There are few neighborhoods in the Washington area that are more desirable than Georgetown. Home to ambassadors, administration officials, justices and journalists, the affluent neighborhood of Georgetown exists in an unparalleled echelon of American communities. Fabled for its glamorous cocktail parties and political dinners, the area has played host to some of the world’s most powerful figures. Long-term residents still recall the glory days of Georgetown’s socialite past. In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Frida Burling and her husband, Eddie, were active members of the Georgetown social scene and hosted numerous cocktail parties at their home on 29th Street.
| At a Glance: December 2010 |
| Average sold price in the 20007 ZIP code: $1.45 million |
| Average list price in the 20007 ZIP code: $1.59 million |
| Average Days on market for homes sold: 101 |
| December 2009 |
| Average sold price in the 20007 ZIP code: $895,000 |
| Average list price in the 20007 ZIP code: $944,000 |
| Average Days on market for homes sold: 79 |
“Eddie and I went to black tie dinner parties at least twice a week, sometimes more,” Burling said. Now 95 years old, Burling said she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “I am absolutely crazy about Georgetown. It’s my life, it’s my friends, it’s my community.”
Surrounded by sweeping valleys, parks and the Potomac River, Georgetown offers its residents a utopian slice of traditional urban living. Bound by Glover Archibald Park to the west, Montrose Park to the north, Rock Creek Park to the east and the Georgetown Waterfront to the south, the rolling topography of Georgetown makes the area truly unique. Georgetown also benefits from the presence of a major university, a regional hospital and close proximity to the political center of Washington.
Upscale modern shops and restaurants like Michel Richard Citronelle and Dean and Deluca make Georgetown a world class retail destination. “The quality of the restaurants and retailers in Georgetown is quite different from what you get in the suburbs,” said Bill Skelsey, Georgetown’s ANC 2E commissioner.
Fashionable new retailers like Georgetown Cupcake, which opened its doors in 2008, cater to a fresh generation looking for unique, local products. In the heart of Georgetown’s M Street retail corridor, the shop is easy to spot by the line of patrons that typically forms around the block.
“To us, M Street is the heart and soul of Georgetown and we think it showcases wonderful local restaurants and boutiques,” Georgetown Cupcake co-owner Katherine Kallinis said in an e-mail.
The youthful resurgence of Georgetown’s shops and restaurants, however, has not changed the historic feel of the neighborhood one bit. “What makes Georgetown different is the stylistic range of the houses,” said Outerbridge Horsey, a local architect. “Beginning with the oldest structure in Washington, the 18th century Old Stone House, the buildings in Georgetown represent almost every type of American architectural style.”
There are Italianate and Renaissance Revival homes, a range of Edwardian and Victorian style buildings and statuesque Gothic buildings like Healy Hall at Georgetown University.
The demand for Georgetown’s historic homes has helped bolster area prices despite a national decline in housing trends. The average sale price for Georgetown homes in December was just shy of $1.5 million and increased 62 percent over the year before.
“Georgetown houses are still selling for premium prices,” said Cherie Jones, associate broker at TTR/Sotheby’s International Realty. “Things have been selling really well. We have pretty much maintained our value here.”
Although the Metrobus and the DC Circulator does serve the area, home purchasers should be wary of Georgetown’s less than ideal parking capacity and occasional traffic. Fortunately much of what local residents need are easily accessible by foot.
“You can eat, live and play here and you don’t need your car,” said Skelsey. “It’s truly a city within a city.”
Georgetown,real estate,neighborhood
