All Blog Entries by Mark Washburn

For a luxury lifestyle just steps from the Pentagon, consider the new townhomes of Carver Place. This new development from Craftmark Homes offers dozens of three- and four-bedroom townhomes for buyers to choose from in Arlington.

Most of the homes in Carver Place offer between 2,000 square feet to 2,600 square feet of living space. Available homes come in five different desirable floor plans.

Buyers have their choice of three luxury design packages, including traditional, transitional or modern. Many of the homes also come with high ceilings and some include outdoor terraces.

As well, you’ll find some wide-plank engineered hardwoods, maple cabinetry in the kitchens and quartz countertops. In addition, expect to find things like stainless

Photo: Tim Krepp

Washington DC is full of history, but one particular find dates back well before the birth of our nation. It’s said sewer workers discovered the first so-called Capitalsaurus fossil while doing work beneath F Street in the late 1800s.

Crews reported finding some strange bones, including a six-inch bone they suspected may have been a dinosaur bone. According to old news reports, it was about 45 feet underground.

Crews ended up sending it to the Smithsonian, which identified it as part of a dinosaur’s vertebrae. Since then, it’s been debated exactly which kind of dinosaur it came from.

It’s suspected the dinosaur bone once belonged to a meat-eating dinosaur, perhaps one about 15-feet tall and 30-feet long. For reference,

For affordable luxury in Hill East, consider The McCoy condos. Built on the site of a former Baptist church, The McCoy takes its name from the church’s long-time pastor.

Now home to 14 individual units, The McCoy consists of mostly one- and two-bedroom condos, generally ranging from around 680 to 720 square feet of living space.

While the open one-bedrooms come with a kitchen breakfast bar and a center island, the two-bedroom floor plans include a galley-style kitchen that makes for a more efficient floor plan.

Some of the one-bedroom plans also come with a den that can easily be utilized as a home office. While some units of The McCoy include river views, others overlook nearby rooftops and buildings in the surrounding neighborhood.

Each

It may not be one of the most recognizable names just yet, but the Near Northeast is definitely a real neighborhood. This recently dubbed DC neighborhood sits in the city’s Northeast Quadrant, bordered by Florida Avenue on its northern side, F Street on its southern side, North Capitol Street to its west and 15th Street to its east.

When referring to the area, the neighborhoods of the Near Northeast and Northeast generally consist of Brookland, H Street, Hill East and NOMA. The Northeast area is also home to Trinity Washington University, Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University and the Mount St Sepulchre Franciscan Monastery. 

In addition, this is where you’ll find the National Arboretum, the Atlas Performing Arts Center and the

A mix of the hip, historic and delish, Mount Vernon Triangle continues to entice locals and visitors, alike. The neighborhood of Mount Vernon Square sits at the crossroads of New York Avenue NW and Massachusetts Avenue, bordered by 7th Street and M Street.

Its delightful location makes it easy to enjoy some of the best that Downtown DC has to offer. Right in the middle of everything today, it’s hard to imagine that Mount Vernon Triangle was originally planned out in the 1800s as open space.

Eventually, a large market opened. The market was later demolished and replaced by new roadways and landscaping. Around the turn-of-the-century, a new library opened, which more than 100 years later now serves as a flagship Apple Store and the DC History

Photo: Geoff Livingston

Filled with history, rehabbed carriage houses and some pretty cool kid restaurants, Blagden Alley is one of the more interesting surprises you’ll find in the Shaw neighborhood. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, Blagden Alley is the place to check out art or grab a tasty bite to eat, but generations ago it served an entirely different purpose.

Following the Civil War, affluent homebuyers relocated to the area, snaping up expensive row houses that backed up to alleys. Meanwhile, some African Americans and immigrants sometimes made their homes right next door in the actual alleys, with shanties and lean-tos that didn’t exactly conform to the neighboring upscale residences.

As a result, some tried for years to

With the feel of living in the suburbs, but still technically at home in the city, some say American University Park boasts some of the best homes in DC. This tree-lined neighborhood is mostly residential, and often attracts families in search of a nice, peaceful community.

From street to tree-lined street, you’ll find well-kept homes and lawns, linked up by back alleys and even some white picket fences. The vast majority of homes in AU Park are smaller Colonials or bungalows, accented by front porches and a friendly vibe.

It’s not uncommon to find generations of family members living in this neighborhood. Homes that do make it to the market in AU Park often sell quickly.

While you won’t find large lots or sometimes even driveways in the

Situated right in the city but with the feeling of living in the country, Woodland Normanstone is a favorite of DC influencers. This affluent neighborhood is filled with grand homes and is sometimes referred to by locals as a “village within a village”.

This elegant community is located in upper Northwest Washington, close to the Vice President’s home. In fact, it’s said many high-ranking political officials, both foreign and domestic, choose to live in Woodland Normanstone.

Along with its private homes, the neighborhood is also filled with around two dozen foreign embassies, including some large homes that once belonged to high-ranking U.S. political figures. The starting prices are often as grand as the homes, with some of the lowest-priced

While there are certainly some impressive homes in DC to choose from, some buyers are instead choosing to bring new life to some long-standing residences. Some Washingtonians are hard at work, turning some of the city’s former foreign embassies into private homes.

One such example includes the former Libyan Embassy in Kalorama. Built close to the turn-of-the-century, the home was designed in a Flemish Revival style.

It had been unoccupied for about 25 years and was in poor shape at the time a new owner came into the picture. A real estate developer had previously attempted to turn the property into condos, but when that fell through, the building went up back up for sale and a family snapped it up.

After nearly a year of making plans and

For a quiet neighborhood close to downtown, consider taking your home search to Palisades. This pleasant neighborhood offers the appeal of a small-town, yet a location that’s only about 10 minutes from Downtown DC.

Found to the northwest of Georgetown University and right alongside the Potomac River, the peaceful neighborhood sits on the westernmost side of the District. While it’s not known as the kind of neighborhood that draws in a lot of visitors, it is a popular location for those searching for a great, family-friendly place to call home.

First built-up starting in the late 1800s, the neighborhood of Palisades is home to a range of residential styles including Craftsman-style homes, Colonials, contemporary homes, bungalows and classic