Design Post Update

I recently discovered that the Levi Morton house (1912) by John Russell Pope in my old neighborhood in Washington, DC, was for sale. For about a decade I lived a block away from this stunning mansion at 1500 Rhode Island Avenue, NW and always admired it.
For the past 75 years the National Coatings Association has been the (excellent) caretaker of this historic structure which has housed a former Vice President, a Russian ambassador, and even Alexander Graham Bell.
If you are familiar with a map of Washington, the regular grid of streets is broken by a number of Avenues which meet at traffic circles;  this creates some odd triangular building sites. The Morton house is within one of these odd shaped lots which explains the strange angles in the first floorplan above.
The gracious porte cochere sits on the north side of the property on Rhode Island Avenue. Pope cleverly used the irregular slanted front facade for service spaces, situating larger and more important rooms around the more regular square facades. In 1912 these rooms faced gardens which are now (partially) parking lots.
The odd service wing in the floorplan which included storage and servant apartments either was never built or was torn down at one point for more parking. I always wondered if the stucco part of the building which you see to the left of the photo above was original and apparently it was. It looks different than the elevation drawing earlier in this post and rather like an after thought. It houses the original dining room and butler's pantry.
The  (west) side facade above is the most prominent as it faces Scott Circle and affords beautiful views.
As with many parts of the city the area has changed significantly since 1912 and this mansion is surrounded mostly by large apartment buildings and hotels which you get a sense of in the above photograph or on google streetviews.
This existing house was an extensive renovation to an older red brick Victorian structure dating from 1879 designed by John Fraser, a well-known Philadelphian architect. The interior was completely redone by Pope in a Classical style which included this stunning staircase which includes Levi Morton's monogram.
The original fixtures are all extant and included with the sale offered by Lucia Wadeson of Cresa Corporate Real Estate. I can imagine this becoming rather grand condo's with a significant addition or ideally an embassy (Cuba?).
 Images are not my own: B&W Photographs and drawings from the book "Mastering Tradition" by author James Garrison and color images from this article in the Washington Business Journal.

I recently paid a visit to the National Cathedral and was reminded of how beautiful stained glass really can be, particularly in this crisp winter light.
The windows soar towards the ceiling at a staggering 100'. The light still makes it down to the floor however, and to marvelous effect.
I posted some exterior photos a few years ago during a much warmer visit HERE (with a real camera instead of my iphone)
These sacred spaces really are special; thanks to artisans, architects, and perhaps a divine presence.

Yesterday (March 18, 2015) was the grand opening of our new Washington Design Center. Washington is finally coming into its own and our new design center just goes to prove that. These gorgeous light-filled showrooms are at the heart of the New Washington action on 14th street NW.
The crowds were soul-crushing, as one expects at these events, but it's important for design professionals to go out and network; share ideas and potential new jobs! I only attended the Holly Hunt showroom opening party out of many events with some very dear friends (hi Steph and Mark!) and thought I would share some highlights with you.
The Holly Hunt showroom is the largest in the design center I believe, measuring in at 10,000 SF over 2 floors. It also is the only showroom to feature a street entrance -welcoming in the public.  The ground floor focuses on the more modern collections carried by Holly Hunt while the 2nd floor focuses on the more DC-centric traditional lines. Above the cozy Coco Sofa was empty and beckoning us over to get away from the crowd!
I briefly chatted with Holly Hunt who was delightful. She is intensely focused on bringing new artists and work to the public -meeting and working directly with the artists on items such as their lines of (brilliant) lighting which are the focus of my snapshots here!  Alison Berger is one of the prominent lighting artists with these delicious handblown glass fixtures seen in the images here. Above is the Lure sconce - nothing is MORE alluring than a sconce (my favorite lighting source!).
Most popular with us were the Sea Urchin pendants with heavily seeded glass featured below over a nightstand. These are designed by an artist named Stefan Gulassa, no relation (for those readers who don't know, my name is also Stefan).
I loved their updated version of the classic wingchair below upholstered in rope with a luxurious velvet cushion (in my favorite turquoise -this would fit right into my own apartment, how I wish!)
Be sure to visit Holly Hunt here in DC at the new Washington Design Center, they'll be happy to see you!

Adjacent to Cleveland Park is a little wooded area which when one enters feels like the street that Washington forgot.  Springland Lane and the beautiful houses and gardens which have grown into it is a tiny alcove nestled just north of Cleveland Park that until recent times was a farm and vineyard (right near the heart of the city!). On May 23, 2015 the Cleveland Park Historical Society is cohosting a garden tour of the area which is an exclusive look not just at the 16 pretty houses and private gardens but a look at the not too distant agricultural past of the neighborhood. Tickets are available on the website HERE - I hope to see you there!

If you follow me on Instagram (@architectdesignblog) this weekend you probably saw a number of pictures I posted of a grand apartment building here in Washington DC in the historic Kalorama neighborhood.
Buildings such as these are listed in the Washington real estate bible, Best Addresses, by the local authority on such matters, James Goode.  I live in a 'best address' building myself, although not as grand as this, and it really was one of my apartment's selling features. It's always the first statement of any real estate description of any apartment in these buildings in Washington. I would recommend the book to others who don't live in DC as a great compilation of grand apartment buildings from 1900 till the 1970s, full of floorplans and historic photos.
The details matter here and separate this building from common apartments. Symmetry and aligned spaces are key, but delicate plasterwork, marble mosaic floors, and charming original stairwell doors and exit signs are all details that speak of care and quality.
Notice the well thought placement of modern HVAC grilles discretely placed above the exit door. I think also important to notice are the signs that this building is a home;  minimal quality non-cluttery furniture and artwork grace the spacious halls.  Compare this to atrocious new-construction apartments we see going up all over this city and also cities around the country as we experience this (wonderful) return to urbanism. Why do people prefer new construction to this again?