Classic houses fetch major prices for sellers John Warner IV, Mort Kondracke, Steve Shafran and more.
By Stacey Grazier Pfarr
The residence of the late Huntington and Amie Block at 1312 30th Street NW was sold by a private trust for $4,150,000.
THE DISTRICT
The third most expensive Washington, D.C. listing and largest single-family residential sale for TTR Sotheby’s in 2011, 2860 WOODLAND DRIVE NW, sold for $7.7 million. Steve Shafran, a professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a former Goldman Sachs executive, sold the stone manor to an undisclosed buyer with the help of TTR Sotheby’s Tom Daley. The six-bedroom mansion was built in 1927 and sits on nearly an acre of park-like grounds. It features a dual-gated entrance, swimming pool, elegant rooms for entertaining on the main level, a gourmet kitchen, wood-paneled library and formal dining room.
Nora L. Cameron sold 2823 N STREET NW for $4.6 million with the help of Trudie Musson of Sarah M. Gorman Inc. Real Estate. Cameron shared her home with her late husband, Juan Cameron, a former editor of both Fortune and Time magazines. Past occupants of the 1850s Greek Revival-style residence include attorney and diplomat Adrian S. Fisher and journalist John Pierson, whose work at The Wall Street Journal secured his spot on President Nixon’s famed “Enemies List.” The property features columned porches, a double drawing room with multiple fireplaces, a pool and landscaped gardens.
A private trust sold the longtime Georgetown home of the late insurance company founder Huntington T. “Bucky” Block and his wife Amie Willard Block for $4,150,000. 1312 30TH STREET NW was also once the home of Elizabeth Bishop, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950. When Bishop lived in the five-bedroom Italianate East Village property, it was known as Bertha Looker’s Boardinghouse. Built in 1868, it was restored by the Blocks in the 1960s and completely renovated in 2005.The residence sits on a double lot and features 12-foot ceilings on the entry level, 11-foot ceilings on upper floors, a temperature-controlled wine cellar and mahogany-paneled library. Washington Fine Properties’ Jamie Peva was the listing agent. Washington Fine Properties’ Susie Maguire represented the buyer.
Elizabeth Barnes and Craig Wisooker bought 2131 WYOMING AVENUE NW from Upscale Capital Housing LLC for $2.5 million. Barnes owns a publishing house while Wisooker is a management analyst at the Department of Energy. The historic Italianate five-bedroom Kalorama residence was built in 1908 and features a dramatic double living room with dual fireplaces, a large dining room and an eat- in kitchen.The property also features a two- car garage with a staff apartment above.The listing agent was John Pruski of Cathie Gill Inc. Sylvia Bergstrom and Marin Hagen of Coldwell Banker represented the buyers.
Former Goldman Sachs exec. Steve Shafron sold 2860 Woodland Drive NW for $7.7 million to an undisclosed buyer.
Matthew and Season Appelget sold 4421 LOWELL STREET NW to Kurt Reisenberg and Jennifer Dryer for $2,190,000. Mr. Appelget is president of East End Resource Recovery, a company that owns and operates a landfill in Richmond, Va. Mr. Reisenberg is executive director of corporate finance at the Corporate Executive Board. Ms. Dryer is a yoga instructor at FlowYoga in the District.The six-year-old Arts and Crafts-style house in Wesley Heights has six bedrooms and six baths and features a gracious foyer, great room with wood-burning fireplace, lower-level suite ideal for nanny quarters and an elevator. Greg Gaddy and Carroll Dey of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty were the listing agents while Richard Seaton and Claudia Donovan represented the buyers.
John Echeverria and Carin Pratt sold 1016 MASSACHUSETTES AVENUE NW in Capitol Hill North to John and Teresa Fish for $1.25 million. Echeverria is a professor of law at Vermont Law School and former executive director of the Georgetown Environmental Law & Policy Institute at Georgetown University Law Center and general counsel of the National Audubon Society. Pratt was the executive producer of CBS News’ “Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer” and an editor at The Washington Post.The four-bedroom Victorian boasts four finished levels that include a top- floor master suite with roof deck, double parlor, formal dining room and gourmet kitchen.The 2,471-foot residence was built in 1900. Listing agent for the transaction was Coldwell Banker’s John Parker while Megan Shapiro of RE/MAX Allegiance represented the buyer.
John W. Warner IV and his wife Shannon sold 2721 OLIVE STREET NW to Alison Anne Stanley for $1,950,000. Mr.Warner, the son of former Virginia Senator John Warner and a maternal grandson of arts patron Paul Mellon, is a former race car driver turned documentary director.The four-bedroom East Village Federal-style townhouse was built in 2003.The property features many upgrades and a double-sized rooftop deck. Washington Fine Properties’ Eileen McGrath was the listing agent while Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s represented the buyer.
