Epic Historic Homes in Capitol Hill: Preserving a Colorful Heritage

Are you ready to tie on your virtual shoes and take a walking tour of beautiful Washington DC and its epic historic homes? There are so many interesting neighborhoods, gardens, museums and more in our country’s capital – it’s hard to fit everything into a single trip. Hubby and I were there last week and stayed in the Capitol Hill area. Of course I took photos of the houses and points of interest. I’m sharing a few with you today.

 

D.C. is a few weeks ahead of Chicago when it comes to weather, so we were able to enjoy warmer days and see more spring blooms which was so great for lifting my spirits. And of course, there’s no shortage of colorful, older homes to enjoy. We walked almost everywhere and took the Metro on occasion. There was no need to rent a car since the Metro station was just two blocks from where we stayed. Townhouses and row houses made for plenty of eye candy to enjoy along the way. Take time to enjoy the architectural details like arched windows and trim work.

 

We stayed in this yellow townhouse which has an Airbnb rental on the lower floor. It’s a garden apartment and I chose it because it’s just three blocks from the Capitol and was just a few doors down from Le Bon Cafe, a French coffee shop that was always busy but well worth the wait. There were also skylights in the bedroom with shutters you can open and close depending on how much light you want. It also has a large shared brick patio and garden area in back that we had to ourselves during our stay.

 

I’ll show the epic historic homes first, and finish with some of the places of interest. Right around the corner from our Airbnb was this lovely lavender home that caught my eye.

 

Right next to the lavender house is this white beauty with its emphasized eyebrow windows and sunny daffodils. There were lots of spring bulbs and pansies in bloom. I’ve never bothered with adding pansies in the front of my house but after walking around in DC, I’m inspired to do it.

 

Capitol Hill residents make great use of their limited garden spaces in front of the epic historic homes, even if it means having to do some planting in the sidewalk area. Every couple of blocks you’d get a whiff of some fragrant flower – it was heavenly.

 

I wonder if the neighbors coordinated the colors of their homes on purpose, or if things just turned out to be a pleasing and varied palette from one block to the next? I tire of seeing gray and taupe homes where we live. I wish more people would use brighter colors on their exteriors. This collection of homes aren’t typically vivid in hue, but they’re diverse from each other.

 

On occasion you’ll see larger dwellings tucked in between townhouses and row houses. I’m pretty sure this yellow beauty is a duplex. I wonder if the third level is actual living space or just an attic for storage. You may have already noticed that most of the front yards feature a wrought iron fence. This has my wheels spinning about adding a fence around my own front yard because I like the look.

 

You’ll see different flags displayed out front which reflects the diversity of Washington D.C. Most of the front doors of the collection of epic historic homes were somewhat elaborate and I’ve got a post coming that features some of my favorites.

 

One night we enjoyed dinner at Cafe Berlin, a German restaurant close to the Capitol. They served the best cod I’ve ever had and I highly recommend it. It’s homey inside, nothing fancy, but the food is fabulous. Here are a few of the houses from that area of the neighborhood. Look carefully at this red-painted brick home and you’ll see the little star/floral shapes on the facade.

 

Here’s a blue-painted brick home with a red door and gorgeous architectural trim. The boxwood garden is quaint and inviting. Washington D.C. is probably the easiest city to navigate and get around. The traffic isn’t super congested and although it’s a large city, there aren’t huge skyscrapers that block the sun’s light.

 

Cherry Blossom Festival was in full swing during our visit and although the blooms peaked early this year, we were still able to enjoy seeing them. We visited all the monuments and memorials surrounding the tidal basin. We were able to walk the entire way from our Airbnb and take the loop around the National Mall and the basin. I heard they’re going to rebuild the brick wall around the tidal basin so I don’t know what that means for next year’s festival.

 

Of course, we had to visit the Capitol along with the epic historic homes in the area. You need to reserve your tour in advance through your senator or congressman. This was the first place of interest we toured and it was well worth it.

 

Here’s the inside of the dome, looking up.

 

I tried zooming in as best as I could with my iPhone. I left my good camera at home. That’s George Washington in the center of the ceiling mural with thirteen ladies that symbolize each of the colonies.

 

The entire building is quite impressive and I couldn’t help but think back to what happened on January 6th, picturing the crowds both inside and outside the building. This room used to be the Senate and we stood right where Abraham Lincoln’s desk used to sit.

 

Our last day in D.C. was Easter Sunday so we toured the Museum of the Bible – the only museum that we paid for. All the national museums like the Smithsonian are free! We ended the day with a harpsichord and guitar concert at the National Gallery of Art (also free) that celebrated the birthday of Bach. Here’s a short video of the Museum of the Bible:

 

Did you enjoy see the epic historic homes of Washington D.C? I hadn’t been since I was in junior high school and I walked away with a new appreciation for this fine city. Stay tuned for more older home beauty from Georgetown and part two of Alexandria, Virginia.