John J. Castellani and his wife Therese have purchased 1600 30th Street NW for the list price of $2,895,000. Mr. Castellani is president of Business Roundtable, an association of leading U.S. CEOs. Named by Bloomberg News as one of Washington’s top lobbyists, he has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, PBS’s The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and Fox News Channel’s Special Report. The Castellanis’ classic Colonial was built in 1938 and occupies a corner lot in the heart of Georgetown’s East Village. The restored residence boasts oak floors on three levels and a living room with crown moldings and a gas fireplace with a black marble hearth and built-in sconces. The dining room has two built-in slate-topped credenzas. The master suite has a large Jacuzzi, a double sink vanity and a dressing room with two full-length mirrored closets. The home office boasts built-in filing cabinets and bookcases, and a cupboard to house one of the three flat screen TVs included in the sale. The family room has a built-in entertainment center with in-wall speakers. All of the rooms on the main level have access to the property’s extensive outdoor living spaces where highlights include a flagstone terrace, a fountain, a gated four-car brick parking pad, and gardens with boxwoods and landscape lighting. The seller was Judy Clark 2002 Irrevocable Trust. The listing agents were William F. X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki with Washington Fine Properties. The buyers were represented by Terrell McDermid of Washington Fine Properties.
Last December, Esmeralda Alcoforado, the owner of the well-known antique store Belle Epoque in Georgetown, died. Now the building where she lived and worked has been sold for $950,000. Located at 1673 Wisconsin Avenue NW, the three-story yellow clapboard Federal has two bedrooms, three baths, two kitchens and a private garden. Nancy Itteilag with Long & Foster was the listing agent. The selling agent was John Nemeyer of Randall Hagner. The buyer wishes to remain anonymous.
Heidi Hatfield and her sister Anne Hatfield Weir, both with Washington Fine Properties, have closed a deal on 4856 Rockwood Parkway NW in Spring Valley. Once owned by the late Lucius D. and Betty Battle, the house was listed for $2,795,000. It was built in 1956 and has five bedrooms and five full baths. Both the library and dining room feature bay windows overlooking the swimming pool and landscaped gardens. There is also a two-car garage. “Luke” Battle, who died last year, was a career diplomat and special assistant to Dean Rusk who helped reorganize the State Department during the Kennedy administration. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson named him ambassador to what was then the United Arab Republic. Mrs. Battle, who died in 2004, had her own jewelry design business and was active with the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Textile Museum, and the Sulgrave Club. Cathie Gill of Cathie Gill, Inc., assisted the buyers Sudhakar and Alka Kesavan. Mr. Kesavan is the CEO of ICF International and Mrs. Kesavan works for Marriott.
Maryland
Near Potomac Village, a beautiful contemporary home on a quiet cul-de-sac at 9600 Conestoga Way, now belongs to Karen and Louis P. Lantner, who recently returned from overseas. The sellers were Joseph D. Robinson and M. G. Robinson. The price tag on the five-bedroom, 5,341-square-foot residence was $1.17 million. Marsha Schuman, a broker with Washington Fine Properties, was the listing agent.
Virginia
After Wells Fargo’s acquisition of Wachovia Corp earlier this year, Wachovia executive George D. Swygert was chosen to lead the retail banking giant in the greater Washington area and he and his wife Lori L. Jenkins paid David Doyle $1.35 million for their new four-bedroom home at 1203 Alps Drive in McLean. The couple’s previous residence in Brentwood, Calif., sold for $5,505,000.
Lobbyist Mark J. Mioduski, vice president of Cornerstone Government Affairs, got a great deal when he offered Washington Mutual $1.08 million for the bank-owned, custom-built house at 3449 Sleepy Hollow Road in Falls Church. Highlights of the property include a gourmet kitchen with a wet bar and wine cooler, a lower level apartment with a full kitchen, a library, conservatory, media room, swimming pool and a three-car garage.
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