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Real Estate News: Vintage in Virginia

Real Estate News: Vintage in Virginia

Langley Hall, McLean’s former seat of government, sells to an anonymous trust; a stately 1938 Colonial in Alexandria’s Wellington neighborhood is now home to a defense contractor.

By Stacey Grazier Parr

The 6-bedroom, 8-bath residence at 4935 Loughboro Rd. NW features a first floor au pair/in-law suite. It recently sold for just under $3 million.

The 6-bedroom, 8-bath residence at 4935 Loughboro Rd. NW features a first floor au pair/in-law suite. It recently sold for just under $3 million.

THE DISTRICT
Former Smithsonian Ventures CEO Gary Beer sold 4935 Loughboro Road NW for just under $3 million. Before working at the Smithsonian, Beer was president and chief operating officer of the Sundance Group, the for-profit division of the Sundance Film Festival. Founded by Robert Redford, Sundance is the largest independent cinema gathering in the U.S., and was named after the famed actor’s character in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Washington Fine Properties’ Matt McCormick and Patrick Chauvin listed the house which was built in 1959 and renovated by Beer in 2005 and 2008 to include a heated pool and circular driveway. Maggie Shannon and Gary Frey of Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty represented the purchaser, Sallyport Inc., a security contracting firm based in Chicago.

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High-End Estates

High-End Estates

Adrienne Arsht buys in Spring Valley, Sargent and Eunice Shriver’s mansion sells in Potomac.

By Mary K. Mewborn

imageinstoryThe District
Rob Quartel and Michela English were represented by Kerry Fortune and Nelson Marban of Georgetown Long & Foster in the sale of their 7,803-square-foot house at 3220 Nebraska Avenue NW in Spring Valley. Quartel is a former U.S. Federal Maritime commissioner and CEO and chairman of NTELX, a data fusion and health risk/fraud analysis company. English is a former senior executive at Discovery Communications and is currently CEO and president of Fight For Children, a local non-profit group engaged in education and health issues. The couple recently finished construction of a home on the Chesapeake Bay and is building another in the D.C.-Northern Virginia area. Adrienne Arsht, a Miami banker, philanthropist, National Symphony Orchestra board member, and former Washington resident throughout her marriage to the late Myer Feldman, a prominent lawyer and advisor to President John F. Kennedy, paid $6,625,000 for the couple’s Spring Valley property.
Hazel Cheilek has sold her 2,986-square-foot, six-bedroom home at 3039 44th Street NW where she had lived since moving from Buffalo, N.Y., in 1970. She and her husband both taught music out of the residence and Mrs. Cheilek also worked as a music teacher at Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology. She now resides in California. The house was built in 1920 and is situated on a corner lot in the heart of Wesley Heights. It was listed by Michael Rankin, Greg Gaddy and Carroll Dey of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty and sold through Gaddy and Dey for $1.3 million. The new owners are Mr. and Mrs. Nigel Parkinson. Mr. Parkinson, is president of Parkinson Construction Company and a past president of the National Association of Minority Contractors. The Parkinsons plan to renovate the house while maintaining its original integrity.
Washington Fine Properties’ William “Ted” Gossett has sold the house he owned at 4400 Dexter Street NW to Lynne S. and Richard M. Milano for $2.15 million. The nicely renovated five-bedroom Colonial has a new slate roof and sits on a corner fenced-in lot with a private driveway and two-car garage. It had been listed for $2,495,000.
Catherine M. Tinsley and Tom C. Tinsley sold their four-bedroom residence at 4934 Indian Lane NW for $4.6 million to Lucretia Adymy Risoleo and Robert Risoleo. The Tinsleys sold their previous house at 1400 34th Street NW for $4.2 million to entrepreneur Jonathan J. Ledecky in 2007. Part of its allure is the connection to President Kennedy (who lived there as a young congressman) as well as his sister Eunice, who called it home until her marriage to Sargent Shriver.

