DC Metrocentric

Well since the areas most expensive listing got a $9.5 million price chop last week (reducing the price to only $39.5 million) we thought you might be interested at a peak inside this historic estate in the heart of Georgetown to see what exactly you could get for $39.5 million.

Evermay has over 10,000 square feet of living space on 3.5 acres. Parties wouldn’t be a problem because there is room to park over 100 cars for special events and the dinning room can seat 40 for a formal dinner.

The wood paneling in the drawing room is from the 1700s

More of the photo tour after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

Just glancing at the new EYA Capitol Quarter development in SE you would think that it was some type of restoration project of buildings that had been around for 50 years, but in reality it is a completely new ground up project. The effort and expense that has gone into making these rowhomes is evident and the great choice of paint job really makes the project fit right into the neighborhood. We love the colors!

The Capitol Quarter development will eventually be 120 market-rate townhomes, 91 workforce-rate townhomes, 23 Section 8 units, and close to 90 rental units near the Navy Yard. [Photo: Otavio_DC]

We got word that architect Edward Feiner, formerly of the General Services Administration, Sands Las Vegas, and more recently Skidmore, Owings and Merrill will join the firm Perkins and Will next month. You may not know Feiner but you certainly know his work, he was the cheif architect at GSA from 1996 until 2005, so his influence can be felt all over the country and especially our area.

Feiner had a say in almost every major new government building that has gone up over the last few years, including of course the lovely ATF building in NoMa, which of course we are huge fans! [Photo: Il Primo Uomo]

Everyone has an opinion on architecture, what’s yours?

By Spencer Lepler

I spent this past Saturday at a gallery opening in Old Town Alexandria for an Interior Designer turned Photographer.  His photographs of trails in the Shanandoah National Park are currently on display through June in the Carriage House on South Union Street, an adaptive reuse building which most people will know for housing the Old Town Tea and Coffee Shop. While observing the building and the way people occupied it, I was reminded greatly of another adaptive reuse project down the street: The Torpedo Factory.

The difference between these two buildings is incredible to me.  The Carriage house was renovated in a historically sensitive a-stylistic manner.  It provides witnesses and windows into the building’s past and structure, without letting the historic use inform the modern.  For the trained, as well as many untrained eyes, it is quite obvious that the current floor plan has been derived to best accommodate modern usage, but is in no way what a modern designer would design from scratch, nor is this the true original use of the space.  Because this adaptive reuse appears timeless and not bound by recent architectural styles, the casual observer has little expectations about what will be found inside.  This lends the second floor art gallery space a great versatility; any show that is put on in this space will seem innovative because it is unexpected.  In addition, by removing the gallery to the farthest point from the build’s entry, the occupants are provided with a sense of exclusivity which can only seem to aid the reading of the pieces displayed within.

The Torpedo Factory’s renovation on the other hand was very highly influenced by the time at which it was performed…

Read the rest of this entry »

Your weekly chance to take a stab at real estate appraisal.

Well all the guesses are in for the 1920s Tudor Mansion in Forest Hills and the actual list price for the property is a nice $6.5 million. We can’t say we like the decorations at all, but guess that if you have the millions to buy the place, you probably have the money to at least get rid of that horrendous wallpapered ceiling!

The folks at PGN Architects recently renovated an old laundry service building, and we got the pics of the project to share. When approaching the renovation/restoration the owners wanted to maintain the character of the original design. The space was open and they added layers of detail but maintain the original openness and character.

They went an interesting route with the floor finishing done up in stamped concrete and that’s complimented by lots of rich dark wood finishes.

The design centered around the ‘two’ stacks which also serve as bathrooms separating the bedroom at the rear and the library at the front. The stacks were wrapped in a pattern wallpaper with a Stainless steel reveal at the top. Pictured below is the interestingly placed kitchen.

Some before and after shots of the basement after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

By Feature Writer - Chris Loos.  DC Wishlist is a weekly look at a new topic each week, from imminent projects, to long-term plans, to pie-in-the-sky ideas for the city. This week we take a look at a complete remix of Thomas Circle and it’s potential.

