A Dupont Circle rowhouse retains echoes of its past
The 1892 neo-Richardsonian Romanesque rowhouse was restored by architect Dudley Cannada. (Sean Shanahan) Kathy Orton
When writing about this Dupont Circle house, it is perhaps off-topic to cite a newspaper article that only briefly mentions it.
But when the story contains the following lede, it is nearly impossible to exclude it.
“Travel weary and vexed by the notoriety caused by her domestic troubles in Chicago and elsewhere, Mrs. Anne Ansley Davis, who sued her husband, David Shelby Davis, because he demanded that she love him, when she really ‘loathed him,’ arrived in Washington last night,” The Washington Post reported in 1909.
It seems David drank too much, and after one year of marriage, Anne had enough. So she came home to daddy, H.S. Ansley, who was treasurer of the Southern Railway and lived in this house.
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What does poor Anne have to do with the present-day house? Nothing at all. But a house is more than walls and a roof. It is the accumulation of history and the people who left their mark on it.
The neo-Richardsonian Romanesque rowhouse was built in 1892 for Elbert Robertson, a prominent businessman. Robertson remained in the home until his death in 1901.
Charles Henry Butler, a lawyer, purchased the home in 1912 for $25,000. Butler was the 10th reporter of decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. His book, “The Treaty Making Power of the United States,” received a glowing review in the New York Times when it was published in 1902.
Although the house was home to several notable residents early on, it eventually suffered the fate of many large houses and was divided into apartments. The Mozart-Liszt Studios, which offered piano lessons, was at one point found here.
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When the current owners purchased the home in 1994, very little remained of the original interiors. They hired architect Dudley Cannada to restore them to their original splendor. An oversize carved wood pocket door separates the living room from the entry hall. Hardwood floors add warmth, and Bradbury Bradbury wallpaper provides elegance. The house has five fireplaces. Cannada designed built-in shelves and hidden nooks to create abundant storage throughout the house.
The space in the turret is a sunroom off the master bedroom on the third floor. (Sean Shanahan)
The space inside the turret is used in clever ways on each floor. On the first level, it is a cozy sitting area that opens to a balcony. On the second level, it is a breakfast area off the kitchen. On the third level, it is a sunroom off the master bedroom.
The master suite, with its spacious bathroom, walk-in closet and separate dressing area, takes up the entire third floor.
The four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 4,270-square-foot house, which has been featured on the Dupont Circle House Tour, is listed at just under $2.2 million.
Listing: 1630 19th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Listing agent: Melanie Hayes, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
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