Real Estate

Peter Murray • August 17, 2015

Local developer SB-Urban has dropped its plan to convert the Latham Hotel at 3000 M St. NW in to a “micro-unit” apartment complex, according to the Current Newspapers.

The Latham Hotel micro-unit project was one of three that SB-Urban is developing in Northwest Washington targeting affluent young people with small but well-furnished apartments located in desirable neighborhoods. The company’s two other developments, slated for Blagden Alley in Shaw and at 15 Dupont Circle in the historic Patterson Mansion, are still a-go, with plans to begin construction on both this year.

SB-Urban bought the Latham Hotel building in November 2013 for $45.4 million. After the purchase, the company went through a number of hoops, gaining the approval of the Old Georgetown Board and the Board of Zoning Adjustment to renovate the space into a development consisting of 140 units with 330 square-foot floor plans.

SB-Urban’s Mike Balaban told the Current, “At the time we acquired the site, the hospitality market in D.C. was quite depressed, and that has now long since changed,” adding, “It’s now a very strong market that’s very actively being sought by investors and operators from literally all over the world.” On the building’s future, Balaban said, “We think it’s a great site and something great will come of it.”

Kelly Byrnes •

As the dog days of summer reach their peak, stay cool with furniture and décor rooted in cool blue tones. Enjoy end-of-summer barbecues with coastal-inspired outdoor furniture. Or add a pop of color to plain walls with blue decorative touches. Not just for summer, these home furnishings will create a cool ambiance all year round. [gallery ids="102274,128205,128229,128224,128193,128219,128213,128235,128185,128199" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • July 29, 2015

“I announce to you a great joy,” said the church official. “Habeus papam . . .” We have a pope: the 266th, once known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he is now Pope Francis I.

Francis. A simple name. A holy and humble man, who enthusiastically ministers to the poor. A scientist. A surprising choice, the new pope represents several firsts: the first Francis, first pope from the Americas, first from South America, which has the most Roman Catholics of any continent, first non-European in more than 1,000 years and first Jesuit.

That last first on the list — “Jesuit,” the nickname for a member of the Society of Jesus, a religious order founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola, is fraught with irony. Yes, the Jesuits usually are not in official church leadership roles, and, yes, the Jesuits vow onto death absolute obedience to the pope. They are renowned for their schools and missions. They were set up as a group to be soldiers of Christ and to lead the Catholic Counter-Reformation, fighting the spread of Protestantism.

They became very good at what they did — so much so that the pope dissolved the order in 1773, after other nations had already begun to kick them out, accusing them of excessive influence.

The suppression of the Jesuits is a complex tale of national jealousies, betrayal and greed along with confiscated property, banished missionaries and lost souls. The order was restored in 1814 by Pope Pius VII.

Indeed, the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the United States, Georgetown University, could not formally begin as a Jesuit college in the future Washington, D.C. — but ex-Jesuits, known as “the Christian Brothers of Maryland,” signed the deed. Georgetown University was founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll, ordained in Europe as a Jesuit priest. The Society of Jesus was protected in Russia by Catherine the Great, who did not enforce the papal ban.

Today, the Georgetown campus is justly proud of the new pope, a Jesuit.

“Yesterday was a day of great joy for Georgetown as the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university,” said Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., Vice President for Mission and Ministry of Georgetown University. “In the election of Francis, the cardinals for the first time have given the Church a pope steeped in the Jesuit tradition and with Latin American roots. With this background, Francis will bring a different style or way of proceeding to the office. His name, ‘Francis,’ reminds the Church of a simplicity of life focused on the gospel and on service to the poor, as St. Francis of Assisi was devoted to. St. Francis was also committed to renewing spiritually the church of his time. Hopefully, our Francis will do the same for our Church today.”

“This is an historic moment for our Church and for our community that the first Jesuit and the first cardinal from the Americas has become pope, the leader of our global community of believers,” said John DeGioia, President of Georgetown University. “Our work at Georgetown is informed by the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. This very same tradition played an essential role in the formation of our new pope, and we have seen it expressed in his preference and care for the poor, his vow of poverty, and his ministry as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. We are grateful to share this spiritual affinity with our new pontiff.”

Amid the many commenters on television last night, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile — and teacher at the university — said on CNN that Georgetown students were excited about the selection.

Maybe during a future visit, this pope will stop by Georgetown, seen by some Catholics as too liberal.

The other Jesuit connection in Georgetown is Holy Trinity Church, a block from the university; it is a Jesuit parish. Nearby are the Jesuit prep schools: Gonzaga College High School on North Capitol Street and Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda.

