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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.

The Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington D.C.

 

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.

Capitol Hill Street with colorful townhouses

 

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.

Yellow townhouse Airbnb in Washington DC

 

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.

Lavender townhouse - epic historic homes of Capitol Hill

 

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.

DC townhouse in Capitol Hill

 

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.

Sidewalk garden in DC

 

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.

The Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington D.C.

 

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.

Yellow historic duplex in DC

 

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.

Epic historic homes in DC

 

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.

red brick townhome in Washington

 

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.

blue house near Capitol Hill

 

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.

Cherry blossoms around the tidal basin at Washington DC

 

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.

Capitol Hill in DC

 

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

Dome inside Capitol Hill

 

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.

George Washington in painting on dome of Capitol Hill

 

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.

Inside Capitol Hill

 

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.

 

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9 Comments

  1. I loved seeing the old houses tricked out in beautiful colors in DC. Sounded like a lovely trip. Thanks for sharing. Barbara

  2. My Dad, who was born in 1924, was born and raised in DC. He grew up on “K Street” and my grandparents eventually moved to “N Street”. It was very middle class then but I hear it’s become rather fancy now. We always loved going to DC. It was very busy and very different from our little Southern town of 10-12k people. Our aunts, uncles and cousins loved our Southern accents (and tans!) and we loved calling them “yankees!”

  3. Hi Jennifer, such a lovely post! I also love architectural details and doors, especially of older homes like the ones in this posting. We enjoyed many of the beautiful streets and homes in the Capital Hill area, as we made three visits there when our son worked in a Congressional office in DC for 18 months. I captured many similar shots on my phone as we walked through the city. I even had some pics of Georgetown row homes enlarged and framed. They are some of my favorites. One was taken on our fall trip and had pumpkins by the front door! I look forward to seeing your upcoming posts from Georgetown and Alexandria!

  4. I think I was there in 2018, it was a beautiful day and very exciting to see. We also toured all the war memorials, which was nice, but of course, my favorite were all those beautiful old homes. Thanks for sharing and memories.

  5. I loved this tour. Thanks, Jennifer! One of our daughters lived in DC for eight years. We fell in love with the city. She actually gave tours of the capital for a while. DC is such a vibrant city. Even though we were there numerous times, there was always something new and exciting to see. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

  6. Hi! I grew up in DC – my father was first chair violinist and concertmaster for the
    White House chamber orchestra. My mother lived in one of these houses on Capital Hill in the 1920’s! I wish I knew which one – I never thought to ask.