The converted office/library features a wood-clad tray ceiling.
Photography by Derek & Vee
Washington, D.C
Inside Owl’s Nest, a Historic Mansion in Washington D.C. Listed for $10.5 Million
A landmarked Gilded Age manor is a rare find on the market in the nation’s capital. But one address matching the profile just listed with ties to the founder of the National Press Club, one of the world’s leading professional organizations for journalists. Now listed for $10.5 million, the four-story mansion includes a host of modern amenities that complement its historic appeal. Daniel M. Heider of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.
Named the Owl’s Nest, the mansion was built in 1897 as a country house for journalist William L. Crounse within the Forest Hills community. He tapped Appleton P. Clark, Jr. to design the hilltop retreat, which DC Historic Sites credits as “one of the city’s best examples of the Shingle style.” The nearly two-acre property was reportedly bought by the Jewish Day School in 2001 with plans to tear it down. It was designated a historic landmark that same year, amid those efforts, and Washington developer Chris Donatelli was next in line to buy the pad for $2.69 million in 2007.
The property had fallen into disrepair by that time. So, Donatelli hired local architect George Myers and Gibson Builders for a major renovation that expanded and modernized it before moving in a year later. It now spreads out across 10,780 square feet in two wings, one restored and one brand new, with eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
While its many special details, including a stone archway at the entrance, a central turret, and stained-glass panels, speak to the home’s past, Donatelli’s time at the residence gives it even more political cachet. The architect and his wife, Karen, often hosted high-profile events at the home in Forest Hills where “wealthy Washingtonians would weekend,” Heider tells Mansion Global. Their most notable guest was former President Barack Obama, who reportedly attended a dinner party in 2014. “It’s the perfect home for a diplomat, an ambassador, or global CEO,” he continues.
A light-filled bedroom sits at the top of a three-story stone turret.
Photography by Derek & Vee
Massive stone walls are exhibited along the home’s castle-like façade, plus asymmetrical massing that gives it a pleasantly uneven shape and weight, visually. Inside the grand foyer, a wood-paneled staircase sits across the way with a stained-glass window depicting an owl. The home’s name and this detail honor the land’s history of attracting owls as one of the highest points in the D.C. area. Standout spaces added onto the mansion include a chef’s kitchen with custom cabinetry and Wolf appliances, a converted library with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and two covered porches.
RELATED: A New Report Shows Where Luxury Home Prices are Expected to Increase Around the Globe
The primary suite is situated on the second floor with a covered terrace and spa-like en suite featuring checkered marble flooring. The abode’s top level, meanwhile, provides access to the airy turret bedroom with mullioned windows. Back downstairs, a sun-soaked rear patio with a lap pool and alfresco dining space rounds out the Owl’s Nest in northwest D.C.
Click here for more photos of the sprawling Washington, D.C. mansion.
Photography by Derek & Vee
Authors
-
Demetrius Simms
WASHINGTON (7News) — A man was stabbed to death in Northwest D.C. early Saturday morning, according to D.C. police.
SEE ALSO | Police shoot knife-wielding individual at Fairfax Wawa
Officers responded to the 2900 block of 14th Street NW shortly before 1:00 a.m., where the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
SEE ALSO | Teen hospitalized following Friday night shooting in northeast D.C.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the police at (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to 50411.
Additional details were not immediately available.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Beneficial rain
- Muggy, warm temperatures to start the weekend
- Scattered afternoon showers & a few storms again Saturday
- Drier and nice for Sunday
There’s a 40% chance of showers and a few storms in the afternoon and evening Saturday.
Sunday looks like it will bring the best weather of the weekend. We’ll start to see some cooler, drier air come in.
Big-time heat may be coming right back to the D.C. area by Wednesday of next week.
Weather radar
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
10-day forecast
QuickCast
SATURDAY:
Partly sunny
Muggy
Scattered showers & storms (40% chance)
Highs: middle 80s
SUNDAY:
Decreasing clouds
Lower humidity
Highs: mid 80s
MONDAY:
Mostly sunny
Highs: upper 80s
SUNSET: 8:35 p.m.
AVERAGE HIGH: 89° // AVERAGE low: 72°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
Washington, D.C., has been a popular spot this summer, especially since it’s the nation’s 250th anniversary. And it’s where many Grand Canyon University students have traveled, including the campus’s student body leaders.