Maryland
The big real estate news, also on the Shriver front, is the sale of R. Sargent and Eunice Shriver’s estate in Potomac. Their house had been on the market for just under a year and the sale coincided with the August passing of both Eunice and her brother, Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy. Designed by Smith Blackburn Architects, the 15,500-square-foot, classically styled Georgian mansion is set on nearly seven acres in the Bradley Farms area at 9109 Harrington Drive. Built for the couple and their five children in 1986, the property has been the scene of many social and political gatherings, including Peace Corps gatherings (Sargent Shriver was the agency’s founding director), events for Special Olympics (Eunice’s brainchild), and glamorous charitable benefits that included annual balls in support of youngest son Anthony Shriver’s Best Buddies International.
The house boasts 10 bedrooms, 11 full baths, and large entertaining areas that include a 32-foot living room and an equally expansive dining room. The 400-square-foot kitchen has two large pantries and an adjacent octagonal breakfast room. There are staff quarters, an exercise room, a library, tennis court and gazebo, a pool and pool house,  four-car garage, and numerous balconies and verandahs. William F. X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki of Washington Fine Properties listed the property at $11.8 million. John P. Duffy of Summit Commercial Real Estate represented the buyer, the MA Center, which he described as an international humanitarian organization. The Center’s founder, Mata Amritanandamyi, is known as a “living Hindu saint” called the “Amma,” and is said to have curative powers. It is unclear at this time whether the estate will be used as a private residence, an ashram retreat, or both. The MA Center paid $7,810,000 with plans to move there in January.

Virginia
Thanks to Long and Foster agent Sharon Hayman, 1331 North Irving Street in heart of the Lyon Village area of Arlington now belongs to Randy and Maria Jones. Mrs. Jones is a partner in the Washington law firm Miller & Chevalier and her husband works for Freddie Mac. They paid just under $1.9 million. The house was built by Brian Normile, principal owner of BCN builders and part owner of the Liberty Tavern in Clarendon. The newly constructed house has three finished levls and four bedrooms. Architectural highlights include custom moldings and wainscoting throughout. Other features include a wet bar, upscale kitchen with a Wolf range, an entertainment center, a study, a rear deck and a detached garage.

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Pundits and Promoters

Pundits and Promoters

Journalist Liz Drew buys Archie and Lucky Roosevelt’s old Georgetown townhouse; Cellar Door’s Jack Boyle finally unloads his McLean mega-mansion
By Mary K. Mewborn

The Federal-style townhouse at 3400 R Street NW has been the site of many VIP gatherings.

The Federal-style townhouse at 3400 R Street NW has been the site of many VIP gatherings.

The District
Famed political journalist, author, and longtime New Yorker magazine columnist Elizabeth Drew has purchased 3400 R Street NW from James Bankoff and Diane Elson for $2.23 million. Washington Life last reported on the property in September 2002 when Bankoff and Elson paid $1.45 million to Selwa W. “Lucky” Roosevelt, President Reagan’s chief of protocol and the widow of Archibald Bulloch Roosevelt Jr., Teddy Roosevelt’s grandson and a former CIA station chief. The Federal-style brick townhouse on Georgetown’s western fringe was the scene of many social events during the 27 years the Roosevelts lived there (and during previous owners Joseph and Polly Krafts’ tenure as well). Located on a corner lot just two blocks from Dumbarton Oaks once owned by Kennedy Center founding chairman Roger L. Stevens, it has five bedrooms, four baths, and a kidney-shaped pool. Elson operated Diane Elson Inc. from the residence, a company she founded in San Francisco in 1997 to create fine quality hand-knotted Tibetan rugs and Indian dhurries. Mr. Bankoff is a former AOL executive and a director of Inform Technologies, which provides technological solutions for media companies by acting as, “an extra editor, intelligently mining and linking content from sites, archives and the Web overall.” Washington Fine Properties’ Cecelia Leake was the listing agent.
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Historic Sites

Historic Sites

Georgian beauty in Kalorama, a rare townhouse by the District’s first African-American architect, and a short sale on River Road

By Mary K. Mewborn

A townhouse at 2123 N Street NW, one of the few remaining structures designed by noted African American architect Calvin T. S. Bren, recently changed hands for $1,450,000.

