and Rock Creek Park. The eight-bedroom home includes a ballroom and was rented out to a foreign official for the inauguration. The land includes a gatekeepers house and a separate office. This home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. More details are available at the property website.

Gallery: Evermay

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Mr. Gehry Goes To Washington

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Architect Frank Gehry has worked his magic in major cities around the world but now he will finally have a place in Washington D.C. The famous architect has been chosen to create the national memorial to President Eisenhower on a site off the Mall. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission unanimously decided to choose Gehry. Dwight David Eisenhower II, the president's grandson, is a member of the commission and was one of the 11 judges.

Gehry, who is 80, called the decision exciting and said that he rarely enters design competitions but that that this project resonated with him. An image of Gehry's design has not been released and some are concerned that Gehry's distinctive swoops and flourishes will result in a building that is more a memorial to him than to President Eisenhower. The site will include interactive displays and is estimated to cost between $90 and $110 million and will take five years to design and construct.

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Tags: eisenhower, frank gehry, FrankGehry, memorial, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Woodland Drive, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I love it when people send me listings. This one comes from my friend in Washington DC who I think likes to torture me a little. Certainly this home in Washington DC has been tortured a little. The 1927 Beaux Arts home has been given a remodel that is Versailles by way of Las Vegas. Gilded surfaces, extravagant flops of drapery fabric, canopied beds and bombe chests all create a rather gaudy style (it's not as bad as Victoria Gotti's home but there are certain similarities). The seven-bedroom home includes high ceilings, ornate plaster moldings, herringbone oak floors, large rooms for entertaining and staff quarters with a separate kitchen. The one-acre grounds include a swimming pool.

My friend reports that the home was once owned by Tongsun Park, a key figure in the 1976 political scandal known as Koreagate in which South Korean political figures sought to gain influence in Congress. U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna received around $200,000 from Park. The home is listed at $14.6 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Woodland Drive

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Tags: estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, washington dc, WashingtonDc

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Gates Road, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

What better time to put your home on the market than when it's having its moment in the sun in Home and Design magazine. Today's home in Washington D.C. is the cover house in the winter issue of the magazine. In the magazine the owner is described as a 40-something real estate developer who built a house for entertaining. The magazine quotes him as being inspired to create the home in order to create a place for people to meet and raise money to help change the country. The rectangular home has a separate pool house, a large master suite with a dressing room and marble tub and a guest wing. Inside is a designer home that includes both a large kitchen for entertaining and a separate caterer's kitchen. The lower level of the home includes a fully stocked bar, game room, home theater and a gym. There are moments of whimsy in the home including a bubble chandelier and a chalkboard wall in the master bedroom. The home also has a green appeal with Energy Star-rated appliances; low-VOC paints; double-insulated, argon gas-filled windows and basement floors made from recycled rubber. The owner is moving on to his next project, an Indonesian-style glass house with a pool on the roof leaving this beautiful home available for a new owner with a love of modern style and entertaining. It is listed at $7.9 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Gates Road

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Tags: estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, washington dc, WashingtonDc

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D. Porthault Washington D.C. Tablecloth

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

With a new President in office, all eyes are on Washington D.C. For those who want to bring a little of the city into their home decor French linen maker D. Porthault has created a singularly extravagant tablecloth. The linen tablecloth was designed by D. Porthault's owner Joan Carl and the design team to replicate the Washington DC skyline and bear interpretations of the Capitol, Washington Monument and other famous DC landmarks accented with Swarovski crystals. The cloth is for sale at the D. Porthault New York store (470 Park Ave) for $20,000.

Gallery: D. Porthault Inauguration Tablecloth

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Tags: d porthault, DPorthault, porthault, tablecloth, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Jewelry for the Obama Inauguration

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Diamond and Pink Sapphire Cherry Blossom Brooch

The 2009 Presidential Inauguration is inspiring special commemorative clothing and jewelry all over the world. We found two jewelers in/near Washington D.C. whose pieces are truly extraordinary: Ginger and Chas Schwartz & Son.

Featured in our gallery are cherry blossom items, like the pink sapphire and diamond Cherry Blossom Brooch you see here ($36,000), silver and gold monuments, and a $10,000 diamond Obama necklace or brooch certain to create some real Obama Drama.

