Ellen Ruby Blog's: No Debate Here: DC’s Most Expensive Home Is Available for $18.5M

Wednesday 14 July 2021

No Debate Here: DC’s Most Expensive Home Is Available for $18.5M

While the debate over statehood for the nation’s capital continues, there’s no debate over the district’s priciest property. The most expensive home on the market in Washington, DC, is a grand, $18.5 million, Beaux Arts–style residence.

The 14,750-square-foot stone mansion on 30th Street, NW, last sold in 2015 for $12.5 million.

“It’s on the higher end of the pricing structure in DC proper. It’s a very large home by volume, size of rooms, and ceiling height,” says the listing agent, Chuck Holzwarth. “It’s beautifully done, it’s dramatic, and it was built in 2008—as opposed to in the 1800s or early 1900s, like a lot of houses in DC.”

Inside, the mansion features an abundance of detail.

“Because of the ceiling height (11.5 feet), the moldings can be thick and large, and it doesn’t intrude upon the room. Whereas if you have a house that has 8.5-, 9- or 10-foot ceilings, you can’t have the thickness of the moldings that you can with this house,” Holzwarth says.

Exterior of mansion in Washington, DC
Homevisit

When you first walk in, a single dramatic staircase is designed to catch your eye. It’s an ideal spot for a host to make a showy entrance when guests arrive.

Inside are a total of nine bedrooms and 12.5 bathrooms.

“It’s a very big master with high ceilings, a sitting room, and two full baths on opposite sides of the room, each with a closet and dressing area,” Holzwarth explains.

Made for entertaining a crowd, the large kitchen features restaurant-quality appliances and has something of a commercial feel. There’s plenty of prep space, as well as some personal touches, including an island with bar seating and a workspace.

“It’s suited for day-to-day [living], but it also has all the equipment and extra refrigeration space and a wine cellar downstairs to accommodate large-scale entertaining,” the agent says.

For a DC power player, this is a home intended for hosting a crowd. It can handle hundreds of guests, and there’s even a bar hidden behind the entry staircase to quench guests’ thirst.

Parking for guests and residents is plentiful, both in the three garages and in the heated motor courtyard, designed to prevent people from slipping on ice or snow. An elevator next to the garage services all four levels.

When the weather is welcoming, a large outdoor terrace surrounds the heated pool, and second-story terraces provide outdoor space adjacent to the bedrooms.

“Basically all the rooms but maybe the kitchen and one other room have direct access to the front or the back outdoor garden space and patios,” Holzwarth explains. “The flow is nice if you have a huge party, going between inside and outside the house.”

Even in the hot real estate market in DC, where homes are selling quickly, with multiple offers, Holzwarth is realistic that this home may take longer to find the right buyer.

“Obviously, the audience is small for a house in this price range,” he says. “There are not showings every day or every week.”

Located on Embassy Row, the mansion is surrounded by homes used as embassies, as well as a few mansions owned by political heavy hitters. Given its surroundings, this home has the potential to be snapped up by a foreign country in search of a place to house their local dignitaries. In fact, the embassy of Hungary is a next-door neighbor.

“It is an area of beautiful houses on the upper end of the price range. You are so close to everything in town, and it’s a very central and convenient neighborhood.”