Julia Child Home on Georgetown House Tour
By • February 3, 2022 0 2937
The new owners of Julia Child’s famed Georgetown residence at 2706 Olive St. NW have agreed to be part of the 2022 Georgetown House Tour, which takes place Saturday, April 23.
Tour officials told The Georgetowner: “We’re still in the process of finalizing the participating houses, but we are thrilled to report that Julia Child’s Georgetown house, which was recently sold, will be on this year’s tour.”
The butter yellow Colonial clapboard home was lovingly referred to by Child as her “little jewel,” while she lived there from 1948 to 1959, teaching cooking classes and working on her legendary cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” The now charming home had fallen into disrepair for years until previous owner Rory Veevers-Carter purchased the house in 2015 and began the renovation. It sold for $3.3 million a few weeks ago.
The three-bedroom, four-bathroom, 3,150-square-foot house is rich in history — and “part of a vibrant tapestry of African American influence in Washington, D.C., during the Reconstruction era,” wrote real estate agent Jonathan Taylor.
The circa 1869 house was built by Edgar Murphy, an African American carpenter from West Virginia, according to the Washington Post. In the 1870 Census, Murphy was listed as a 46-year-old carpenter with real estate valued at $2,000. He lived in the house with his family and tenants until he died in 1908. His wife remained in the house until her death in 1914.
“It’s one of the few houses left after gentrification turned the area [that was] owned by a Black family,” Veevers-Carter told the Post.
Also part of the Georgetown House Tour is the popular Patrons Party, which will be held 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, at the Langhorne residence, 1680 31st St. NW. The proceeds from the party — established in 2000 by Frida Burling — benefit the St. John’s ministries to homeless adults and children, the unemployed, senior citizens and young children in D.C. schools. Tickets begin at $300.
