The annual Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s (CHRS) House & Garden Tour will be held on Mother’s Day Weekend – Saturday, May 10, and Sunday, May 11. This tour is one of the highlights of Capitol Hill, so mark your calendars now.
The tour this year will be different in that all – except one – of the homes and gardens are located in Northeast Capitol Hill, including the historic Swampoodle district, which is the corner of Capitol Hill immediately to the east of Union Station.
The tour this year will include eleven homes never before featured on the House Tour, including several semi-public buildings and rest stops. Refreshments from local DC vendors will be offered in the lobby of the 700 Constitution St., NE, apartment building.
The homes on the tour feature both historic and more modern layouts and interiors, including one that is completely new construction and some with lovely gardens.
A fun stop will be three-in-a-row homes with metal oriel bay windows on their second stories. The three 1895 Queen Anne Victorians are very different inside: one has exposed brick and an open floor plan, another has a Scandinavian-inspired kitchen separated from the garden by a wall of glass, and the third one has historic mantels and mirrors to give it a New York brownstone vibe.
Another house on the tour is located at 8th and Massachusetts NE and recently underwent a meticulous renovation to preserve ing, mantels and other original details and had paint carefully removed from the brick. It was once the home to the principal examiner of the U.S. Patent Office.
Tickets are set to go on sale April 1. More info at www.chrs.org
CHRS is also looking for volunteers to be docents at the houses during the two-day event. Training will be provided. All docents who sign up for a minimum of a two-hour shift will be given a free ticket to visit the other tour stops during the weekend. Please the CHRS House Tour Committee at [email protected] for more information.
