Best New Listings: A 10,000 Square Foot Former Franciscan Monastery

• November 22nd 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

This week’s Best New Listings includes a Takoma craftsman, a semi-detached in Fairlawn, and a monastery-turned-mansion in Potomac.

---

2,400 Square Feet in Takoma Park 

This four-bedroom craftsman sits a block outside of DC in Takoma Park. The living room has a fireplace between built-ins, and the U-shaped kitchen has stacked ovens, an integrated cooktop beneath a hood, and a peninsula island breakfast bar extending from beneath a built-in floor-to-ceiling cabinet. A rear deck is built around a mature tree and leads out to a deep backyard with a driveway along one side with parking for multiple cars. The owner's bedroom has triple exposure and an attached den, and the excavated lower level also has a rec room, a full bed and bath, and a separate laundry room. The . An attic also provides the opportunity to create more living space.

• Full Listing: 7204 Holly Avenue (map)
• Price: $975,000
• Bedrooms: Four
• Bathrooms: Three
• Square Feet: 2,396
• Year Built: 1923
• Listing Agent: Tamara Kucik, Tower Hill Realty

---

A Retrofit Former Franciscan Monastery

Abutting the Buck Branch of Cabin John Creek, this over-10,000 square foot house was originally built as a Franciscan Monastery. This history is evident in its Mediterranean-style exterior and interior architectural flourishes, from marble tile floors to carved columns and brackets, rope trim, and deep archways. A great room has exposed beams railroading the ceiling, one of the home's five ornate stone-framed fireplaces, and a series of french doors beneath lunettes along two walls; this is also one of the several rooms on the main floor which opens onto a wrap-around deck. The double-sized owner's suite has herringbone wood floors and the en-suite has a tub inside the frameless glass shower. A covered walkway with archways along each side descends from the house to a patio area and to a former chapel building beyond, surrounded by an expansive lawn. 

• Full Listing: 9510 Hemswell Place (map)
• Price: $4.45 million
• Bedrooms: Seven
• Bathrooms: Eight
• Square Feet: 10,062
• Year Built: 1925
• Listing Agent: Mark McFadden, Compass

---

A Semi-Detached at a Condo Price

This remodeled semi-detached rowhouse in Fairlawn has an affordable price considering how much space it offers. Beyond the roomy front porch, the house enters into the living room, where the stairway is tucked beneath an arch to the left and the formal dining room is through an archway in the opposite corner. The one-wall kitchen has floating shelves and a door out to the spacious backyard. Upstairs, both bedrooms have double exposure and the owner's bedroom also has floating shelves. The house also has a generous carpeted walk-out basement with separate storage room, creating an opportunity for additional living space.

• Full Listing: 2224 S Street SE (map)
• Price: $384,900
• Bedrooms: Two
• Bathrooms: One
• Square Feet: 1,300
• Year Built: 1940
• Listing Agent: Ally Behnke, TTR Sotheby's International Realty

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/best-new-listings-a-10000-square-foot-former-franciscan-monastery/16172.