Washington Life Magazine
Washington Life Magazine

Real Estate News
by Mar y K. Mewborn

The District

The Kalorama estate of the late television personality Deena Clark has been sold. Mrs. Clark, who had lived in the home since 1942, was born Ruby Constandina in La Jolla, California, and was a world class champion swimmer before going on to host NBC's “Deena Clark…A Moment With” and CBS's “The Deena Clark Show.” She also occasionally served as moderator of NBC's “Meet the Press.” Her home, known as “Arcadia,” is named for the ancient Greek City on the Peloponnese. The house at 2440 Kalorama Road, NW is a Mediterranean-style home. Built in the 1920's, the 6,000 square-foot mansion occupies nearly a quarter-acre of prime real estate and was designed for entertaining with large “embassy-size” public rooms and balconies overlooking the formal gardens. The six bedroom and four and a half bath property was listed at $2.2 million and included an imported crystal chandelier and numerous Venetian glass and copper objects from Mrs. Clark's personal collection of decorative sea horses.

Sen. John Kerry's political consultant, Democratic strategist Robert Shrum , has purchased 3100 Cleveland Avenue, NW in Massachusetts Avenue Heights for $1.2 million. Mr. Shrum served as a senior adviser to Al Gore in the last presidential election and was criticized by some for his refusal to encourage him to question Bush's competence. Shrum originally made a name for himself as a gifted speechwriter. It was Kennedy's 1980 Democratic Convention speech, “The Dream Shall Never Die,” that solidified Shrum's reputation.. Shrum is married to Mary Louise “Oatsie” Oates , former society columnist for the Los Angeles Times, who along with Senator Barbara Mikulski, co-authored “Capitol Offense” and “Capital Venture”. The Shrums' new home formerly served as the Embassy of St. Lucia. Their old Washington townhouse went on the market for $2.95 million and was one of the houses Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson and his wife Cathy looked at before settling on Carl J. “Rick” Rickertsen's property at 1314 28th Street, NW in Georgetown.

Washington Fine Properties' agent Ted Gossett has listed and sold 3018 O Street, NW in Georgetown's West Village for Erick Cedron . Cedron, who buys homes to renovate, paid just $865,000 for the circa 1900 house less than a year ago. He has now sold the up-graded property for $1,795,000. The buyer is Larry Klane , president of Global Financial Services and executive vice president of Capital One Financial. Before joining Capital One in June 2000, Klane was with Deutsche Bank/Bankers Trust. His new residence has new plumbing and electrical systems, four bedrooms and four and a half baths. Best of all, the home possesses what agent Gossett calls the “golden egg” of Georgetown real estate: a parking space.

Maryland

Cynthia Friedman , vice president, co-owner and member of the board of directors at Union Real Estate Company of Pittsburgh, has sold her condominium at Somerset House II at 5610 Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase for $2,625,000. Ms. Friedman originally combined two units to create one huge 5,500 square-foot condo with five bedrooms and four and a half baths. A top Democratic fund-raiser, Cynthia Friedman was appointed in 1999 by President Clinton as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. She has also served as national chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's Women's Leadership Forum and on the Board of Directors of Ballet Florida and the Collectors Committee of the National Gallery of Art. The buyers of Mrs. Friedman's condominium are Sandra and Stanley Bobb , whose company, Hof Laundry Systems, has been operating laundromats and installing washers and dryers for almost fifty years. Today Stan and Sandy's son, Daryle, runs the family business while his parents devote their time to cultural and charitable causes. Long and Foster's Zelda Heller represented both Mrs. Friedman and the Bobbs in their real estate transaction.

At the Somerset House I located at 5600 Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase, unit number 403 has been sold by Josephine M. Thompson for $1,465,000. Not a bad deal for Ms. Thompson, who apparently purchased the condominium in December 1999 for the list price of $1,159,900. The current buyers are Edgar and Lynette Johnson, formerly of 4725 Cumberland Avenue . Built in 1904, the house belonged to Charles Moore who served as Somerset's mayor from 1916 to 1919. It was just three years after Moore died in 1964 at age 94 that the Johnsons bought the house. The Johnsons' old Somerset home, which is still known as the Charles Moore House, is a two and half story clapboard framed structure with a “hipped” roof and central doorway with Doric columns. The Johnsons' new Somerset home is a 3,000 square-foot luxury condominium with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, a library, a formal living and dining room, and a balcony. The listing agents were Linda and Jay Rosenkranz who are both associate brokers with Long and Foster and brokers of Somerset House Realty, Inc. Zelda Heller was the selling agent.

Virginia

By press time, Weichert's Penny Yerks will have gone to closing on three homes in McLean totaling more than $8 million, not a surprising achievement considering that Penny routinely sells over $100 million worth of residential real estate in Northern Virginia each year. Yerks is the listing agent for 1125 Crest Lane, the stunning brick Colonial built more than a half century ago on what is commonly referred to as McLean's “Gold Coast.” Its main level boasts a lovely living room augmented by an adjacent terrace overlooking a swimming pool, tennis court and wooded nature area. A home office with a separate outside entrance connects to the living room through French doors. There is also a gourmet kitchen with a large picture window and a breakfast area, family room and library. The upper level houses the master bedroom and two guest bedrooms. The seller, Thomas Craren, works for Price Waterhouse Coopers and is asking $2,075,000 for the home, previously the residence of former ABC correspondent Sam Donaldson. The buyers of this prestigious property are Patricia and Walter Moore .

Built in 1999 by George Sagatov, the three-level house at 7716 Carlton Place in McLean's Millwood community is noted for its architectural elegance. The grand foyer has marble flooring and a “Cinderella staircase.” The formal living room has graceful columns and inlaid golden-oak floors. The dining room has a recessed ceiling, hand-painted mural, marble fireplace and an adjacent butler's pantry with a Kohler wet bar and U-Line wine captain. The octagon-shaped family room boasts a floor-to-ceiling fieldstone fireplace, furniture-quality built-ins, and French doors. A cherry-paneled library opens to a cedar sundeck. The master bedroom has soft-cove lighting and a marble fireplace. The master bath offers such extra amenities as a heated marble floor, cherry vanities, a Jacuzzi, and a marble double shower. The lower level contains a large entertainment room with a granite-topped wet bar, a wine cellar, a sunken game room, and an in-law suite. The home's external highlights include a gated entranceway, a circular drive, a stately portico, landscape lighting, an in-ground pool and an expansive flagstone terrace. The price tag for this home with a total of eight bedrooms, seven full baths and three half baths was $3,099,000. The seller is Thomas Cirrito who made his fortune in telecommunications. The buyers are Habib Debs the owner of Advanced Technology Systems Corporation, and his wife Hind.

Weichert realtor Penny Yerks has closed on the sale of 1222 Stuart Robeson Drive , an 1870's Colonial situated on a picturesque lot with a portico shaded patio and a pool. The home's interior features an elegant living room and dining room with moldings and custom mahogany built-ins. The kitchen with its connecting morning room has been beautifully remodeled as have the eight full baths and two half baths. Perfect for a large family, the house has six bedrooms and a spacious family room with a stone fireplace and access to the gardens. The sellers are Christine Hughes Ostrovsky and Abraham Ostrovsky whose long career in the tech field began in 1963 at National Photocopy Corporation. The couple put their Fairfax County home on the market for $2,250,000. The new residents are Francis and Christine O'Connor . Mr. O'Connor is the managing director of investment banking and real estate with Friedman, Billings and Ramsey. Mrs. O'Connor is a well-known Manhattan designer who many credit with having helped make Kate Spade a household name.



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