While the new pope appears to have chosen “Francis” for Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and a special saint for Italy, Georgetown history professor, Rev. David Collins, S.J., would like to add two other Francises: St. Francis Xavier, the Jesuit missionary who traveled from India to Japan, and St. Francis de Sales, devout bishop of Genoa.

This pope — Jesuitical in his thinking, balancing the practical with the spiritual — has entered a wider world, something Jesuits do well. His cardinals toasted him during the first night of his papacy, according to the Vatican. Pope Francis I wryly responded: “May God forgive you for what you have done.”

Georgetowner • July 22, 2015

4675 Kenmore Drive NW

Fabulous new price! Sought after Kenmore Drive offers views high over the treetops in a private, elegant contemporary setting. The masterful design of this captivating home is immediately apparent upon entry. Highlights include a master-suite with sitting area, his/her closets & baths. Exciting interior design: 4 additional BR, 3.5 BA, his/her offices, sauna, swimming pool amid lush landscape.

Offered at $2,400,000

Long and Foster Real Estate
Nancy Itteilag
202-905-7762
itteilag@gmail.com

Donna Evers • July 16, 2015

These balmy days between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are a good time to visit the war memorials on the National Mall. If you haven’t been to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial lately, go back and take another look. At a time in our history when we can appreciate the ambiguity of military involvement, it is as expressive a war memorial as you will find anywhere.

Four years after the fall of Saigon, a group of Vietnam veterans started a drive to raise funds for a memorial. The plan was initiated by Jan Scruggs, an army corporal during the Vietnam war, who was inspired by the film “The Deer Hunter.” Scruggs wanted to honor his dead comrades in what he described as “the most ambiguous venture in America’s military history.” Though the fund drive started at a time when many Americans wanted to forget this chapter of our history, the group managed to raise $9 million and get Congressional approval to build the memorial.

In 1980, Scruggs and his group asked for design bids. More than 1,400 applications were submitted. The guidelines for the memorial were that it be reflective and contemplative and harmonize with its surroundings; contain the names of the 58,000 Americans who were killed or missing in action; and make no political statement about the war. The entries were given numbers so the judges would not be influenced by the names of the designers.

The unanimous choice was No. 1026, a design submitted by Maya Lin, the 20-year-old daughter of Chinese immigrants and a student at Yale University.

Lin’s black wall was not well received. There was a public uproar about the memorial being disrespectful and inappropriate. Some of the most prominent people in favor of the memorial withdrew their support when they saw the design, including H. Ross Perot and James Webb. The opposition was so great that — as a supposed remedy — a bronze statue of three soldiers was proposed to stand where the two sections of wall come together. Lin was against this plan, and a compromise was reached in which the statue was placed off to one side, as if the soldiers were observing the wall and the visitors. Later, another statue was added nearby to honor the women who had served.

The controversy surrounding the unusual memorial diminished once people began visiting the three-acre plot of ground, where the shining wall reflects the trees and grass as well as the visitors themselves. When you walk along the wall, you see your reflection imposed over the seemingly unending rows of names; you feel that you are no longer on one side of the wall, but a part of it.

The effect is transformative. Empathy for the loss of the 58,000 soldiers is squarely and vividly brought home. Whether you were for or against the war — or any war — and whether or not there is a name of someone you knew there, the words of Hemingway’s famous novel, and John Donne’s poem, come to mind: “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

When Lin originally submitted the design, in response to an assignment at Yale, she received the grade of B. Now the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is ranked 10th on the American Institute of Architects’ “List of America’s Famous Architecture.” It attracts more than three million visitors a year. When she won the award, the young artist explained that the design was a symbol of regeneration. “Take a knife and cut open the earth,” she said, “and with time the grass will heal it.”

Take another look at this very moving memorial the next time you have some free time on a summer afternoon.

Donna Evers is the owner and broker of Evers & Co. Real Estate, the largest womanowned and woman-run real estate firm in the metropolitan area; the proprietor of Twin Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont, Virginia, and a devoted fan of Washington-area history. Reach her at devers@eversco.com.

Michelle Galler •

Sleeping was a textile-heavy experience in the 1800s. Textiles were a primary component of being able to sleep in a comfortable and warm environment. Beds were designed as fully draped enclosures, with curtains, valances and a coverlet. The coverlet was the topmost covering on the bed.

