A unique piece of Washington history is for sale, offering the chance to live in a former chapel that is now the penultimate home on the Bishops Gate Condominium property.
Dating to the mid-19th century, Bishops Gate originally was the site of the Washington Hospital for Foundlings. Then, in 1929, St. Augustine Catholic Church built a school, convent and church there. In the 1980s, those buildings were converted to condominiums. Today about 60 units surround the original courtyard garden. Unit 5, or the Chapel, is “the crown jewel,” says Realtor Claudine Chetrit.
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It is a comfortably modern residence with many original design features that convey a deep spirituality to the setting, says owner Josh Rushing.
The three-level residence is dominated by a 35-foot-high open space that was once the knave. It spans three floors from the downstairs master bedroom to the living room on the main level and up to the second floor office loft.
At a glance
For sale: Condo residence, Unit 5, the Chapel, at 1715 15th St. NW
Price: $1,170,000
Stats: The home is 2,117 square feet with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and garage parking
Broker: Claudine Chetrit of Coldwell Banker 202-362-5686. [email protected]
Virtual Tour: http://pix1.homevisit.com/tourLite/?id34374&skin=&ver http://pix1.homevisit.com/tourLite/?id=34374&skin=&ver
A crucifix presumably once hung in the spotlighted area, between the first and third floors where large pieces of art are now displayed. Three-foot-high white and gray marble wall panels decorate the living room, where pews once stood.
Twenty-foot-high original leaded stained glass windows, tinted pink, blue, yellow, lavender and green, send gorgeous translucent light into the interior.
“In the autumn the light is a majestic orange. I’ve never lived in a place where I could just sit and watch the light,” says Rushing. “In the fall it’s absolutely startling; on summer evenings there’s a golden glow. And it changes year-round with the seasons.
“The chapel is a work of art, a living museum,” he adds, “and it was a real trick to maintain as much as we could of the original structure and simultaneously create a contemporary home.”
The upstairs loft office, which can be restyled as a child’s or guest bedroom, boasts a row of three-pointed arched windows on one wall. “All original,” says Rushing. “The choir sang up here in the loft.”
Rushing added hidden wires in the walls and speakers on all levels. “The place is a model of great acoustics because it was built for music and sound,” he says.
“My wife and I aren’t particularly religious but there’s a sense of spirituality here,” he says. “For me there’s a spiritual connection between the light and music and sound.”
“The amazing thing about Bishop’s Gate is that it’s a quiet refuge in the middle of the city,” says Jerry Zremski, a local journalist who has lived in the complex since 1997. “The courtyard is beautiful, and since my French doors look out onto the chapel, I have about as charming a view as you could imagine.”
Located near the Logan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods, the area was void of commerce and inhabitants for a long time but today there is a buzzing urban vitality to the place.
“The neighborhood has improved tremendously,” Zremski says. “When I moved here, I felt surrounded by vacant brownstones and decaying auto body shops. Now most of the nearby homes have been renovated, and we have great bars and restaurants and Whole Foods only five minutes away.”
“It’s been exciting to watch the development in recent years. The neighborhood has changed so much,” says Rushing.
Says Zremski: “It’s no wonder that property values here have tripled, at least, since the mid-1990s.”
Bishop’s Gate was listed on the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Registry of Historic Places in 1994. A bronze plaque reading “The Chapel c. 1927 Unit 5” is displayed on the exterior brick wall of the residence.
From a high spot on 15th Street you can see the Washington Monument. Dupont Circle Metro station is only 0.6 miles away (Red Line) and U Street Metro station is 0.4 miles away (Yellow and Green lines).