A townhouse at 2123 N Street NW, one of the few remaining structures designed by noted African American architect Calvin T. S. Bren, recently changed hands for $1,450,000.

The District

Jim Bell, with Washington Fine Properties, helped sell the Georgian mansion at 1901 24th Street NW, which had an asking price of $4.9 million. Built in 1926, the three-story, six-bedroom, 6,395-square-foot Kalorama home belonged to Hani and Cheryl Masri for the past 25 years. During their quarter century there, the Masris entertained the Rolling Stones and Quincy Jones and hosted lavish parties for Democratic Party elite, including the Clintons and former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe. Mr. Masri is a Palestinian-American commentator and columnist for the Ramallah-based newspaper Al-Ayyam and an influential supporter of the Palestinian cause. Mrs. Masri is a co-founder of the non-profit group Knock Out Abuse Against Women.

One of the few remaining houses designed by the District’s first black architect has been sold. The yellow Victorian at 2123 N Street NW was designed in 1892 by Calvin T.S. Brent, who was also the architect of Mt. Jezreel Baptist Church on Capitol Hill and the Third Baptist Church at 1546 5th Street NW. The N Street residence has an arched doorway counter-balanced by a large bay window accented with white rusticated lintels. Bobbie Brewster with Washington Fine Properties sold the property for $1,350,000. Highlights include five fireplaces, an in-law suite, home office, skylight and two parking spaces. The historic dwelling now belongs to World Bank officer Francis Ghesquiere, a lead disaster risk manager who previously was a management consultant for Fortune 500 companies and governments in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He was represented by Nella Pinto of Long and Foster. The sellers were Sarah Baxter, Washington correspondent for The Sunday Times of London, and her husband Jez Coulson, a noted photojournalist whose recent coverage of the ‘War on Terror” at Guantanamo Bay appeared in both Newsweek and Time as well as in the UK’s Sunday Times and the Guardian.

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Penthouses and Estates

Penthouses and Estates

Recent high-end sales in Kalorama, Wesley Heights, Georgetown, and McLean

By Mary K. Mewborn

Steve and Blair Raber purchased a renovated  four-story row house on S Streete NW in Kalorama for $2,395,000 from Jeffrey A. Wade, who purchased it in 2005 for $1.75 million.

Steve and Blair Raber purchased a renovated four-story row house on S Streete NW in Kalorama for $2,395,000 from Jeffrey A. Wade, who purchased it in 2005 for $1.75 million.

The District

Washington Fine Properties’ realtor Jim Bell has announced he has listed and sold 2119 S Street NW in the Kalorama neighborhood to Steve Raber, a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP, and his wife, Blair Raber, who recently initiated the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s Hospital. The fully-renovated six-bedroom, five-bath row house was listed for $2,395,000 and had belonged to Jeffrey A. Wade, who purchased the home in 2005 for $1.75 million. The four-story residence was constructed in 1908 and features grand entertaining rooms with original hardwood floors, a two-bedroom in-law suite with its own kitchen, and a carriage house with a loft.

In Wesley Heights, Penthouse #1003/4 in the Foxhall Condominiums East at 4200 Massachusetts Avenue NW has sold for $1,075,000. Two units were renovated and combined to create this 2,950-square-foot residence with three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a wood-lined library, breakfast room, formal dining room, and breath-taking views. Amenities include an indoor pool, tennis courts, gym and concierge service. The seller, John Farina, an attorney and a professor of Religion at George Mason University, was represented by Bobbie Brewster of Washington Fine Properties. The purchasers were physicians Luke and Grace Kao.

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Done Deals

Done Deals

Recent sales in Forrest Hills, Dupont Circle, Cleveland Park and Bethesda

By Mary Mewborn

A three-bedroom duplex condominium within a Victorian townhouse at 2110 O Street NW in Dupont Circle recently sold for $895,000.

