A lovely 1930s home in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, a leafy suburb about 10 minutes north of the Capitol building, boasts four fireplaces, a formal dining room, a tiger maple-paneled library, and possible views into Ivanka Trump’s soon-to-be backyard. Six Kalorama Circle “sits on the highest point” in the neighborhood, said Michael Rankin, the broker representing the property. Thanks to the house's roof deck, the view “is very commanding,” he said.
Potentially voyeuristic buyers will be kept busy. The home's other high-profile neighbor is the Obama family, which reportedly has plans to downsize from the White House into a rented, 8,200-square-foot home half a block away.
Anyone interested in living between the two first families will have to shell out $5.75 million. This home has six bedrooms, five full baths, and two partial baths over three floors (not including the basement). There's a glassy conservatory, ornate molding throughout the house, and in the master bedroom suite, his-and-hers baths. The property is a relatively small .17 acre lot. Still, Rankin said, the land is notable for its large, level lawn.
“A lot of Kalorama doesn’t have a big, flat backyard,” he said. “There’s an easy flow from the main house to the garden space.” Also included is a four-car garage.
The property is less than a block from the Obamas' house—about a three-minute walk, according to Google maps—and just over a four-minute walk from the Trump/Kushner residence. The neighborhood’s “walkability scores are very high,” Rankin said. “You can walk to shops and galleries and restaurants along Connecticut Avenue, and Georgetown, which is a big commercial center, is an easy 10- to 15-minute walk as well.” Various residents are already speculating that the Trump/Kushner/Obama presence (and the families' attendant security details) will raise the neighborhood's values, though New Yorkers might politely point out that securing the Trump family does not come cheap.
The neighborhood, which is one of Washington’s wealthier enclaves, is already home to numerous ambassadors’ residences, including those of France, Monaco, the Netherlands, and Greece. The Turkish Embassy is around the corner from the Trump/ Kushner house, as is the Islamic Center of Washington, whose building Rankin calls “beautiful.”
Even though Rankin’s listing has sat on the market for several months, he’s confident that, given the influx of people to work for the Trump administration, it won’t last long. More homes in the area have also recently hit the market: a $3 million Federal-style house, also on Kalorama Circle; a 7,240-square-foot, six-bedroom, brick building three blocks away, for $5.85 million; and right next door, yet another Federal-style home on the market for $7.9 million.
“As we get the next wave of people coming into the administration,” he said, “you can be sure that we’ll see more of them winding up in Kalorama.” Trump, Kushner, and the Obamas, he said, are merely the vanguard.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.
