7714 13TH ST NW

Rare opportunity to own Van View, an incredible 8BR/4.5BA, Second Empire-style mansion built between 1868 - 1871. This property is a DC Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Originally located beyond the city limits in rural Washington County, it was a 2nd home for wealthy Washingtonians and is the only surviving country house of its era in Shepherd Park! At over 5,400 sf* (not including the bsmt), it is situated on a flat, almost half acre lot (19,007/.44 acre), with an oversized 2+ car garage, circular driveway, and off-street parking. The property frontage spans almost the entire block; you don’t get more private than that! A perfect blend of original features and modern updates; there is a mansard roof and Italianate doors; 12-foot ceilings, original oak floors, transoms, 7 fireplaces, expansive rooms, and a private guest wing! The sprawling main floor has a gracious foyer and grand staircase with great flow between the incredible living rm, dining rm, and sunroom on the left; and a private office and spacious yet cozy family room on the right. At the rear of the home is a beautifully updated, expansive eat-in kitchen with a large island, Subzero refrigerator and amazing storage! The kitchen accesses the patio and park-like grounds as well as a mud area with powder room and rear staircase. Take either staircase up to the first landing to the private guest wing with its 2 lovely bedrooms, full, updated bathroom, and laundry closet! Your guests will never want to leave! On to the 2nd fl, where you’ll find an expansive, light-filled primary suite with dressing area and bathrm with separate shower and tub, double vanity and water closet! There are two add’l bright and roomy bedrooms, each with a fireplace! The 3rd fl has three large bedrooms (one was converted to a huge floor-to-ceiling shelved storage room; a 2nd was transformed into a spacious family room with built-in bookcases); and a full bath. There is plenty of add'l basement and garage storage. The home is located on a quiet, tree-lined street in Shepherd Park, a lovely, “Gold Coast” neighborhood, steps from Rock Creek Park! Close to the Parks at Walter Reed (Whole Foods is scheduled to open this Summer); Takoma Park and downtown Silver Spring (restaurants, shopping, and metro), and convenient to commuter arteries to MD and VA. Truly a one-of-a-kind property that checks all the boxes and more! Welcome Home! *Sq ft taken from floor plan; bring tape measure to confirm.

About the neighborhood

The neighborhood takes its name from its most famous resident: Alexander Robey Shepherd, the governor of the then-Territory of DC from 1873 to 1874. The neighborhood was originally called Sixteenth Street Heights. Part of the neighborhood was renamed Shepherd Park in 1926 when developer L.E. Breuninger proposed 200 new homes. His first model home was built in the new Shepherd Park was 7707 13th Street NW. Shortly before becoming governor (in 1868), Shepherd built a grand Second Empire-style Victorian that once stood near the corner of Floral and 14th Street. (The carriage house still stands in the alley off of Floral, entrance across from the modern house.) Shepherd chose the location because of its elevation and its proximity to Rock Creek. Shepherd dubbed his large country home "Bleak House" after the Dickens novel Bleak House, which he and his wife were reading at the time of their home's construction. The mansion was demolished in 1916. Shepherd owned a plant nursery in the District of Columbia, which enabled the 60,000 trees he had planted. His nursery led to a variety of wildflowers that still thrive in the yards of city residents. It is also the genesis of the streets in Shepherd Park being named for flowers.

The Shepherd Park Citizens Association formed 1917 to petition the government to build a neighborhood elementary school and pave 16th Street between Alaska Avenue and the District line. After developers acquired the land around 1911, they designed it so that the new homes would sit on large tracts of land, and they advertised the location as a "high-class" neighborhood. The developers made sure to retain the large trees in the neighborhood when building the streets. In 1985, residents learned that the owner of an apartment building on Georgia Avenue was close to selling the land for a Wendy's to be built on it. Residents protested, saying that the neighborhood needed a library much more than another fast food location. The District Council decided to build a library on the site instead, and the library opened in 1990. Named the Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Library, it is named after the neighborhood activist who led the neighborhood association in its efforts to have the library built there.

[Source: Wikipedia]