A nearly 220-year-old row house in Washington, D.C., just became the city’s most expensive home sale of the year — and the second most expensive in the surrounding metropolitan area.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom house in the Georgetown neighborhood sold for $11.8 million on Oct. 25, according to a listing on Homes.com. It sold in an off-market sale and is second only to the $14.75 million sale of a mansion in Great Falls, Virginia, in February.
Real estate agent Will Thomas of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty represented both the buyer and sellers. Thomas said the sale came about “organically” after his buyer tasked him with finding “something modern but done at a very high level.”
The sellers weren’t planning to sell the house. But when conversations began with the interested buyer in August, things started moving, he said.
Though the house dates to the 19th century and has a traditional exterior, the sellers completed an extensive renovation in 2018. Following that project, the property won several local awards from the American Institute of Architects and was featured in various architecture publications.
“Not every remodel is the same and the same quality, and this one blew my socks off,” Thomas said. “It's like you're stepping into this historic home, and then you're going through this time machine into a modern aesthetic that still embraced all of the great architecture of the house.”
From the Homes.com blog: Living in Washington D.C. Is a Balance of High Costs and Rich Culture
The more than 9,000-square-foot house is separated into sections including a four-story main structure and an attached two-story section that extends from the rear of the building. It features the original wood floors and staircase, as well as large walls created to display art.
In addition to its standout design, the house is also a historic staple of the neighborhood. It’s one of five row houses known as Cox’s Row, established by Col. John Cox, a merchant and eventual mayor of Georgetown in the 1800s, according to the D.C. Preservation League.
The row is “unique,” Thomas said, because the houses are set back from the street giving them “a really nice curb appeal.”
Though Thomas wouldn’t identify the buyer or sellers, he said that the sellers have hosted events at the house and are known throughout the community. “When you do a lot of philanthropic entertaining…people kind of associate you with your house,” he said.