After long hours of politicking in the nation's capital, you'll want a peaceful place to rest. This design classic in Washington, DC, which is on the market for $1.9 million, might just be the spot to unlace your Barker Blacks.
Built in 1961 by American Institute of Architects fellows Leon Brown and Thomas Wright, this 2,450-square-foot home is a " Bauhaus oasis in the city," according to the listing notes. Its clean lines, walls of glass, upgraded kitchen, Zen rock garden, and lush location promote a relaxing lifestyle -- and a healthy one, too. The owners redesigned the house in 2012, creating a kitchen equipped with high-tech appliances, including an induction wok.
"They wanted you to walk into the kitchen and, with meats and veggies and spices, you can make a meal in 10 to 15 minutes," says Sean Satkus, who is co-listing the property with his real estate partner, Michael Shapiro.
Satkus says while the owners spent quite a bit on the renovation -- he estimates $200,000 for the kitchen alone -- they didn't dramatically alter the home's structure.
If a new owner wants to revert the changes, Satkus says it wouldn't be a problem, as the "design is simple [and] the walls are mutable." Plus, the original architectural blueprints convey with the property, something architecture enthusiasts might appreciate. Satkus says a "prominent architect" came by to check them out and actually picked up and smelled them to get a feel for how things used to be.
The home is upside-down in a sense, with the main living and lounge areas upstairs. Each of the three bedrooms has its own en suite bathroom.
The second story cantilevers over the first floor and perches on a hill.
Out back is where you'll find the walls of glass. The large lot and dry-laid stone retaining walls frame a zigzag path to a meadow, which also has a life-size cow sculpture.
The house looks like something conceived by the Harvard Five. As it should -- Wright studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard while the American Mid-Century Modern movement was beginning. Gropius is considered the father of Bauhaus architecture, having founded the Bauhaus School and taught famous architects such as Philip Johnson and Marcel Breuer.
"It's like [Johnson's] Glass House," Shapiro remarks. "It's a box, but a beautiful glass one with perfect dimensions -- like a jewel box."
The agents say that while the home isn't the only '60s-era modern in the Kent neighborhood, these homes don't go on the market very often. That's usually because the people who buy them tend to stay in them. Plus, "people who buy Mid-Century Moderns tend to live extremely long lives," Satkus says with a chuckle. "We've met more 70-year-olds, 80-year-olds, 90-year-olds, etc., [in modern homes] than anywhere else."
Hey, you heard it here first: The fountain of youth might be found within the walls of this Bauhaus beauty.