What Ever Happened to Evermay?

• June 25, 2012

by Shilpi Paul

Evermay

Evermay, the Georgetown residence that held the title as the most expensive listing in the District for several years before being sold for $22 million last spring, has been reborn as an extremely luxurious guesthouse.

This weekend, the Washington Post published a feature that offered a peek into what is happening behind Evermay’s 200-year-old walls. After the buyers, pharmeceutical moguls Dr. Sachiko Kuno and Dr. Ryuji Ueno, were revealed in January, journalists have been clamoring to find out more about the private couple and their plans for the estate.

Because of Evermay’s grandeur, history and location, the couple decided to use the property as the headquarters of their non-profit, the S&R Foundation. The S&R Foundation supports several causes, but their primary goal is to “empower excellence in the arts and science.” They aim to bring extraordinarily talented people together to spur international cultural understanding, and Evermay is now acting as an incubator to allow that to happen. Guests can stay in the bedrooms, attend events in the ballroom, and chat with each other in one of the (many) common areas.

From the Post:

Kuno also requested a setting that encouraged interaction among guests at Evermay, whether composers, filmmakers or medical researchers. “I wanted places in the garden and the house where they could share a conversation,” she says. The designers created cozy sitting areas throughout the house and added urns of abundant flowers outside. Outdoor dining tables and lounge chairs are on order.

The past few months have been spent restoring the house; filling it with comfortable, luxurious furniture, Japanese and American art and a grand piano; and stocking the bathrooms with toiletries for the home’s incarnation as a guesthouse. They hired the former sous chef from CityZen who will serve a menu with both American and Japanese offerings. They planted flowers, and named each of the 12 bedrooms after a tree.

During the Cherry Blossom Festival, the couple entertained their first guests: Japanese musicians in town for the festivities. Most recently, a 33-year old pianist had the house to all himself. Presumably, the guesthouse will be soon buzzing with artists and musicians, and we can only imagine that the dinner parties will be fascinating.

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This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/what_ever_happened_to_evermay/5694