The District


Brian Lordan, M.D., has purchased 2910 Brandywine Street NW in Forest Hills for $1,657,000. The house, built in 1927, was renovated three years ago to include a three-story addition with a family room and walls of glass. There are four bedrooms and four and a half baths plus a lower-level in-law suite with a kitchen and private entrance. The many amenities include French doors, recessed lighting, a skylight, tray ceilings, a two-person soaking tub, hardwood floors, four fireplaces and a wet bar. The nearly half-acre lot is partially fenced and wooded and can be enjoyed from one of two decks, the terrace or a screened porch. The sellers were Fabiana Jorge with the consulting firm MFJ International LLC, and her husband, Douglas Brian Sosnik, who served as a political director for President Bill Clinton and who now provides crisis management and strategic planning advice to Democratic senators and governors, U.S. corporations, and the National Basketball Association. He is also a co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business, and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community. Terri Robinson with Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc., and Margot Wilson of Arnold Bradley, Sargent, Davy, & Chew co-listed the property for $1,895,000.

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Primo Properties

Primo Properties

High-end homes change hands in Georgetown, Chevy Chase, and McLean.

By Mary K. Mewborn

1952 Kirby Road in McLean, Va., recently sold for just under $1 million.

1952 Kirby Road in McLean, Va., recently sold for just under $1 million.

The District


In 1940, diplomat Robert Woods Bliss and his wife Mildred left “Dumbarton Oaks,” their Federal-style Georgetown mansion and spectacular Beatrix Farrand-designed gardens to Harvard University. Four years later the estate become internationally renowned as the site of the conference where the United Nations was created. Now Harvard’s trustees have purchased 3104 R Street NW, across the street from the famed conference center and its adjacent museum, with plans to use it to house scholars and researchers “on a temporary, very short-term basis.” The four-bedroom, three-bath, 2,928-square-foot house built in 1900, was priced at $2.2 million by the seller Piritta Sorsa, a Ph.D. in economics who has worked for international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

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Movers and Shakers

Movers and Shakers

John B. Mason moves to his own development; Noted civil rights lawyer’s estate sells in Woodley Park

By Mary K. Mewborn

Lynne and James Murray paid $1.66 million for the Arts and Crafts-style house at 5906 Carlton Lane in Bethesda’s Glen Mar Park neighborhood.

Lynne and James Murray paid $1.66 million for the Arts and Crafts-style house at 5906 Carlton Lane in Bethesda’s Glen Mar Park neighborhood.

The District


John B. Mason, president and founder of D.C.-based Intrepid Real Estate LLC, has sold his 3,300-square-foot penthouse #SPH2B in the Ritz-Carlton at 1111 23rd Street NW with the help of Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty agent Jonathan Taylor. The two-floor apartment with three bedrooms, three and a half baths, three balconies and a paneled library went for $2.9 million. TTR Sotheby’s International Realty agents Alex Venditti and Paul Pike represented the buyers who wish to remain anonymous. Mason now resides in the newly developed, boutique-style, 16-unit condominium his company owns at 2501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The exterior of the late 19th-century building, which was the work of architect Nicholas Howard, has now been restored and its interior redesigned by BBGM Architects & Interiors. Highlights include ten-foot ceilings, sound attenuation, and a generous use of marble and granite. Priced at about $5 million, Mason’s 4,500-square-foot penthouse has three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a den, and two parking spaces.

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Homes with a Past

Homes with a Past

A Federal treasure, Georgian glories, and an estate-in-the-making

By Mary K. Mewborn

The four-level Georgian residence at 2435 Tracy Place NW in Kalorama recently sold to two local attorneys for $3,995,000. It boasts seven bedrooms and is listed in the L’Enfant Historic Register.

The four-level Georgian residence at 2435 Tracy Place NW in Kalorama recently sold to two local attorneys for $3,995,000. It boasts seven bedrooms and is listed in the L’Enfant Historic Register.

