The NSO
Decorators' Show House 2001, "White Oaks," is a lovely
two-story mansion that sits on one and one-half acres overlooking Rock
Creek Park, just off 16th Street, across from Carter Barron Amphitheater.
The 10,500 square-foot house, with its large circular drive, spacious
rooms, five fireplaces, heated pool and thermal spa, is a perfect showcase
for the talents of the 22 nationally recognized designers whose work visitors
will see throughout October. In 1922, George B. Bryan, a successful post-World War I entrepreneur, commissioned the architectural firm of Pierson and Wilson to design a residence at this location, using Andrew J. Murray as builder. The house was completed by Harry Wardman in 1923. Wardman, an immigrant from England, was one of the most prolific and colorful developers in the city's history. He was described in his New York Times obituary as "the man who overbuilt Washington." Wardman arrived in Washington, D.C. in 1895 and went on to build hundreds of private homes and commercial structures like the landmark Wardman Park Hotel. After losing everything in the stock market crash of 1929, Wardman started again in the nearby Brightwood section of Washington and was still building there at the time of his death in 1938. "White Oaks" has been a private home for 78 years. Harry Wardman sold the house in 1925 to philanthropist, Edmund Kaufmann, who together with his brother Sol founded the nationally known Kay Jewelry Stores in 1916. Now part of Sterling Jewelers, Inc., it is the largest jewelry company in the world. The house remained in the Kaufmann family until 1957, when it was sold to Washington socialite, Vermelle Turner, whose daughter, Hortensia Allen, is the current owner. During the 18th century, the Crestwood area, where the house is located, was largely uninhabited. Nearby Crystal Springs, founded in 1730, was the first recorded settlement. Although attractively situated in rolling hills above the Potomac River and watered by streams and springs, the region was isolated by Rock Creek from the nearest population center in Georgetown. The first recorded settler on the land where "White Oaks" is situated was James White, who by 1772 had built a log cabin and owned 536 acres of royal patent land. White's descendants, who lived in the area until the 1950's, saw their isolated farm transformed into a central suburb of the nation's capital. The region grew slowly, until the early 1800's when several racetracks were built to the northeast near Crystal Springs. Horse racing, which continued until the 1880's, was a major social and recreational activity that drew large crowds. Racetrack patrons used a turnpike built in 1819 that became Georgia Avenue. The turnpike was responsible for the first residential development in that portion of the city in the 1830's and 1840's. The only Civil War battle fought in the District took place at nearby Fort Stevens in 1864, when Confederate Major General Jubal A. Early marched troops into Maryland and attacked Washington from the North. The Civil War left Washington in shambles until a massive public works project in the 1870's literally pulled the city out of the mud. With paved, well-lighted streets, the population pushed northwest from the old "Washington City," as developers laid out new suburbs along 14th and 16th Streets. The
Crestwood area stayed rural until after World War I, when the
convergence of economic prosperity and post-war optimism generated
a building boom in Washington, D.C., as it did across the nation.
Crestwood was developed in the 1920's as a sylvan alternative
to downtown Washington. It remains a quiet neighborhood, characterized
by curving non-through streets with Rock Creek Park serving as
a natural barrier that provides a sense of exclusivity. The stately
homes that grace Crestwood's sloping streets have been home to
many of Washington's empire builders, including the Kaufmann
family. Crestwood's most prominent resident today is Sen. John
D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and his wife Sharon, who live on a sprawling
22-acre estate near Rock Creek Park. Previous / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / Next Subscribe to our free and extremely informative newsletter. We would love to have your comments at: mail@designintuit.com Welcome / What We're About / Focus on Showcases / Marco Polo's Quest / Michelangelo's Den / Great Sites & Sources / Reading / Tiles & Textures / Tools & Terms / Contact Us This site design and text © DesignIntuit, 2005 |
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