Distinguished residences for sale in the D.C. area
The initial layout of the 1947 residence — by architect Van Tuyl Hart Bien for proprietor James B.C. Howe — was much more Colonial Revival than camel. Bien, who researched naval architecture at MIT, started building homes in 1928. He had an affinity for early American architecture, according to Clare Lise Kelly, who in 2013 wrote the post “Homes Motivated by America’s Earlier: Colonial Revival Architect V.T.H. Bien” for a Montgomery County (Md.) Historic Society publication, Montgomery County Story.
In 1934, a Colonial Revival residence in the Kenwood community of Bethesda, Md., that Bien built received an honorable mention award from the Maryland Society of Architects. This residence, in D.C.’s Wesley Heights neighborhood, is similar in design to the Kenwood home.
The residence has had four proprietors, each one developing it in different instructions. Howe, the initially operator, was a attorney with the federal federal government for a lot more than 30 a long time. A several years after the home was crafted, the Howes place on an addition. Following his demise in 1964, his widow remained in the dwelling until eventually 1986.
The following owner, Barbara Tanhamd, bought the house in 1990 to John H. Makin and Gwendolyn van Paasschen. Makin, who died in 2015, was an economist at the American Company Institute. Van Paasschen is a yard designer. Lynda and William H. Webster acquired the house in 1993. William Webster was director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1978 to 1987 and director of the Central Intelligence Company from 1987 to 1991. He was chair of the Homeland Safety Advisory Council from 2005 to 2020.
According to Lynda Webster, van Paasschen produced the lower-upkeep back garden powering the dwelling. The shady patio is a secluded oasis.
Webster also explained Tanhamd employed landscape designer Michael Bartlett to reconfigure the entrance lawn. The residence earlier experienced a steep slope with a extended established of steps to the entrance doorway. Bartlett trucked in tons of filth to build a stage area and included pea gravel. Now guests have loads of home to park and only a couple of small actions to the entrance doorway.
Because the residence is on a hill, tucked back from the road, it is almost extremely hard to see from the highway.
“It’s just so isolated,” Webster reported. “It’s a few miles to downtown, [but] I really do not feel like I’m in a metropolis. I really feel like I’m in a very little city mainly because I hardly at any time have to get on a important freeway. … And Invoice having still left governing administration, we just had a want for privateness.”
Webster extra, “I appreciate the place, and you really feel like you’re in the nation up there.”
She claimed they have spotted foxes, deer and other wildlife at their home, which is sandwiched between two parks — Battery Kemble and Glover Archbold.
The Websters have still left their mark on the home as perfectly. They included the bow window in the entrance, which extended the dining spot. They expanded the kitchen area and the workplace. Two several years back, they put in a fuel hearth in the loved ones home.
Webster mentioned her beloved home in the house is the sunken dwelling home. The tall, skinny French doors on possibly aspect open up to the front and again yards.
“You truly feel like you’re in a garden when you’re in the living home,” she stated.
Following nearly 20 years in the dwelling, the Websters are reluctant to go away. But the property has gotten much too major for the two of them.
“I assume it’s a very specific very little location,” Webster stated. “It’s bought a ton of historical past. A lot of interesting persons have been in and out of it. … It’s difficult to leave a position you’ve been there so lengthy. But everyday living marches on, and below we are.”
The 3-bed room, four-bathroom, 4,530-sq.-foot household is outlined at just below $2.8 million.
- Bedrooms/bogs: 3/4
- Approximate square-footage: 4,530
- Good deal sizing: .35 acre
- Functions: The 1947 household was designed by architect Van Tuyl Hart Bien. It has been modified more than the several years. The sunken dwelling place has French doorways that open to the front and again yards. The spouse and children area has a gasoline hearth. The workplace has French doorways that lead to the patio. The owner’s bed room has a fireplace and a balcony. The two-auto garage is connected.
- Listing agents: Christie Weiss and Christopher Ritzert, TTR Sotheby’s Worldwide Realty