The District

Washington Fine Properties’ sister realtors Heidi Hatfield and Anne Hatfield Weir have helped sell one of Georgetown’s best preserved architectural treasures for $4.6 million. The 7,000 square-foot Federal at 3263 N Street NW was erected along historic Smith’s Row in 1805. Designed for opulent entertaining, this elegantly appointed building has for two centuries been the site of formal dinners and grand receptions attended by foreign and domestic dignitaries alike. Once the home of Missouri Senator Stuart Symington, the house later belonged to Marvin and Dolly Kay and then to Daniel J. Terra, a chemical industry magnate and President Reagan’s ambassador for cultural affairs, and his wife Judith. Most recently the row house was the residence of John R. Phillips and Linda Douglass.

In Northwest’s posh Berkley neighborhood, a four-story Colonial-style mansion situated on a double lot at 2509 Foxhall Road NW and once owned by the late David Greenewalt, a geophysicist and Dupont chemical heir, has been bought in trust for $4.7 million. Built in 1939, the stately residence has a grand foyer, embassy-size public rooms, two fireplaces, six bedrooms, five and a half baths and a swimming pool. Sarah Howard and Susie Maguire with Georgetown Long and Foster were the listing agents.

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Family Properties

Family Properties

Oatsie Charles’ Georgetown mansion changes hands again just as her grandson settles in a few blocks away.

By Mary K. Mewborn

Philanthropist Paul Mellon's Embassy Row house.

Philanthropist Paul Mellon's Embassy Row house.

THE DISTRICT

The Dougal House, the former Georgetown home of grande dame Marion ‘Oatsie’ Leiter Charles located at 3259 R STREET NW, has sold for the second time in little more than a year. Last October, Mrs. Charles sold it for $7 million, but buyer Christian Hunt soon put it back on the market at $7.4 million with listing agent Jeff Mauer with Coldwell Banker. The second buyer, who paid $6.5 million and wishes to remain anonymous, was represented by Ellen Morrell and Matt McCormick of Washington Fine Properties. With the witty Mrs. Charles as its consummate châtelaine and hostess, the magnificent 1857 Italianate-style home at 3259 R STREET NW welcomed such illustrious guests as Ian Fleming, Noël Coward and Princess Michael of Kent to its embassy-size rooms. The meticulously maintained private grounds feature ponds, a guesthouse, meditation garden, and a large garage.

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Very Private Properties

Very Private Properties

Recent Sales in the District, Maryland, and Virginia.

By Mary K. Mewborn

Famed private investigator Terry Lenzner and his wife Margaret sold 3501 Macomb Street N.W. in Cleveland Park for $3,550,000. Highlights include double lot with a private garden, pool, artist studio and garage.

Famed private investigator Terry Lenzner and his wife Margaret sold 3501 Macomb Street N.W. in Cleveland Park for $3,550,000. Highlights include double lot with a private garden, pool, artist studio and garage.

The District


Judy Holland of Hearst Newspapers and her husband, surgeon John Starr, have purchased 3501 Macomb Street N.W. in Cleveland Park for $3,550,000. Highlights include a master suite with two porches, a sitting room, dressing room and sauna. Built in 1917, the house boasts a double lot with a private garden, pool, artist studio and garage. The property was listed by Washington Fine Properties’ agents Heidi Hatfield and her sister Anne Hatfield Weir for the sellers Margaret and Terry F. Lenzner. The Lenzners have also owned a home on Nantucket for more than a quarter century. Terry Lenzner is the founder of the detective agency Investigative Group International, whose clients have included Bill Clinton and Ivana Trump. As a young lawyer, he helped protect the CIA’s “Dr. Strangelove,” Sidney Gottlieb, the Cold War chemist who oversaw the agency’s mind-control program. During his high-profile and often controversial career, Lenzner also supported the defense of the Black Panthers, served as counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, and represented anti-war activist Father Philip Berrigan, the Catholic priest who was charged with planning to kidnap Henry Kissinger. He also made millions in litigation against corrupt Alaskan pipeline contractors and has been a zoning attorney for local developer Conrad Cafritz. Margaret Lenzner is a painter and the vice president and secretary of the Lenzner Family Foundation, which provides funds to numerous educational institutions including Harvard University where her husband was a football star. Margot Wilson with Arnold Bradley Sargent Davy & Chew, Inc. was the selling agent for the Lenzner’s home.

