As a
real estate brokerage firm that specializes in historic homes in the nation's
capital, we're often asked by clients to show them properties with "old world charm." A
good place to start learning more about such properties is "Best Addresses: A Century of Washington's
Distinguished Apartment
Houses" (Smithsonian Institution, 1988).
In this book, author James M.
Goode profiled
the most architecturally significant apartment buildings in Washington,
DC. These have come to be known as the "Best Address"
buildings.
Many are often surprised to learn exactly which
buildings were included in the book. That's because they
range from Victorians of the 1880s to
"modern" apartment houses constructed more than a century
later.
However, when a building is
described as a "Best Address," it has a certain cachet to
it, inspiring visions of elegant spaces with high ceilings and fine architectural
detailing (moldings, decorative plaster, mosaic tiles, etc.) -- characteristics
that are unlikely to be found in 1980s
(much less 1960s) buildings.
To help potential buyers who are looking for a home
with old world charm, we've compiled a list below of some of the "Best Address"
buildings located in Northwest DC. These
were all built prior to 1931, and today are condominiums
or cooperatives. This list includes a few buildings that were not
mentioned in the "Best Addresses" book, but are
buildings that we recommend you check out because of their
unique architectural features.
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| "Best
Address" Buildings in NW DC Neighborhoods |
ADAMS
MORGAN
 The
Ontario
2853 Ontario
Road, NW
Stafford
1789
Lanier Place, NW
1661 Crescent Place, NW
1705 Lanier Place, NW
2852 Ontario Road, NW
CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS
The
Westchester
3900 Cathedral
Avenue, NW
4000 Cathedral
Avenue, NW
CHEVY CHASE
The
Louie
5402 Connecticut
Avenue, NW
CLEVELAND PARK
The Broadmoor
3601
Connecticut Ave., NW
Cleveland Park Apartments
3018-3028
Porter Street, NW
Tilden Gardens
3000 Tilden Street,
NW
3020 Tilden Street,
NW
3016 Tilden Street,
NW
3900 Connecticut Avenue,
NW
3930 Connecticut Avenue,
NW
3031-3041 Sedgwick Street,
NW
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
Meridian Hill
2633
15th Street, NW
DOWNTOWN
Presidential
1026 16th
Street, NW
DUPONT CIRCLE
Analoston
1718 Corcoran
Street, NW
Avondale
1734 P Street, NW
General
Scott
1 Scott Circle, NW
Portsmouth
1735 New
Hampshire Ave., NW
Rutland
Court
1725 17th Street, NW
FOREST HILLS
Truman
House
4701 Connecticut Ave., NW
(Untitled)
4707 Conn. Ave., NW
GEORGETOWN
Dumbarton Court
1657 31st Street, NW
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KALORAMA
The
Altamont
1901 Wyoming Ave., NW
The
Argyle
2201 Mass. Ave., NW
California Court
2153 California Street, NW
California House
2205 California Street, NW
The Chancellery
2139-2141 Calif. Street, NW
Covington
1858 Columbia Road, NW
The Dresden
2126 Conn. Ave., NW
The Mendota
2220 20th
Street, NW
The Netherlands
1860
Columbia Road, NW
Wendell Mansions
2339 Mass. Ave., NW
The Westmoreland
2122 California Street, NW
The Woodward
2311 Conn. Ave., NW
The Wyoming
2022 Columbia Road, NW
"2029"
2029 Conn. Ave., NW
"2101"
2101 Conn. Ave., NW
2120 Kalorama Road, NW
2500 Mass. Avenue, NW
2540 Mass. Avenue, NW
(a.k.a., the Army-Navy
Bldg)
1870 Wyoming Avenue, NW
LOGAN
Hawarden
1419 R Street, NW
Iowa
1325 13th Street,
NW
MOUNT PLEASANT
La Renaissance
3060 16th
Street, NW
Northbrook Court
3420-3426 16th Street, NW
SHAW
Northumberland
2039 New Hampshire Ave., NW
WAKEFIELD
Ponce de
Leon
4514 Conn. Ave., NW
Parker
House
4700 Conn. Ave., NW
WOODLEY PARK
Cathedral
Park
3100 Connecticut
Ave., NW
The Kennedy-Warren
(rental bldg)
3133
Connecticut Ave., NW
Woodley Park Towers
2737 Devonshire
Place, NW
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*Please note: A few of the buildings
that appear in the book "Best Addresses" by James M. Goode -- such as (1) the BALFOUR (2000 16th Street,
NW); (2) the CAIRO (1615 Q Street, NW),
(3) the WOODLEY (1851 Columbia Road, NW), and (4) the
BRITTANY (2001 16th Street, NW) -- were intentionally omitted from this list. While the exteriors of these
pre-War buildings are undisputedly striking, their interiors
unfortunately have been "updated" since their
construction, and they have lost most of the original architectural
detailing which made them so special.
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