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| | | Row house puts traditional gloss on more recent build | | June 19, 2009 | | | | Staff Writer | | Pedestrians strolling past the stretch of row houses that includes 650 Massachusetts Ave. NE would be hard-pressed to guess that the brick facades are well under a century old — that’s how successfully these circa-1989 homes blend with their historic neighbors.
Small exterior touches further the illusion that the home has stood here for decades longer than it has. In the front garden, Victorian favorites like boxwood and ferns are laid out in a series of formal circles, and a glossy black door and substantial hardware seem more fin-de-siècle than fin-de-1980s.
A largely traditional row house layout occupies the main floor. White columns separate the living room’s fireplace and built-in bookcases from the dining room, and the kitchen waits in the rear.
The 20-year-old home has received a thorough update from its current owners. The kitchen perhaps benefited the most from the renovation and now sports black granite countertops and a matching backsplash. Pale oak cabinetry keeps things light and bright, and little touches like a built-in wine refrigerator and Tiffany-style mini pendants add a level of individuality.
Hardwood runs throughout the home (and its pristine state is the clearest hint here of the home’s vintage), and its warm brown stain is suitable for a host of looks. The current owners have gone old-world here, particularly in window treatments throughout — the elaborate valances, jabots and festoons practically demand a dictionary to comprehend.
The kitchen’s breakfast area opens onto a deck that offers space for a grill and some seats. Down a flight of stairs, however, is a more private brick courtyard ideal for outdoor dining or lounging while listening to the stone fountain trickle into a pool in one corner. Elsewhere in the rear is a one-car garage.
In a layout that’s familiar in renovated historic row houses, the second level is one large master suite. The bedroom hosts one of the home’s three gas fireplaces, and a large walk-in closet is supplemented by a hall lined with additional storage space.
The master bathroom also benefited from recent updates: Marble tiles now line a large walk-in shower that has multiple showerheads, and a tub is clad in the same material. The suite is completed with a den that could easily become an office or dressing room.
Two more bedrooms and a bath on the top level have ample natural light. But the generous windows here do more than let in light — they also show just how fanciful this home’s custom draperies can be.
In one bedroom and on the bath’s shower curtain, feminine frills are the rule: poofs and pooling in the bedroom, dangling beads in the bath. Tailored cornices with a fringe offer a more masculine look in the large bedroom currently used as a media room.
Downstairs, an English basement can be rented as a two-bedroom apartment (it has a certificate of occupancy) or used as a guest suite or hangout spot. For renters accustomed to sometimes-moldering-if-charming historic English basements, the open-plan newer construction here may represent an improvement.
A short walk from restaurants and schools and one mile from two grocery stores, this relative newcomer to the Hill combines the warmth of traditional design with the ease of more recent construction.
The five-bedroom, four-bath row house at 650 Massachusetts Ave. NE is listed for $1,699,400. Contact The Grant, Ryall & Andrew Group of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage at 202-741-1654. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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