Associated Students of GCU President Judah Floyd and Vice President Gracie Zimbardi traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Campus Victory Forum conference and celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence.
“It was a humbling opportunity to be able to represent GCU and be poured into by so many admirable Christian leaders,” Floyd said. “It reminds me of the leader I want to be as a Christ follower and as someone who’s been put in a position to have influence on the students of GCU.”
The three-day conference was organized by Campus Victory, an organization empowering collegiate leaders to step into civic engagement. It featured workshops, sessions and activities that equipped students with practical tools to step into their leadership roles.
Roughly 250 student leaders from universities all around the country traveled to the nation’s capital for the conference, where they met and heard from politicians and community leaders, including U.S. Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona.
He addressed the young crowd with a personal testimony about his experience in public leadership and gave an empowering message from 1 Timothy 4:12, which reads, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
He encouraged students to boldly press on in their positions despite their young age.
Sharing a home state with Crane was made extra special to Floyd and Zimbardi when Crane invited all Arizona students backstage to meet and have conversations with him.
“He was phenomenal,” Zimbardi said. “He talked about how being firm in our faith is so important in this time, and though we are young leaders, we do have the knowledge, experience and people to look up to, so use it. It was so inspiring to hear from him.”
When sessions concluded, students explored significant landmarks, including memorials, museums, and federal and local government buildings.
Everything was decked out in red, white and blue, with flags and banners hanging everywhere to commemorate the milestone anniversary.
Celebratory events unfolded one after another on Independence Day, finishing with the largest fireworks show in history. Some 850,000 pyrotechnic effects were detonated over 40 minutes, with thousands gathered for the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Floyd waited five hours in line to attend Salute to America 250, which concluded yearlong celebratory festivities. The six-hour event on the National Mall featured presidential remarks, musical performances and military flyovers.
“President Donald Trump talked about how America is really a land of people of faith and people who overcome challenges time after time,” Floyd said. “It really rekindled in us the spirit of liberty that we all carry as Americans and the importance of defending that liberty for generations to come.”
Military veterans were brought onstage and honored for their commitment to serving the country. Flags from every generation of America were displayed, and singer Lee Greenwood led the crowd in singing “God Bless the U.S.A.”
The World Cup was happening at the same time. While Floyd and Zimbardi were in Washington, D.C., they witnessed another level of patriotism when a Team USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina watch party, complete with a projector screen, was organized in front of the U.S. Congress.
“Thousands of people all wearing U.S.A. jerseys were shouting and screaming and spraying water in the sky when we scored a goal. It was deafening,” Floyd said.
As the start of academic year approaches, Floyd and Zimbardi’s tenure as student body president and vice president will soon commence.
The duo said that participating in the Campus Victory Forum conference, networking with student body presidents and vice presidents from other universities, and witnessing everyone’s patriotism prepared them to lead with passion and boldness.
“It means a lot to me that someone in this organization thought of us, GCU, and said, ‘We need them there.’ Zimbardi said. “It was really unique hearing from other students about how they do things at other universities.
“We got to sit down and spitball back and forth. We talked about things like, ‘Wow, that’s what works for you? We are struggling in that area, do you mind if we try it?’ Having conversations like that is extremely helpful, and it is cool how unified we can all become.”
***
Related content:
GCU News: Ingram Honors students visit nation’s capital in honor of its 250th anniversary
GCU News: Critical Mass in harmony with national jubilee of prayer in Washington, D.C.
-
Detroit, MI18 minutes ago1 dead, 1 injured after two-vehicle crash at Collingwood and Belleterre in Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA25 minutes ago4 arrested, 3 cited after brawl following Giants vs. Rockies game at Oracle Park
-
Dallas, TX33 minutes agoMark Cuban takes legal action against Dallas Mavericks ownership over potential new arena deal
-
Miami, FL36 minutes agoSouth Florida Dirt: A timeline of the Vacchi vs. Stern legal battle
-
Boston, MA41 minutes agoTall Ships begin historic Boston parade of sails
-
Denver, CO48 minutes agoLakers Proposed to Land Peyton Watson in Massive 9-Player Blockbuster Trade
-
Seattle, WA51 minutes agoCyclists fill backroads for annual summer Seattle-to-Portland ride
-
San Diego, CA56 minutes agoSo you want to create a hummingbird habitat? Here’s how.