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Major Settlements

Major Settlements

Franklin Raines moves on in more ways than one; plus recent moves in Spring Valley and Kalorama.

By Mary K. Mewborn

Former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin D. Raines recently purchased Beechwoods, a 98-year-old Colonial mansion sited on 1.35 acres at 3006 Albemarle Street NW, in Forest Hills.

Former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin D. Raines recently purchased Beechwoods, a 98-year-old Colonial mansion sited on 1.35 acres at 3006 Albemarle Street NW, in Forest Hills.

The District

Franklin D. Raines, the former CEO of Fannie Mae who recently made a settlement of $24.7 million to the federal government to close the books on his controversial reign as head of America’s largest guarantor of home mortgages, has now set his sights on closing another deal: one on his new home at 3006 Albemarle Street NW. Currently under contract with an asking price of $7,595,000, the 98-year-old stucco Colonial known as Beechwoods sits on 1.35 acres in Forest Hills and boasts a pool and cabana, sports and tennis courts, four-car garage and views of Soapstone Valley National Park. Interior highlights include a master bedroom suite with his and hers baths, an adjacent terrace and walk-in closet. There are six additional bed rooms, five and a half baths, a family room with cathedral ceiling, library, movie theater, recreation room, exercise room and a remodeled kitchen with breakfast room. The listing agents are Washington Fine Properties’ Matthew B. McCormick, Ellen Morrell and Bonnie Wimsatt. Jim Bell of Washington Fine Properties represented the purchaser. Raines, who now sits on the board of Steve Case’s Revolution Health Company, has reportedly also purchased a $4.9 million condominium at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Georgetown. Meanwhile, Wendy Farrow Raines, his wife for more than a quarter century, is said to have a new $4.3 million home of her own in Cleveland Park.

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Summer Sizzlers

Summer Sizzlers

Recent sales in the District, Maryland and Virginia

By Mary K. Mewborn

The Tudor-style mansion at 4921 Rockwood Parkway N.W.

The Tudor-style mansion at 4921 Rockwood Parkway N.W.

The District

The estate of Barbara Suzanne Caldwell and George Kenneth Brobeck has sold their residence at 4921 Rockwood Parkway, NW in Spring Valley for $3.3 million. Mrs. Brobeck, who died last autumn, was raised in Washington, D.C., and attended the National Cathedral School and George Washington University and was a member of the Sulgrave and Chevy Chase clubs. Her husband, to whom she was married for 58 years, died in 2006. Their former home is located not far from where Meet the Press host Tim Russert lived with his wife, Maureen, until his untimely death in June. The stately six-bedroom, six bath Tudor-style dwelling was built in 1931 and features an impressive living room with a beamed ceiling, fireplace and leaded-glass windows. The formal dining room has a tray ceiling, hardwood floors, wall sconces and a stone alcove showcasing a fountain. French doors open to a screened porch beyond which lies a flagstone patio and stone walkway leading to the rear garden and a heated two-car garage. William F. X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki of Washington Fine Properties listed the 4,800-square-foot, four-story abode for $3,695,000. Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties represented buyer Charles D. Nottingham, who is chairman of the Surface Transportation Board.

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Cape Cods to Colonials

Cape Cods to Colonials

The historic Georgetown residence at 3303 Volta Place NW has been sold to Stephen and Maria Lans.

By Mary K. Mewborn

The historic Georgetown residence at 3303 Volta Place, NW has been sold to Stephen and Maria Lans.

The historic Georgetown residence at 3303 Volta Place, NW has been sold to Stephen and Maria Lans.

The District

Washington Fine Properties agent Jim Bell has helped sell the architecturally and historically significant residence located at 3007 Q Street, NW in Georgetown, which was listed by Washington Fine Properties agents Nancy Taylor Bubes and Jamie Peva. The property was constructed for Washington’s first territorial governor, Henry D. Cooke, a Civil War profiteer who was also a Republican-minded newspaper editor, president of the First Washington National Bank, and a railroad executive. Built by Norris G. Starkweather and architect Thomas M. Plowman, the three-story Italian-style home is one of four double houses still known as Cooke’s Row. It has eight bedrooms, three baths, and over 5,000 square feet of living space. It sold for approximately $2.2 million to Greg and Kristin Muhlner, the former executive vice president of Product Development for webMethods, Inc., which was acquired by Software AG for $546 million one year ago. The couple also owns 1716 Q Street, NW.