Thomas Circle has a lot of untapped potential.  With a massive equestrian statue of George Henry Thomas at its center and flanked by two gorgeous churches, its certainly not DC’s worst looking traffic circle.  The Circle is an important crossroads between the neighborhoods of Logan Circle, Shaw, Downtown, and Dupont Circle, and acts as the gateway to Mid-City when coming north from downtown.

Its a shame then that the Circle has been so underutilized.  In the 1950s, the District altered Thomas Circle to ease gridlock, changing 14th Street to cut right through the center. All that remained of the Circle was a sad football shaped piece of turf, the statue, and a single cherry tree.

In 2006, DDOT carried out a $6 million renovation that righted this wrong, bringing the Circle back to its former glory…and circular shape. New lighting, crosswalks, bike lanes, and sidewalk were added.   These days the Circle is looking pretty good, but is still missing one thing– life…

Read the rest of this entry »

New LEED Gold Building Approved at 14th St Arlington - You don’t hear about many projects getting approved these days, let alone LEED rated ones, but there already are 3 condo buildings turned apartments within two blocks of where this one is being built. [via WBJ]

Though there hasn’t been any progress at the West End site of the new Starwood 1 Hotel since we brought you the demolition pics last November, we have gotten our hands on some cool new renderings of the project. They are definitely taking the idea of an eco friendly luxury hotel to the next level with this thing!

Amazingly a Starwood spokeswoman told us the hotel is still expected to open in 2011, so they better get started. An exterior rendering of the hotel, which will be right across the street from the Ritz, after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

A bi-weekly take on the area from our friends at UrbanTurf.com

The Best New Listings in the DC Area

This week’s best new listings include a large one-bedroom condo in the Woodley Park Towers, a convertible three-bedroom condo in Mount Pleasant for under half a million dollars and a studio in Logan Circle for just under $200K.

Read the rest of this entry on UrbanTurf.com »

Your weekly chance to take a stab at real estate appraisal. Submit your guesses in the comments and closest guess gets the PriceChecker crown for the week. This weeks PriceChecker is a classic fieldstone Tudor built in 1926.

The most distinctive thing about this six bedroom mansion in Forest Hills has to be the ceiling heights. Many of the room (including the living room pictured above) have tremendous vaulted ceilings, so if you are claustrophobic this home might be your cure. There are a million details and tons of fancy wood and marble finishes that give this house an era of luxury and history that you can’t just buy, though if this house is in your price range, maybe you can! Keep in mind that this house is also on over an acre of land with private gardens and a koi pond, so take that into consideration.

Take your best guess and we will crown a winner this Wednesday afternoon, and should you need some more information to help you, follow the jump for the realtor spin, a strange case of wallpaper on a ceiling, and a picture of the great backyard…

Read the rest of this entry »

When we heard that a vacant 559 unit condo was about to come on the market this month, we immediately knew there was only one place it could be… The Dumont. The huge development in Mount Vernon Triangle has certainly had its ups and downs, but ever since they finished up the exterior last year, it looked like they might actually make a go at starting to move these units.

Well apparently they weren’t that successful, and like so many before them, are selling out so the two building complex can potentially be turned into an apartment building. The price for these empty buildings? Only $170 million, which by our calculation comes out to around $304,000 a unit. Considering the buildings design and amazing location right on Massachusetts Ave, that isn’t a half bad deal if you ask us. Now if only we could drum up $170 million, if anyone wants to start an investor group, give us a call!

[Photo: DCMetrocentric]

We aren’t saying it would be a good thing to eradicated the height restrictions for the District, but it sure is fun to see how an alternate future might look. Commenter John brought our attention to this stunning piece of work by artist James Clyne. We like how the inner core of the National Mall is completely unaltered, what do you think?

[Rendering: James Clyne]

Columbia Heights - Ellwood Thompson’s has put plans for their DCUSA grocery store opening on hold, and from the sounds of it, the time line is looking more like years than months. [The Heights Life]

Georgetown -  Spanish royalty is planning on moving to Washington. Let the speculation of where they will live begin! [Georgetown Metropolitan]

MV Triangle - The beautiful Franklin School, which has served the community for years as a temporary homeless shelter may return to its academic roots as a charter school. An RFO was issued earlier this month. [The Triangle]