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Washington Post: Boutique condos built in historical Pennsylvania Avenue building

By Benjamin C Tankersley | August 16, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. EST

 

In the 1890s, three Queen Anne-style Victorian rowhouses were built at Pennsylvania Avenue and 25th Street NW, near Rock Creek, that were taller, wider and more eye-catching than other residences in the neighborhood. Two of the three buildings, known as the Mullett Rowhouses, have become the main building of 2525 Penn, a 15-unit condominium complex with modern interiors but historical exterior features.

 

The rowhouses were designed by Alfred B. Mullett, at one time the supervising architect for the Treasury Department. Known for flamboyant, sometimes controversial designs, he was the architect of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington and other federal buildings throughout the country.

The Mullett Rowhouses, designed after he left the federal government, were red brick with large bays, arched windows, a turret and a mansard roof, according to the D.C. Preservation League.

Two rowhouses were renovated into the main condominium building, with 12 one- and two-bedroom units. A building on land once occupied by a carriage house, behind the main building, has three more units. This smaller building is entirely new but is also referred to as the carriage house.

Patrick Bloomfield, principal at PT Blooms Development, the 2525 Penn developer, explained some of the choices made to honor the original exterior design.

“We decided to keep the raw red brick color on the upper facade to preserve the look of the building,” Bloomfield said. “The arched windows were completely refurbished and replaced to restore them to their original glory, and the turret and mansard on the outside were completely replaced with new slate.”

The five-story main building has a lobby and retail space on the first floor. Condominium units are on the four floors above the lobby and have elevator access. The four-story carriage house has a garage with two parking spaces (both already sold) and bike storage on the first floor. It has a two-bedroom unit on the second floor, and there are two two-story units — a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom — on the floors above garage level. This building has no elevator.

The complex has two common areas for residents. A second-floor terrace with seating and planters is accessible to residents of the carriage house. A rooftop entertainment area at the main building, for all residents, has an outdoor terrace and an indoor kitchenette with a garage-door-style window that opens to a bar with seating. The outdoor terrace has additional seating, a firepit, a grill and a dog-washing station. The terrace has views of Washington and the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, Va. Solar panels on the roof provide power to common areas of the building.

On the west side of the building is a sidewalk-to-rooftop mural by artist Ham Glass, who called it “an expression of movement through bright and colorful shapes and patterns.”

Floor plans vary, in part, because of the shape of the main building’s footprint. Each floor has a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit facing Pennsylvania Avenue. Most units have nine- or 10-foot ceilings, and unit 504 has a 27-foot ceiling in the kitchen, under a turret. All units have recessed lighting in most living spaces, LED-bar lighting in the bathrooms and pendant lights in the kitchens. All units have a full-size Whirlpool washer and dryer.

Kitchens

Kitchens have quartz countertops, and most have stainless-steel Bosch appliances, including a 30-inch gas range. Three two-bedroom units in the main building have an ASKO dishwasher set in the peninsula and a 36-inch range. Unit 504 has a Bosch dishwasher and a curved countertop under a bay window. Electrical outlets are under the upper cabinets so no outlets are in the tile backsplashes.

Bathrooms

The homes facing Pennsylvania Avenue have an en suite bathroom with a shower in the primary bedroom suite and a bathroom with a tub-shower combo next to the living area. One-bedroom units in the middle of the main building — with windows on the west side — have one full bathroom with a shower. One-bedroom units at the rear of the building have a bathroom with a tub-shower combo. In the carriage house, two units have one full bathroom and one unit has a full bathroom and a powder room.

One-bathroom units have a Porcelanosa silver-striped tile shower surround, a white-tile floor and a single-sink vanity with a white-quartz countertop.

In two-bathroom units, the primary bathroom has a floating double-sink vanity with a quartz countertop. The frameless shower has a rain showerhead and a handheld showerhead, a Porcelanosa silver-striped tile shower surround and white-tile shower and bathroom floors. The other bathroom has a tub-shower combo, a single-sink vanity with a white-quartz counter and a gray-tile shower surround and floor.

Neighborhood

West End near Georgetown. Rock Creek is less than a block away. Entrances to the C&O Trailhead Canal Towpath and the Rock Creek Trail are across the bridge on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The 2525 Penn complex is on the edge of the West End neighborhood, next to Georgetown. Trader Joe’s is a block away, and shops, restaurants, gyms and hotels are less than a half-mile away.

Schools

Elementary: School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens

Middle and High: Cardozo Education Campus

Transit

The Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines, is less than half a mile away. Metrobus 31, 33 and 38B routes have a stop in front of the main building on Pennsylvania Avenue.

What Sets It Apart

“This is an opportunity to purchase a new-construction product in an historically preserved building,” said listing agent Jennie Mann, vice president at McWilliams Ballard. “New construction is rare in West End, and to have inventory in our price range is difficult to find.”

The interior designs “incorporate a classic warmness using wood tones as a focal feature throughout, said interior designer Krystel Bloomfield, owner of Leni Designs. “Overall, our goal was to have a refreshing take on blending classic and modern aesthetics that would still allow the home buyer room to give the space a personal touch.”

