Real Estate News"Mid pleasures and
palaces though we
may roam, be it ever
so humble, there's no
place like home."
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John Howard Payne (1791 - 1852)
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THE DISTRICT
By press time, three Georgetown houses situated
on land that was once part of the historic Evermay
estate will have been sold. The properties are 1601
28th Street N.W. 2727 Q Street N.W. and 2723
Q Street N.W. The seller of all three properties
is Harry L. Belin, whose grandfather, diplomat F.
Lammot Belin, bought Evermay in 1923. The 22
room main house was designed in the late 1700's
by Nicholas King, surveyor of the City of Washington,
for Samuel Davidson, who also owned the sites
where the White House, the Treasury Department
and Lafayette Park are now located. The landmark
manse will remain in the Belin family and continue
to be leased for special events. Harry Belin reaped
$4,750,000 from the sale of 2727 Q Street, N.W.
The listing agents were Washington Fine Properties'
Robert Hryniewicki and the company's regional
director and founder William Moody. The selling
agent was Donna Turner with Chatel Real Estate.
Also listed by Robert Hryniewicki, the threestory brick Italianate-style/Second Empire Victorian at 1601 28th Street, N.W. is scheduled to have gone to settlement at the end of January for $2.965 million. Built circa 1880, it has been home to numerous diplomats over the years and boasts four bedrooms, four and a half baths and three fireplaces. The selling agent is Washington Fine Properties' Bill Moody who according to Business Forward, is the "Best Real Estate Broker to Sell Your Million-Dollar Home." The Evermay house at 2723 Q Street, N.W, was once home to President Eisenhower's CIA director Allen W. Dulles, and rented by President Clinton's chief of staff, Erskine Bowles. Washington Fine Properties listed the mini-estate for just under $4 million. PBS journalist Gwen Ifill has purchased 6109 33rd Street N.W. in the Chevy Chase area of D.C. Ifill is moderator and managing editor of Washington Week and the senior correspondent for "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer." Ifill paid $1.175 million for the home. In Kalorama, William A. Homan, III one of the owners of the posh catering service Design Cuisine, cooked up quite a deal with his purchase of 2216 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. for $1.7 million.
The house was designed in 1929 by renowned architect George Ray. Following the stock market crash, Ray joined the real estate firm of Randall H. Hagner & Company and went on to become that company's president and chairman of the board.
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MARYLAND
The historic "Marwood mansion" at 11231
River View Drive in Potomac, now belongs to
Chris Rogers who founded the telecommunications
company that became Nextel. He and
his wife Nalini got a real steal at $4.91 million
for the thirteen-acre estate that boasts breathtaking
views of the Potomac and has been home to
Presidents and Pulitzers alike. The Italian villastyle
mansion was built in 1930 by New York
millionaire Samuel Martin. In 1936, Franklin
D. Roosevelt rented Marwood for use as
the summer White House. The following year,
John F. Kennedy's parents, Joseph P. and Rose
Kennedy leased the estate and resided there
until 1939 when Joe Kennedy became ambassador
to Great Britain. In 1942, H. Grady Gore,
a cousin of Vice-President Al Gore bought
Marwood from a member of the Pulitzer publishing
family. More than fifty years later, in
1995, the Gore heirs sold to neurosurgeon Dr.
Yonas Zegeye and his wife H. Seleshi Zegeye
for $2 million despite having listed the property
for twice as much. Now once again the
magnificent estate has sold for below the asking
price. Marc Fleisher with Long & Foster Inc.
had listed the property for the Zegeyes for $7
million.
Jane Fairweather with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Bethesda listed 6104 Eastview Street in Bethesda for Howard and Anita Ratain for $1495,000. The 12,000 squarefoot home has newly renovated kitchen with an adjacent family room, a large living room with hardwood floors, a banquet size dining room, and a luxurious master bedroom. The property sold for $1.299 million. Fairweather was also the listing agent for the brick rambler at 8205 Bryant Drive in Bethesda. The seller was Renee De Zoysa. The home features a new gourmet kitchen with walk-in pantry, family room with a wet bar and brick fireplace, a sunroom addition, and a newly expanded master bedroom with cathedral ceilings. The Montgomery County property sold for $926,000. Fairweather similarly listed 6837 Wilson Lane in Bethesda for Stanley Wolf and Ruth Spodak. The couple bought the colonial-style house in the summer of 2004 for $940,000 and have now sold it for $1,195,000.
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6104 Eastview Street, Bethesda |
VIRGINIA
Yet another historic home has been purchased
by a technology tycoon. Steve Case, the
former chairman and CEO of AOL has purchased
Merrywood, the childhood home
of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The sevenacre
waterfront estate in McLean belonged to
Jackie's mother and stepfather, Janet Bouvier
Auchincloss and Hugh D. Auchincloss. Built in
the 1920's, the nine-bedroom estate has since
been extensively renovated and refurbished by
Washington designer Victor Shargai. It features
a 5,000 square-foot pool house and a tennis
court. Washington Life last reported on the home
in December of 1999 when Washington Fine
Properties listed the estate for real-estate developer
Alan Kay and his wife Dianne, who sold it
for slightly more than $15,000,000 to William
Conway, a founder and managing director of
the Carlyle Group. Case reportedly has now
paid Conway $24.5 million.
Weichert Realtors' Sue Huckaby was the listing
agent for 6235 Park Road in the Franklin Park
area of McLean.
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The newly constructed Colonial- style home was built and sold by the William Detty Company. Highlights include a large central hallway, gourmet kitchen, two-story family room, master suite with a sitting room and exercise room, and a rear stone lanai. The buyers are Carrie L. and Andrew R. Cristinzio who paid $2,032,000 for the property. Weichert realtor Sharon Hayman was instrumental in the transfer of 2637 Sledding Hill Road in Oakton, to Iliana Ghanem vice president for community lending at Freddie Mac. The property was listed at $1,890,000 and sold for $1,780,000. The previous residents were consultant Myra S. McKitrick and her husband Jeffery S. McKitrick, an executive with S. A. I. C.
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