2014 House Tour in Review
We’ve been posting some pictures of last years tour homes on our Instagram and Facebook accounts in anticipation for what you can expect to see at this year’s tour. One of the wonderful things about Georgetown is learning the history of not just the neighborhood, but of the individual homes that make up the community. Your ticket for the tour day is a lovely magazine that highlights the homes on the tour and our wonderful sponsors that make it all possible. The magazine is filled with history about each of the houses, so we thought it would be fun to recap a few of last years homes for those of you that are new to the house tour.
House #1 – Anne Goodman Home
This property was first conveyed in 1770 to Caspar Shaff; the original structure was built in the 1830’s. Subsequent owners included both George and William Beall, who bought it in 1841 for $10 and sold it in 1853 to the Vestry of St. John’s Church for $100. The current owner, Ann Goodman, is an architectural and interior designer and real estate agent with Evers & Co. She has spent the past 15 years improving and updating her home while preserving its many period details, such as the original heart-of-pine random-width, planked floors.
House #4 – Soula Proxenos and Bruce O’Brian Home
This house was built around 1951 on the site of the extensive gardens and pool of Friendship House, the last of the large estates owned by Evalyn Walsh McLean, heiress and socialite. Mrs. McLean is best known as the last private owner of the 44.5 carat Hope Diamond, now on exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. The current owners purchased it in 1998, when they combined households from England, South Africa and Virginia. They have done a series of renovations allowing for a more open floor plan, finished the top floor and upgraded the carriage house. Many of the finishing details during the renovation such as some of the furniture, and two large mosaics were actually done by the homeowners themselves.
House #7 – Carrington and Jake Tarr Home
This charming house was originally built sometime between 1844 and 1865, when the frame structure that forms the heart of the house (a double parlor on the first floor and two second-floor bedrooms) was erected. During the 1960’s the house underwent a major renovation, which included altering the curved stairs in the main part of the house and an addition to the front at the west side of the property to include a garage, an indoor pool and a second-floor artist studio. James C.H. Bonbright, the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden and Portugal during the 1950’s and 1960’s, lived in the house with his wife in the 1970’s. The current owners purchased the property in 1999 and began another major renovation to expand the kitchen and open up the back of the house to the rear gardens.
We hope this peaks your interest to learn more about what makes Georgetown rich in history and culture. If you haven’t purchased your ticket to the house tour on April 25, you can do that here. Don’t miss out!