This Week’s Find: One of DC’s Most Storied Two-Bedrooms

• October 1, 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

This Week's Find is a two-bedroom residence in the Argyle House (a.k.a. Miller House), a turn-of-the-century DC building with a fascinating history.

The Embassy Row property was designed by acclaimed architect Paul J. Pelz, best known for being a lead architect for the Library of Congress. At the time of its completion in 1901, the property served as a single-family home for a Navy commander; however, during the Great Depression, the building was serving as a boarding house.

The former mansion was burned to a shell in the mid-1980s, apparently the result of arson, before being restored and converted into condominium units by architect Richard Ridley. This particular unit is hitting the market for the first time in 20 years.

The two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom unit occupies the first and second stories of one of the building's turrets, creating curvilinear rooms in the living area and the owner's suite. Eye-catching classic details are prevalent, with each room having uniquely-patterned restored lead windows and stained pine millwork. 

The unit has two fireplaces: one in the living room surrounded by striped trim, and the other in the main bedroom surrounded by a stained pine panel accent wall. Both of these rooms also have hand-painted checkerboard flooring, while the dining room has hand-painted diagonal striped flooring.

The unit also has a view of the "Mouse House" from the dining room window, an attached garage considered to be the first constructed in the District which served as art patron and collector Olga Hirshhorn's home after the passing of her husband (for whom the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is named).

More details are below.

• Full Listing: 2201 Massachusetts Avenue NW, #4 (map)
• Price: $859,000
• Bedrooms: Two
• Bathrooms: 2.5
• Square Feet: 1,234
• HOA Fees: $879/month
• Year Built: 1900
• Listing Agents: Jenn Smira, Marc Ross, Compass

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/this-weeks-find-one-of-dcs-most-storied-two-bedrooms/14510