Thursday, March 22, 2012

A grand side facade

On a very important street of my favorite neighborhood in Washington, Kalorama, lies a house that has always intrigued me. The road T's, exposing the side of the house which is treated in a very grand manner; more grandly than the front facade in fact.


I really love this house for its beautiful symmetrical design but also the unusual colors: red clay tile roof, orange brick, french grey limestone, blue stucco and window trim. I've heard it was designed by John Russell Pope, does anyone know the backstory here?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

is the address 2300 Kalorama?

"The Royal Thai Embassy at 2300 Kalorama Road was
designed by James Rush Marshall in 1920."

Our firm doesn't have the Hornblower & Marshall book to confirm.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Anon - I believe the address is 2300 Wyoming - it is not an embassy that I am aware of.

The Swan said...

I find a lovely note sent to the address in question always brings a wealth of information. Try for miracles are always 5 minutes away from each us.

Woodside Park said...

What a stately home! I'd love to peek inside, as I'm sure it's just as fabulous. BTW, we have a Spanish colonial house with a green glazed tiled roof (Ca. 1916). If you know of others in DC with same roof, pls let me know. Thanks!

Ann said...

What an amazing facade but yes, very bizarre combination. It works though!

Karena said...

Gorgeous home Stefan. I am not a fan of orange brick; however they have made it work here with the contrasting colors and elements!

xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena

Mark D. Ruffner said...

Yes, I agree — the color combination is unusual, but very handsome. I hope you can follow up with more information ...

RobtW said...

A favorite of mine, for the dual street aspects you note.

Nice as it is, it's a little crude for Pope. I think it's local architect Clarke Waggaman, 1912.

(Thought it was the Zambian Embassy, chancery, whatever.)

Anonymous said...

Stefan, I did a little investigating and it is not the Zambian Embassy. It is the Zambian Residence for the Embassador. The Embassy is a few blocks away.
Here is what I found out.

DC architect Clark Waggaman designed this home for Anthony Francis Lucas (born Antun Lučić, 1855; died 1921) a Croatian-born oil prospector who became a U.S. citizen in 1885. He struck oil in 1901 in Beaumont, TX. This house was built in 1913 for the then incredible sum of $20,000. Lucas died here in 1921 and is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery.

Hope this helps you,
Brian

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Thanks everyone; Thanks Brian! Always love learning more about such beautiful houses :-)

The Devoted Classicist said...

On MapQuest Street View, this side elevation comes to view when searching for 2300 Wyoming Ave. However, the entrance elevation can be seen by "going around the corner". It looks like the original stoop may have been lost when the circular drive was installed. And it looks like there was an awning over the entrance at one time. Are the downspouts painted metallic silver?

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(Sweden)