REAL ESTATE NEWS

Luxurious properties that offer more than just a room with a view
BY MARY K. MEWBORN

THE DISTRICT

U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and his wife Edila “Edi” have purchased unit #7-C at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown for $1.9 million. Located at 3150 South Street, N.W. the luxury condominium complex affords residents 24-hour private concierge service and access to all the hotel’s amenities. All of the Ritz-Carlton’s twenty-eight residential units overlook the Potomac and feature large picture windows, elegant formal dining rooms, eat-in kitchens, full baths with each bedroom, dens, libraries, and staff quarters. The seller was the developer Millennium Partners Corp. Secretary Gutierrez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1953 and came to the U.S. in 1960. Prior to being sworn into office on February 7, 2005, he was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Kellogg Company. He and his wife have three children, Carlos, Erika and Karina.

Nationally renowned land use strategist, developer, professor and author Christopher B. Leinberger has purchased 2237 Q Street N .W ., a 1900 classic Beaux-Arts style rowhouse. Leinberger is a former managing partner and co-owner of Robert Charles Lesser & Co., the largest independent real estate consulting firm in the U.S. He is also a founding partner of Arcadia Land Company, a progressive “new urbanism” real estate development firm in Albuquerque, with projects in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Florida and New Mexico. Matthew McCormick of Washington Fine Properties represented the couple in their purchase. Washington Fine Properties’ agent Jim Bell served as the listing agent. The property went to settlement July 15th for $1,795,000. The sellers were James Kearns and Sandra Granzow. Mr. Kearns is a former World Bank vice-president, who in 2001 co-founded The National Architectural Trust with Steven L. McClain to help champion historic preservation. Sandra Granzow is the author of “Our Dream: A World Free of Poverty,” co-published by the World Bank and Oxford University Press.

3264 P Street, N.W.	2237 Q Street N.W.	3200 Woodley Road, N.W.

The impressive brick Colonial situated on nearly a half acre at 3200 Woodley Road, N .W. has sold for $2,520,000. The Cleveland Park home was built in 1923 and boasts dormer windows, French doors, high ceilings, an upgraded kitchen and baths, a detached brick two-car garage, and a lovely gated garden with stone walls, wrought iron fencing and a terrace. The seven-bedroom home had been the residence of Robert H. Wilbur, editor of “The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Management,” and the director of Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation. Washington Fine Properties’ agent Joan Bond listed the home for $2,650,000. The new owner is Keith Progebin, a prosthodontist whom Washingtonian magazine named as one of the area’s best dentists in 2003.

The former residence of nationally acclaimed portrait artist Robert Bruce Williams and his partner Gail Rogers has sold for $1.825 million. Williams, who made his studio in Georgetown for decades, has had a fascinating clientele, including government officials, foreign dignitaries, and international celebrities. Rogers is a prominent landscape architect who helped design the home’s garden. This column last reported on Williams and Rogers in October 2004 following their sale of 2708 Dumbarton Street, N.W. to Jane Hannaway for $1,300,000. At 3264 P Street, N.W. the three-story fully detached Victorian masterpiece, has four-bedrooms, a master suite with private terrace, a large garden with brick walls and walkways, a grape arbor and trellis, fountain, an atrium and a guest house. A bay window and an exterior cast-iron staircase add to the home’s elegant architectural charm. The new owner is Constance Chatfield-Taylor, owner of Flying Colors Broadcasts Inc., a Washington-based satellite and production communications company currently working with the Red Cross and FEMA on relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The property was offered at $2,200,000 by realtors Terri Robinson and Charlie Hein of Long & Foster Realtors, Inc. Terri Robinson also served as the selling agent.

Medtronics executive sales manager Jim Filicetti has purchased a one-bedroom condominium in the historic Sutherland building located at 1629 16th Street, N.W. near the Dupont Circle metro. This stunning Carriage House apartment building was renovated in 2000 and has four high-end units, including a penthouse currently on the market for $2.3 million. Filicetti paid $725,000 for an apartment which contains a den and has access to a huge outdoor entertaining area. The seller was Ken Taylor, owner ofKen Taylor Real Estate. Jim Firkser with Long & Foster helped orchestrate the sale.

Long & Foster’s James Firkser also helped sell Unit #101 in The Montgomery at 1229 12th Street, N.W. The Montgomery is known for its two-level condominiums with large living areas featuring Victorian-style fireplaces and high ceilings with custom crown molding. The seller was attorney Jacqueline Michael who received $619,000 for her two-bedroom condo. Ms. Michael now resides at 2115 Leroy Place, N.W., in Kalorama with David E. Weisman, who bought that house for $2,050,000 in October of last year and has since completed extensive renovations. Weisman is president and CEO of Mountain Union Telecom, LLC, a telecommunications tower and infrastructure company headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Weisman is presently of-counsel to the law firm of Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, located in Rockville, Maryland and a member of the Drafting Committee of the Land Mobile Communications Council.

MARYLAND

In Bethesda, 8706 Irvington Avenue, built by Bethesda Too, LLC, an award-winning builder, has been sold by the company president, Carole Sherman. The new owners are Juan Carlos and Laurie P. Duperier, who paid $1.45 million for the property. Juan Carlos Duperier was a professional soccer player for more than two decade in Spain and in the U.S. and is the founder and director of the Duperier Soccer School in Northern Virginia. He and his wife, an attorney for Philip Morris International, met in Spain. The couple had been based in Lausanne, Switzerland, prior to moving to Montgomery County.

VIRGINIA

The site of the historic Old Club restaurant at 555 South Washington Street in Old Town Alexandria has been sold after four years on the market. According to oral history, the building was originally built in 1787, with its first addition was added in 1791. After subsequent additions in the 20th century, the building was home to the premier restaurant in Old Town during the 1950’s and 1960’s. It has been vacant since the 1980’s. The seller was The Clyde’s Restaurant Group, which opened its first restaurant in 1963 on M Street, N.W., in Georgetown. The new owner of The Old Club building is Linda St. Pierre, a residential developer. St. Pierre intends to construct condos within the existing Old Club structure and build four townhouses behind it, each with a two-car garage. Two more townhouses will be built in the 600 block of South Washington Street on a parcel of land also included in the sale. Construction is expected to be completed next year and the homes will vary in size from 2,400-3,400 square-feet and range in price from between $1 million to $2.5 million. St Pierre is believed to have spent approximately $2.5 million for this piece of the City of Alexandria. The transaction was facilitated by Tom Hulfish and Ann Duff of McEnearnery Associates, Inc. an affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates.

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