Until the 1820s, most coverlets were hand-loomed at home. Professionally woven coverlets gained popularity between 1820 and the Civil War — the majority were made between 1800 and the 1880s. Woven mostly by men, who trained as carpet weavers in England and Germany, then set up shops along the East Coast, these coverlets were affordable enough for rural and middle-class Americans.

Imported indigo and madder dyes, and other natural plant dyes, provided the pigment for most 19th-century coverlets. Bloodroot and dogwood produced red, bittersweet yielded orange and butternut bark produced brown. They were often made of a combination of wool and linen called linsey-woolsey — an important fabric in Colonial America due to the relative scarcity of wool. But some were made of bleached cotton.

The earliest coverlets were woven on a rather primitive “four harness” loom, which limited the weaver’s ability to produce complex patterns. The float work or overshot coverlet was woven in one long narrow piece, then cut width-wise and sewn together to make a textile wide enough for a bed.

In the early 1800s, the newly invented Jacquard loom made its way from France. The modernized technology — actually a loom attachment — allowed elaborate, complex patterns and images to be incorporated into coverlets. The coverlet progressed from a purely functional item, used primarily to provide privacy and warmth in early American homes, to one of aesthetic beauty.

These colorful coverlets displayed elaborate patterns, with images of birds and plants, and often the name of the owner and the weaver. Characteristic of many early woven coverlets were their interesting and informative inscriptions, which varied in placement, content and complexity. They could denote the weaver’s name, the location of the loom, the date, a bible verse or political slogan, a commemoration and sometimes the owner’s name. Usually the inscription was woven in backwards and forwards, allowing it to be read from either side of the coverlet.

Both men and women ordered and purchased coverlets. Since comparatively few weavers were women, when a woman’s name is inscribed into a coverlet, it is generally thought to be the owner’s name, not the weaver’s. But if a man’s name appears on a coverlet it could be the name of the owner or the weaver.

The prices of antique coverlets can span from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on the design, condition and provenance. Antique coverlets were treasured by families through many generations, and were frequently mentioned in wills and stored for future descendants in dower chests. They are true American heirlooms.
Michelle Galler has been an antiques dealer and a consultant for more than 25 years. Her business is based in Rare Finds in Washington, Virginia. If you have questions or finds, email her at antiques.and.whimsies@gmail.com
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Carolyn Landes •

What better place than the nation’s capital to host a patriotic picnic — or a red-white-and-booze-filled holiday feast — on the 4th of July? From table settings to outdoor décor, these summer-inspired products will delight your guests this celebratory weekend and on every outdoor occasion, right into fall.

1. You put mint in your cocktail — why not in your candle? This soy wax Mint Produce Candle makes an aromatic addition to any patio picnic table this summer. $24.95, [Paper Source](http://www.papersource.com/item/Mint-Produce-Candle/521307.html)

2. An icy pitcher of lemonade — or, if you prefer, Pimm’s — is all the more delectable in this opalescent glass Miruna Pitcher. $36, [Anthropologie](http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-tabletop-dinnerware/C34643262.jsp#/)

3. With plenty of farmer’s markets to choose from in the D.C. area, this adorable ceramic Farmer’s Market Basket lets you serve the fruits of your — or someone’s — labor in a most original way. $20 (large basket),0[ Anthropologie](http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-kitchen/20744306.jsp#/)

4. Fresh-squeezed juice and homemade sweet tea taste better when sipped from a Mason jar. These red Jam Jar Juice Glasses will have you coming back for seconds. $19.95 (set of four), [Paper Source](http://www.papersource.com/item/Jam-Jar-Juice-Glasses/520903.html)

5. Keep your drinks and food chilled in style with the wood-coated Castine Cooler. $449, [Ballard Designs](http://www.ballarddesigns.com/castine-cooler/342203?redirect=y)

6. Whether it’s hot dogs and hamburgers or haute-cuisine hors d’oeuvres, this beautifully crafted Resin Tray with leather handles is perfect for all your hosting needs. $325, [Calypso St. Barth](http://www.calypsostbarth.com/resin-tray-with-leather-handles)

7. Without tunes you don’t have a party. This Turquoise Beach Radio, an AM/FM smartphone speaker, lets you play DJ no matter where the party takes you. $49.95, [Paper Source](http://www.papersource.com/item/Turquoise-Beach-Radio/501320.html)

8. With these nostalgic Hot Dog Trays, you’ll think you’re standing in line for the rollercoaster at the county fair. $5.95 (set of 8), [Paper Source](http://www.papersource.com/item/Hot-Dog-Trays/520886.html)