Mort Kondracke and Marguerite Sallee sold 3013 P STREET NW in Georgetown for $2 million. Kondracke, a well-known journalist and political commentator, was executive editor of Roll Call and co-host of “The Beltway Boys” on the Fox News Channel. He is a regular contributor on “Special Report” with Bret Baier. Sallee is CEO of America’s Promise, a nonprofit working to help disadvantaged youth. The three-bedroom Federal townhouse in the heart of the East Village was built in 1811 and features seven fireplaces, original floors, two- car garage, and private gardens in the front and back. The listing agent was Washington Fine Properties’ Eileen McGrath. Michael Rankin, managing director of TTR Sotheby’s International realty, was the buyer’s agent.
MARYLAND
Frederick Dombo III and Michele Matan Dombo bought 3724 NORTHAMPTON STREET NW in Chevy Chase from Jane Carey Long for $1,380,000. Mr. Dombo is a partner at the Nossaman law firm in the District.The seven-bedroom classic residence was built in 1911 and features a wrap- around porch, high ceilings, bay windows and screened-in second-floor porch. The listing agent for the transaction was TTR Sotheby’s Claudia Donovan while Laura McCaffrey of Evers & Company represented the buyer.
Steven Flajser sold 7101 ARMAT DRIVE in Bethesda for $2,010,000 with the help of Long & Foster’s Marc Fleisher. Flajser is a principal at Washington Technology Strategies, a national security and intelligence consulting firm.The seven-bedroom Colonial was built in 1994 by acclaimed builder Jeff Robins and features embassy-sized living and dining rooms, French doors, 10-foot ceilings, five fireplaces and a three-quarter-acre lot with custom pool.
VIRGINIA
Gregory and Kathryn Bronstein sold 10508 WYNFIELD WOODS DRIVE in Great Falls for $2,070,000 with the help of McEnearney Associates’ Anne DiBenedetto. Mr. Bronstein is an executive at Wells Fargo. The six-bedroom Fox Run house was built in 2005 and features both gourmet and caterer’s kitchens, a formal dining room, a living room with separate study, sun room, screened-in porch and an outdoor kitchen.
PROPERTY LINES
PUTTIN’ OFF THE RITZ: The chairman and CEO of Ritz Camera and its group of affiliated companies is selling his Potomac house for $6,850,000. David and Robyn Ritz are parting with 9210 FOX MEADOW LANE in Bradley Hills. The seven-bedroom Nantucket-style abode was built in 2002 by acclaimed architect Bruce Rich and includes a two-story English conservatory, library with nautically influenced custom mill work, gourmet kitchen with two-story ceiling, detached exercise facility and eight-car garage on three private acres. The listing agent is Long & Foster’s Marc Fleisher.
Ritz Camera chairman and CEO David Ritz and his wife Robyn are selling their Nantucket-style home at 9210 Fox Meadow Lane in Potomac’s Bradley Hills for $6,850,000.
SHAKESPEARE SCHOLAR LISTS: Gail Kern Paster, director emerita of the Folger Shakespeare Library and the widow of lobbyist Howard Paster, has listed 4935 LINNEAN AVENUE NW in Forest Hills for $2,395,000. The stately Colonial was built in 1940 and offers seven bed- rooms, gracious entertaining spaces and a beautiful walled garden. The property is listed by Ellen Abrams and Anne-Marie Finnell of Evers & Company.
PRESBYTERY SELLS: The National Capital Presbytery, an organization of the Presbyterian Church that oversees 108 churches in Maryland, Virginia and the District, is selling its Middle-burg retreat facility, “Meadowkirk,” for $16 million. The 358-acre property at 38012 DELTA FARM LANE includes an eight-bedroom manor house (circa 1901), a newly constructed 20- room inn, three cottages, a pool and several outbuildings, including a renovated stone dairy barn. Sheridan-MacMahon Ltd.’s Paul Mac-Mahon is the listing agent.
CLIFTON CASTLE ON MARKET: A 27,000- square-foot Clifton, Va. mega- mansion owned by architect Ron Hubbard and his wife, Cheryl, is on the market for $12.5 million. Hubbard formerly worked with the Department of Defense and has overseen many DoD construction projects. He is founder of C+H Associates, an architectural planning firm. The French-inspired “Chateau in Oak Hollow” at 5825 DOYLE ROAD is situated on five acres and was built in 2000. The seven-bedroom property includes an indoor pool, art gallery, three-story marble entrance, golf green, two ponds and eight-car garage. The listing agent is Jobin Realty’s Meghan Wasinger.
