Phoebe Apperson Hearst & 1400 New Hampshire Ave, NW

Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) married 41 year old George Hearst at the age of 19. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved to San Franciso and had a son, William Randolph Hearst.

When George Hearst was elected to the United States senate in 1887, the couple relocated to Washington D.C. where Phoebe entertained many guests and statesman. Four years later, Phoebe became the sole heir to her husband’s valuable estate upon his death in 1891.

Phoebe returned to California after George’s death.

While they lived here in Washington, their home was located at 1400 New Hampshire Ave, NW, right on Dupont circle where Jury’s is currently located just off Dupont circle at the intersection of New Hampshire and O Street. The house, designed by architect Robert Fleming, was built in 1883 for John Field, and sold to Secretary of the Treasury, Charles Fairchild, in 1888. When it was acquired in 1889 by California Senator William G. Hearst, it was redesigned from the Colonial Revival style into the Romanesque by architect Harvey Page. After Hearst died in 1891, his widow Phoebe Apperson Hearst lived there until 1902 when she sold the mansion, which became the Italian Embassy until 1925. Subsequently, it was used as a hotel, a club, the Russian Bible Society Headquarters (from 1948 to 1958), and the Cathedral Club Residence, until 1964, when it was demolished. Additional images of the home, primarily of the interior, are after the jump

Nice Porch Planter

One thing I like about many of the porches in the upper north of the city is that instead of porch railings, many of the spans between the columns are filled by concrete planters. I found this planter on a porch in Crestwood, and think its among the more attractive porch planters I’ve seen.

1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan

Near as I can tell, this is a 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan that can still be found in the Capitol Hill/Trinidad area of town. Considering its age, I think it looks great.

Interesting Painting Technique

I saw this house in Shaw, I believe on O Street. While I’m not a fan of painting brick houses, and would not have chosen green, if you had to paint a brick house, I thought this was interesting. When I first saw it, it appeared to be green tile to me. After getting closer, I realized that its all paint, and there are at least three colors used. This house was painted brick by brick.

Carriage House @ 3640 New Hampshire Ave.

I’ve been curious about this property for a while. It looked like it was being developed a while ago, and then all work stopped. After seeing it today, I gleaned that it its now under a new developer and moving forward.

The Carriage House — which is actually at the Corner of Rock Creek Church Rd & Spring, NW, is now done and available. The units in the main house are slaighted to be finished in two weeks.

The entire complex is being run as a condo, with the carriage house listed at $499,900 and a $227.35 monthly condo fee. What I love about this unit is that it is a completely free standing structure that is not shared with anyone else. It was surprisingly roomy with off street parking, two bedrooms with their own en suit bathrooms, and a roof deck. Its also just over a block to the Georgia Ave/Petworth Metro.

The only negatives I found were the steep step to get down to the main living area. It seemed uncommonly steep. Also, the kitchen cupboards seemed a bit high and hard to use without a step stool.

That aside, I really liked the property I think it has a lot to offer. To see the listing and more photos, click here>>

Williams Will Not Join Catholic Service Society

Because the Order of Malta complained about former Mayor Anthony Williams’ support of abortion rights and protection of gay unions, Williams has withdrawn his application to join the Catholic service society.

I applaud Williams for sticking to his opinions and viewpoints rather than cave to a narrow point of view. I’m also sure that he will find other ways to continue to serve society that don’t force him to compromise his integrity.

Park Morton Attracts Out-of-Town Developers

This is excellent news. According to the Washington Business Journal, the city was able to attract three out-of-town bidders to redevelop Park Morton, the area five blocks south of the Georgia Ave/Petworth Metro.

The city plans to tear down the eight three-story buildings and build a 500-unit mixed-use housing complex with a park of at least 10,000 square-feet.

This is welcome news indeed for Park View.

This Date in History

March 31, 1908: Francis E. Leupp, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, lectured at the regular monthly meeting of the Anthropological Society in the assembly room of the Cosmos Club, where he gave “Some Sidelights on Indian Administration” to a large audience.

Then and Now: Esso Station in Shaw

Then: The Esso station at the northwest corner of Rhode Island Ave. and 6th Street, NW, photographed sometime in the 1920s (Library of Congress, #npcc 33542)

Now: Most of the structure is still there, as are the houses, but the property is fenced and closed. It would be great if the property could be restored.

Think Pink

I certainly don’t want to give the impression that I’m pushing this color as an option when you consider painting your own house, but, I did think it was quite striking with the tulip tree in bloom right next to it. If you happen to live near the intersection of Warder and Randolf, NW, you might be able to catch it before the blooms are gone.