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Summer Homesteads

Summer Homesteads

The local real estate market heats up.

By Mary K. Mewborn

In Washington’s Palisades neighborhood, 5400 Macomb Street NW has sold for $1,295,000.

In Washington’s Palisades neighborhood, 5400 Macomb Street NW has sold for $1,295,000.

The District

The magnificent Kalorama estate at 2475 Kalorama Road NW was on the market for quite a while with various agents before Washington Fine Properties’ Jim Bell finally closed the deal. Situated on a corner lot with a swimming pool and a two-car garage, the mansion now belongs to out-of-town purchasers who reportedly want to redo the house and remain anonymous until they take up residence in about a year. Readers may recall that the property was rented to Mack and Donna McLarty – during a portion of Mack’s stint in the Clinton White House – and was sold in 2001 for $2,995,000 by then-owner, realtor Michael Rankin of Tutt, Taylor & Rankin (now Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty). The current seller is Jeanne S. Campbell, president and CEO of Jeanne Campbell Consulting, a government relations and public affairs firm. Campbell was asking $3,795,000 for the six-bedroom home with six baths.

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Homecoming Dance

An original Sears & Roebuck mail-order mansion and a Maclean manse with mini-spa.

By Mary K. Mewborn

Built in 1926, this gorgeous five-bedroom neo-Georgian with limestone columns is located at 2507 Massachusetts Ave., NW, across from the Japanese Embassy.

Built in 1926, this gorgeous five-bedroom neo-Georgian with limestone columns is located at 2507 Massachusetts Ave., NW, across from the Japanese Embassy.

The District

One of the most prominent houses on Embassy Row has sold for $4.1 million. Built in 1926, this five-bedroom Neo-Georgian with limestone columns is located at 2507 Massachusetts Ave., NW across from the Japanese Embassy. Ideal for formal entertaining, the stately brick manse’s perfectly proportioned public rooms include a receiving parlor with marble floors and a large living room with Palladian windows and a fireplace. The banquet-size dining room boasts crystal chandeliers and French doors opening onto a rear veranda and a terraced garden. Extras include an elevator, wine cellar, butler’s pantry, five fireplaces, and abundant parking. The seller was Morris M. Sobhani, who was represented by Washington Fine Properties executive vice president Bill Moody and colleague Robert Hryniewicki. The purchaser is listed as 2507 Massachusetts Avenue, LLC. The selling agent was Mehrnoosh Neyzari with Long and Foster Real Estate.

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Le Printemps in a Penthouse

Spring ushers in a fresh crop of real-estate deals.

By Mary K. Mewborn

The 10,600 square-foot colonial at 4815 Dexter St., NW has sold for $3,800,000.

The 10,600 square-foot colonial at 4815 Dexter St., NW has sold for $3,800,000.

The District With a price tag of $4.5 million, the four-story brick and limestone Beaux-Arts mansion at 2346 S Street, N.W. in Kalorama is now under contract. The prospective buyer is former J. C. Penney’s COO Catherine West, who made Fortune’s 2006 list of the 50 Most Powerful Women before being fired barely six months into the job. Prior to her short stint with Penney’s, West had been with Capital One, First USA Bank, Chevy Chase Bank FSB, and Peoples Express Airline. She received a B.A. from Lynchburg College and is the great-granddaughter and granddaughter of a president and executive vice president of the Chicago retail behemoth Marshall Field & Co. The home on Embassy Row has oversized living and dining rooms, parlor, bar area, state-of-the-art kitchen, breakfast room, mahogany paneled library, six bedrooms, six bathrooms, five fireplaces, enclosed patio and two decks – one with a view of the Washington Monument. The seller is Mark Cohen. The property was listed by Michael Rankin with Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty. Read the full story

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