9. Replace your worn-out picnic-table cover with Gingham Plates. Serve your guests on these outdoor-friendly plates, made of sturdy melamine. $26.95 (set of 4), [Paper Source](http://www.papersource.com/item/Gingham-Plates/520881.html)

10. Adding to the light of the evening fireflies, the glow cast by this beautiful trio of Mineral Tealight Holders will inspire your guests to enjoy their sparkle all summer night long. $50, [Calypso St. Barth](http://www.calypsostbarth.com/home/table-top/mineral-tealight-holder-set) [gallery ids="117525,117492,117519,117499,117505,117529,117512,117534,117538" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • July 13, 2015

When architect Robert Bell announced that he was purchasing the old Georgetown Theater property last October, one got the sense that the man and the place were made for this moment.

Bell, who has worked on projects from Georgetown to Turkey, has his office at 3218 O St., NW, close to the former theater at 1351 Wisconsin Ave., NW, at the intersection of O and Wisconsin.

He has already redeveloped and owns buildings next to his office property. Before the theater property redevelopment is completed, Bell wants to relight its iconic neon “Georgetown” sign by July 4, pending approvals.“I never thought I would see this day come,” Bell told the Georgetowner in October. “It’s a miracle.” He worked with the previous owner, the Heon family, which bought the theater in 1949 and put it up for sale in 2010 for about $4.5 million.

Angie Heon Nys said of Bell: “I had seen the other projects he had done on O Street and was very impressed with his vision and talent. Since I have known him, he has taken a special interest in our property and has put quite a lot of time and energy into his plans. I think the direction he is going in will bring new-found life to that part of Wisconsin Avenue and when he is finished Georgetown will be proud to have it as its landmark.”

Of Nys, Bell replied: “Without her, the deal would not have happened. ”

Bell has said the rejuvenated property will include retail and office space and residences. With the ability to enhance or add windows, the space can have lots of light. The architect also said the property will have much more usable space and will use only one-third of the energy previously used. That’s for a lot described as “6,569 square feet with parking and a carriage house in the rear.” He also envisions a wider sidewalk for that block.

“The basic commitment is contextual architecture wherever I practice it, whether it is in Turkey or Georgetown,” said Bell, who has had to redesign the back of the property after the Old Georgetown Board review called for less space for an intended residence.

Some neighbors on Dumbarton Street and O Street were upset about a planned back addition and the height of an outside wall.

At a November advisory neighborhood commission meeting, one neighbor said Bell was lying about the wall’s height. Christian Mulder, who lives adjacent to the property on Dumbarton Street, said of the latest design changes: “We are happy that the carriage house will be restored, but we are unhappy that an illegal garage that has been a hazard for years is going to be built up two stories and an inner courtyard turned into some half housing project with a loggia. If Bell can build like this, all of Georgetown should be able to build like this. But that would be at the detriment of all of us residents, as the neighborhood would lose character and livability. “In essence,” Mulder continued, “the project remains one of commercial sprawl – no major reductions in the proposal of the main building have been made. The theater building will be massively built up into a four-story colossus. It will have apartments overlooking over people’s gardens. It has a roof and side that is not at all in line with adjacent buildings.”

Bell will face new comments on his redesigns at the Feb. 3 ANC meeting and the Feb. 6 OGB meeting. He seems unfazed, moving on after each design tweak – indeed, his passion for the project and his art is infectious. After all, his firm’s motto is from a quote by the poet Alexander Pope: “Consult the genius of place.” Explained Bell: “I don’t need to do architecture for a living. I am only doing projects which are interesting because they address the biggest issues of today and which is to make a sustainable environment, while preserving and enriching the uniqueness of each place in the world. That uniqueness is both the particular place and its history.”

“That is why the two projects which I am presently pursuing are passive house designs where I am pushing the envelope of technology to consuming zero energy; or community scale projects, such as transforming streets and alleys to the vision of a densification which is just another part of the same principle of making the planet sustainable by stopping urban sprawl to preserve nature and farms,” he said.

As far as his latest project goes, Bell said: “The Georgetown Theater [property] embodies all of these aspects of design – saving the historic and unique character of Georgetown, designing it with passive house characteristics to minimize energy consumption as a model of what can be done in a historic district, densifying the multi-use quality of the building by substantially increasing the use of the existing building, the commitment to making alleys, gardens and people spaces, as in Europe, and finally transforming the sidewalk into a place which is not dominated by automobiles but a commitment to a place which works for people and shopping.”