The designers include Chas Schwartz & Son as well as Suzanne Somersall and R-Nichols, both available from Ginger (in Bethesda, MD and Winter Park, FL). If you've never bought inauguration commemorative jewelry before, perhaps 2009 is the year for a change.

Gallery: Inauguration Jewelry

pink sapphire and diamond Cherry Blossom Brooch from Oscar Heyman at Chas. Schwartz & Son

Sterling silver cherry blossom drop earrings

Sterling silver cherry blossom charm necklace

Tags: 2009, brooch, brooches, charms, chas schwartz son, ChasSchwartzSon, commemorative, ginger, inauguration, inauguration day, InaugurationDay, jewelry, necklace, necklaces, obama, pins, president, r-nichols, suzanne somersall, SuzanneSomersall, washington dc, WashingtonDc, white house, WhiteHouse

PX, Elegant Drinks In D.C.

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

If you are wondering where to find a good drink in the Washington D.C.area, the Washbiz blog has a piece on the lounge, PX, that will make you want to sidle up to the bar. PX seats just 32 people, eight seats at the bar are for walk-ins and the rest must be reserved. Drinks are steep too, $11 to $19 for a cocktail. But what you get is the equivalent of fin dining in a glass. Bartender Todd Thrasher makes even the simple sublime, using home-made cola for your rum and Coke, quinine is shipped in weekly from a health food store in Nevada for his homemade tonic. Juices are fresh squeezed and only top shelf liquors are used. Thrasher even makes his own bitters which change seasonally. The bar is small and intimate with a speakeasy vibe featuring warm wood and twinkling chandeliers.

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Tags: bar, drinks, lounge, px, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Washington D.C. Residents Seek Inauguration Week Rental Windfall

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Whenever there is a major event in a city there will be people who try to cash in on the fact that they live nearby. Each year the Super Bowl brings a brisk rental business to whatever town it is being held in so it stands to reason that the upcoming Presidential inauguration would be a boom time for those who live near Capitol Hill. But the economy has reared its ugly head and there are still places to stay. D.C. resident Adam McKay set ups a website for Capitol Hill homeowners called inaugurationhomes.com with more than 40 places to stay listed. So far he has had no takers, partly because prices on his site start at $500 for a very modest studio apartment. You'll do a little better pricewise on the Washington DC Craigslist although prices are ambitiously high there too. The bottom line is that while hotels may be booked in the area, houses and apartments are ready to take your money during inauguration week and they may even be willing to drop their prices in the coming days.

[via WJLA]

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Tags: inauguration day, inauguration week, InaugurationDay, InaugurationWeek, rentals, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Obama Means Money To DC Real Estate Agents

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Real estate in Washington DC is suddenly looking brighter and there is one reason: Barack Obama. The NY Times has an interesting piece on the pre-inaugural real estate forays of members of Obama's team who may be coming to Washington DC. While Republicans tended to favor McLean, Virginia. Obama's younger skewing team is more urban and headed to both upscale and gentrifying neighborhoods including U Street, Logan CIrcle and Adams Morgan as well as the typically swanky Georgetown and Kalorama. Last week saw the beginning of larger sales, including five houses in Georgetown priced from $1.5 million to $5 million according to Fred Kendrick, a broker for TTR Sotheby's .

Some of Obama's team are in Washington DC already but some are moving in from Chicago. Speechwriter Jon Favreau for example, bought a condominium in the Chastleton, an eight-story Gothic-style luxury building and Ben LaBolt, an Obama spokesman, moved into an apartment several blocks away also near the apartment shared by Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama, and her boyfriend, Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Mr. Obama. While many young Obama team members are renting there is still enough real estate excitement to give a needed boost to the market.

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Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Everyone Wants To Be In Washington On Inauguration Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events

This year's hottest ticket in town isn't the Super Bowl, it's the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2009. Yes, tickets are technically free and handed out a week before the event but that hasn't stopped the sale of tickets. Some people who already know they will be getting a ticket are selling them to brokers. StubHub.com already lists tickets to the parade, the swearing-in ceremony and the inaugural gala for several thousand dollars each.

