Georgetown's Alexander Graham Bell House Hits The Market

• October 1st

by UrbanTurf Staff

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A Georgetown residence once owned by Alexander Graham Bell is on the market for first time in 25 years. 

Built in 1854, the seven-bedroom home at 1527 35th Street NW (map) was purchased by Graham Bell for his parents in 1881; at the time he also acquired a complex of adjacent properties, including the workshop behind the main house, proving crucial in developing several inventions after the telephone

Bell used daily visits to the home not merely as familial ritual, but as logistical waypoints: he would slip into the workshop where he made strides in sound technology, laying the groundwork for the gramophone. The profits from this invention financed other ambitious projects—most notably the Volta Bureau, a library for deaf people, which was erected just across Volta Place from the house. The name “Volta” pays homage to the Volta Prize awarded to Bell by the French government for his telephone innovations.

Over time, the property at 1527 35th Street converted back to a more typical residential layout. The house has also been home to Walter Lipman, the founder of The New Republic as well as a former speaker in the House Of Representatives. The Sprint company purchased and restored the home in the 1990s. 

The 7,092 square-foot listing hit the market for $8.5 million this week with Jamie Peva and Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/georgetowns_alexander_graham_bell_house_hits_market/23924.