It is a unique project for the 72-year-old Bell who grew up in suburban Denver, Colo., and studied architecture at Yale University. He admires the architect Robert Venturi who pushed back at the tenets of modern architecture. To architect Mies van der Rohe’s dictum, “Less is more,” Venturi responded: “Less is a bore.”

“When I want to architecture school all there was modern architecture,” Bell said. “Venturi freed students to see traditional architecture just as interesting as modern architecture. I love good architecture. The problem with international architecture is that it is all homogenized. An Apple store looks the same everywhere.”

Bell came to the Washington area to teach architecture at the University of Maryland, applied his craft on Capitol Hill — where he developed condos from an old Peoples Drug building at Lincoln Park — and then moved his business to Georgetown. He and his wife Ann Emmet Bell, who live in Wesley Heights, have five children – Alexa, Rebecca, Bettina, Emmet and Adam — who are older now and have left the nest.

One project the whole family enjoyed was the Solarz house in Kalkan, Turkey. They all got to go with dad. On the Aegean Sea, due east of Rhodes, Greece, the white, sun-drenched “house on the hill” is a far cry from the McLean home, where Bell, years ago, designed a library for the late Rep. Stephen Solarz.

On Volta Place, Bell redesigned the old Georgetown Police Station. It was nice to have Janet Auchincloss, the half-sister of Jaqueline Kennedy, as a buyer, he said. His client — and his children – delighted in the elevator in the middle of a kitchen, which comes out of the ceiling in one of the houses.

At Glover Archbold Park and Hillandale, Bell designed the Palmer residence, next to D.C.’s oldest log cabin. “It looked like something out of Tuscany with donkeys up on the hill,” Bell said of the site that can be seen from Reservoir Road.

Bell and fellow architect Dale Overmyer designed the Johns house on 29th Street. Deb Johns – who said resident concerns about this latest project will be worked out — called Bell “a visionary.” Other projects include a waterfront house in Sherwood Forest near Annapolis and Stonewall Farm.

Nowadays, during an architectural review, Bell finds that “people who were my students are now my judges.” He is complimentary of the OGB, saying it has “great architects.”

A design concept Bell learned at Yale has served him well these days: there is order with some resistance — “something caused a pearl, created by a problem.” That’s what is meant by “genius of the place.” That’s how Bell sees some of those who objected to his original designs for the old theater building. He called his neighbors his “zen masters.”

When asked about other local architects, Bell said he was not necessarily a big fan of architects Hugh Jacobsen and Arthur Cotton Moore. And he did not like Frank Gehry’s Eisenhower memorial or the architecture of the former Shops at Georgetown Park. “There is a balancing act between all of history or just valuable history,” Bell said. “It is a struggle over what is appropriate to keep – like taking off the theater’s fake stone.”

“We want to preserve the historical quality,” he said. “It’s making the fabric richer and denser – and the more people the better. Georgetown should be as dense as possible. It’s good for the environment.”

“All this said, the only way I personally can accomplish these goals is to make the Georgetown Theater profitable as a development,” Bell said. “A profitable endeavor not only makes it possible for me to do it as an individual, it can be a model for other ventures to preserve and revitalize cities.”

“I believe cities should always focus on enriching the pedestrian quality – a place where it is a joy to stroll. That is what I want for Wisconsin Avenue and Georgetown.” [gallery ids="101605,147094,147091" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner • July 9, 2015

In a zip code filled with beautiful homes, truly unique properties are few and far between. Contemporary homes appear to be a minority in the Northern Virginia area. JD Callander, a nationally ranked realtor based in McLean, has listed an architectural gem unlike anything else the neighborhood has to offer. At the end of a cul-de-sac, nestled in the woods, lies 1700 James Payne Circle. Upon entrance to the home, you are greeted by a great room boasting an entire face of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a lush woodland landscape. An air of serenity seems to float through the entire home along with the natural light. Aesthetic aside, the spacious, flowing floor plan of the property proves its distinctive nature. The first floor of the home sits lofted above the lower level; all coming together in the great room. The gourmet kitchen rests above the recessed family room; ideal for entertaining. JD Callander describes the home as “a true oasis hidden in the middle of a busy metropolitan area.” Nestled on nearly an acre of land, the expansive rear deck is perfect for enjoying the trees and the gentle sounds of the creek. This property has four bedrooms and three beautifully updated baths, GE monogram stainless steel appliances, skylights, plantation shutters and many other custom features. For more information, please contact JD Callander at 703-606-7901, or go to her website at www.newNOVAhome.com”

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