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has spoken out against ticket selling, expressing fears that people could be swindled. Members of Congress are giving away 240,000 tickets. Jackson's office will have around 400 tickets and will distribute the bulk of them to the public, first come, first serve which is the policy of most of the elected officials with tickets. The offices of senators and representatives are said to be flooded with constituents asking for tickets. Of course this varies by region. This might be a time to find your friend in Wyoming or Alabama or other traditionally Republican areas and ask if they can request tickets for you since there may be less of a mad rush there. You can also discreetly inquire through various concierge services. They may not advertise tickets but especially if you are already a customer, they may be able to offer you some assistance.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein is said to be considering legislation to make it illegal to scalp tickets to the event following the news that a pair of tickets sold for $10,858 each through Stub Hub. As with any other prized events, there always three main ways of going about things: the persistence approach which mainly relies on luck and standing for hours in the right place, using your connections or spending a boatload of money. If you happen to have the third option there are also plenty of ultra-pricey inauguration packages. None of them come with tickets to the swearing-in ceremony but they do give you a chance to celebrate in style. Washington.org has rounded up the best of the bunch which we will check out in the gallery below.

Gallery: Washington D.C. Hotel Packages

Tags: inauguration, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Expedia Helps Travelers to Inauguration Day

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

In anticipation of record-breaking crowds (think everyone at Grant Park bringing +1s), Expedia has created an Inaugural Page to help travelers facilitate their visit to the nation's capital.

The January 20th inauguration of Barack Obama as President is expected to draw so many visitors to DC that travelers will need to seek out hotels in nearby suburbs like Bethesda, Maryland.

Expedia offers a number of tips from local experts on getting there and where to stay--any hotel close to the Metro.

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Tags: expedia, inauguration day, inauguration day travel, InaugurationDay, InaugurationDayTravel, washington dc, WashingtonDc

Thompson Circle, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties column led me to today's home in Washington D.C. on Thompson Circle, in the Massachusetts Avenue Heights neighborhood near St. Albans School. The seven-bedroom home was built in 1929 and has a classic exterior. It was built by Christian Heurich, a brewmaster, as a wedding gift to his daughter. Real estate developer R. Donahue Peebles and his wife, Katrina bought the 0.35-acre property in September for $5.9 million. The couple landscaped, added a laundry room, a wine cellar and finished the basement and look to have given the entire place a bright white coat of paint. It is listed at $8.3 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Thompson Circle

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Tags: estate of the day, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, r donahue peebles, washington dc, WashingtonDc

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The Bargain Neighborhoods, Wesley Heights, DC, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

NeighborhoodScout.com has used their matching function to find neighborhoods that are "discount equivalents" of some of the hot and pricey communities we recently covered in our Most Expensive Zip Codes estates.

The Neighborhood Scout sees the Wesley Heights area of Washington D.C. as an equivalent to the Lakeshore Drive area of Chicago. In that area of Chicago, the median house value is $1.955 million. Wesley Heights has a median of just $1.63 million. Both areas offer easy access to the heart of a city and are full of lovely traditional homes. Today's home has five bedrooms and a classic style that reminds me a little of the Chicago home we found for the most expensive zip code's feature. It has a graceful staircase, formal dining room, large shuttered windows and a big kitchen with adjoining eating area. The property includes gardens, outdoor entertaining area and a putting green. This home is listed at $2.395 million.

Gallery: Wesley Heights

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Tags: estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, neighborhood scout, NeighborhoodScout, washington dc, WashingtonDc, wesley heights, WesleyHeights

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Washington DC Estate, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Usually I prefer a to see a house with the furniture in it but today's estate, located in Washington DC, is bare. Not just bare, it seems to have been scrubbed clean and given some sort of charmectomy. The walls are landlord white. Still the bones of this home are beautiful so let's just think of it as a blank slate. it was built in 1929 and has a stone Tudor exterior. Inside, there are six bedrooms, a wine cellar, billiard room, library and what they call a orangier (otherwise known as a conservatory). It is listed at $9.125 million. After the jump, some splashes of understated color, a few truckfuls of furniture and the work of a skilled decorator and this could be lovely.

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