Washington Post: Balconies and modern touches featured at The Juliet in Logan Circle

By Benjamin C Tankersley | January 18, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. EST

 

The Juliet takes its name from the balconies at this renovated 1890s building. The Juliet balconies, the exterior paint color and other details were chosen to blend into D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood. The building, at 1402 12th St. NW, was an event space, known as Ye Olde Firehouse, before it was renovated into 10 condominiums, including a penthouse unit with a bedroom suite and a roof deck on top of the original structure.

 

Developer Patrick Bloomfield said that when he started the project, “it was clear that Juliets [once] existed on the interior court and front of the building. We wanted to make sure that we kept this feature as we felt it was something that made the building unique. That led to French inspired bluish colored paint in the common entry and flower boxes hanging over the Juliet rails to provide that real European feel.”

 

There is no on-site parking. A paid two-year lease on a nearby parking spot will be transferred to the owner of home 10. All homes have white oak flooring, wood cabinetry by MCC Millwork, with white or Calacatta Laza marble-look quartz countertops. Homes have either Kelly Wearstler Nodes pendant or sconce lights. There are two decorated models available to tour, homes 1 and 10.

 

Home 1 has a private entrance at street level on one side of the building. The nine other homes share a door on the other side. Home 1 has a large bay window with a built-in bench. Transom windows above the bay window and the front door let more light into the kitchen and living area. Spiral stairs with a pendant light lead down to the lower level, where there are two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. One bedroom has a walk-in closet; one has a sliding-door closet.

 

In Home 10, the entry hall leads to a large, open-concept living, dining and kitchen area. There are skylights above the kitchen island and a Juliet balcony overlooking the interior courtyard. Off the hall are stairs with a skylight that lead to the penthouse bedroom. This bedroom comes with an en suite bathroom and a closet with a sliding door. French doors open to the roof deck. The deck has a stainless-steel wet bar with a glacier white Corian countertop and a black faucet. Also off the unit’s entrance hall, a second bedroom has a walk-in closet and a hall bathroom.

 

KITCHENS

Kitchens come with a Bosch refrigerator, stove and dishwasher and either a Bosch or Sharp microwave. They all have Delta kitchen fixtures.

The kitchen in unit 1 has a peninsula with room for seating. Upper cabinets are black with glass doors. Cabinets are white oak below the countertops and around the refrigerator. The kitchen has a Calacatta Laza quartz countertop, a bronze Delta faucet and a white picket tile backsplash.

Home 10 has a kitchen island with a light-wood base. The kitchen has black upper cabinets with glass doors and Kelly Wearstler Nodes pendant lights. Cabinets on both ends of the kitchen and below the counter are white oak. The backsplash is white picket tile, and countertops are Calacatta Laza quartz. The microwave is hidden under a flip-up cabinet, and the front of the bottom-freezer refrigerator matches the cabinets. The dishwasher is installed in the island. Appliances include a 36-inch slide-in gas range.

 

BATHROOMS

Home 1 has two bathrooms, including the powder room on the main level, which has a light-wood vanity with a white quartz counter. Downstairs, the two bedrooms share a bathroom that has a frameless glass shower with bronze Delta fixtures and a vertical azure tile shower surround. The single vanity has a Calacatta Laza quartz countertop on a light-wood cabinet. Home 10 has two full bathrooms. The main level has a hall bathroom with a shower-tub combo, bronze Delta fixtures, and a white subway tile shower surround. The single light-wood vanity has a Calacatta Laza quartz countertop. The en suite bathroom on the second level has a frameless glass shower enclosure with a bronze Delta rain shower head, a hand shower and a vertical azure tile shower surround. The single vanity has a Calacatta Laza quartz countertop on a light-wood cabinet.

 

NEIGHBORHOOD

Nearby 14th Street is lively with restaurants and nightlife, including such dining spots as Le Diplomate, Estadio, Birch and Barley and Vegas Lounge. The Nina May and San Lorenzo restaurants are nearby on 11th and Ninth streets, respectively. Many boutique shops and a Whole Foods grocery are also nearby. The Studio Theatre is part of a vibrant arts scene that includes the Terzo Piano DC and Transformer galleries.

 

NEARBY PARKS

Logan Circle is one block away. Cardozo Playground, Shaw Dog Park and Shaw Skate Park are three blocks away.

 

SCHOOLS

Elementary: Seaton Elementary School | Middle and high: Cardozo Education Campus

 

TRANSIT 

Logan Circle is just north of downtown Washington. The G2, 63 and 64 bus routes are within two blocks. The McPherson Square Metro station, on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines, is about a mile away, and the Shaw-Howard University station, on the Green and Yellow lines, is about half a mile away.

 

WHAT SETS IT APART

The Juliet, a renovated 1890s building, was designed to blend into the historical Logan Circle neighborhood. The interiors include custom architectural touches and high-end finishes, Bloomfield said. The neighborhood, in Northwest Washington, is walkable, with plenty of shops and restaurants on 14th and other nearby streets. Northern parts of downtown are also within walking distance.

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