Northwest Real Estate - On the Market

A Fairy Tale Cottage on Macomb Offers Vintage Touches

Back in the day, long before “tiny houses” and other architectural oddities were a thing, there were Sherman cottages - fairy tale structures based on the Arts and Crafts style. Built at the turn of the last century, these homes featured such decorative elements as angled windows, unusual rooflines, rope-dipped-in-plaster trim, and conservatories that gave each home its own distinctive profile.

Designed by Ella Sherman for one of the original Cleveland Park subdivisions in 1909, this 2,485 square foot seafoam stucco and shingle cottage at 3031 Macomb St. NW has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, and one half-bath, a large curved porch, a pool house, off-street parking, and abundant charm.

With its excellent bones and lineage, this vintage residence could be an ideal project for an owner with the resources and vision to restore its original beauty while bringing it up to today’s lifestyle and design standards. It is on the market for $1,795,000.

The entrance to the home is actually on Ross Place NW, a quiet little cul-de-sac framed by houses of similar vintage and design. Set back from the street and fronted by a landscaped yard, it welcomes you with a large, curved porch, complete with swing, and standout redwood and glass door.

Inside, you’re greeted by a staircase to the right, and the living room, visible through a passthrough, on the left. The living room hints at the traditional Arts and Crafts style found through the rest of the house - natural materials, wood trim and flooring, and lots of light. There’s a front garden and a wood-burning fireplace with marble surround and carved wood mantle.

Pocket doors with vintage brass fittings separate the living room from a comfortably sized eat-in kitchen/family room. The cooking space features an arched wood-paneled ceiling, skylights, and banks of windows above the cabinets and on either side of the sink. Amenities include granite countertops, white Maytag double-door refrigerator, four-burner glass-top electric range, and Kenmore dishwasher.

Next to the kitchen is the formal dining room, bookended by a wall of French doors on one side (leading to a garden), and the main hallway on the other. It is a bright and airy space with stained wood molding, trim and ceiling beams.

The main floor also includes a small linen closet and half-bath, with marble flooring that extends into the hall. (This, too - mixing natural materials - is characteristic of the Arts and Crafts aesthetic.)

On the second level are three bedrooms, the smallest of which would make a great office or den. The other two bedrooms (one with a space-efficient, three-piece en suite bath) feature picture windows and closets that are deceptively deep. The hall bath has a large soaking tub with tile surround, tile walls, and a backsplash with a folkloric motif.

At the top of the stair is a large window with decorative trim. The third floor is given entirely to the master bedroom, with cozy angles, skylights, and square dormer windows with a diamond-patterned trim. There is also a spacious utility and storage closet on this level.

The secret garden in the back is a delight. Graced by brick and terrazzo tile, espalier trees, and colorful plantings, it offers several seating and entertaining areas. But the high point is the pool house, with its Mediterranean tile decor, and mechanized endless lap pool and shower. There is also a sizable garden shed and entry to the large unfinished basement.

Located in the heart of Cleveland Park, at the corner of Macomb Street and Ross Place, it is steps away from the shops, restaurants, and Red Line Metro station on Connecticut, and within easy walking distance to local schools, and the Woodley Park and new Cathedral Commons neighborhoods.

The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home at 3031 Macomb St. NW is listed for $1,795,000 with W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors, a Long & Foster Co. For details, contact Marjorie Dick Stuart at marjorie@marjoriedickstuart.com, or 240-731-8079.

Article: “On the Market” by Susan Bodiker published in Northwest Real Estate, October 12^th, 2016