Tricks and Treats of D.C.'s Architecture cont.d

The Octagon House Museum

The Octagon House was designed for John Tayloe III by architect William Thornton, the first architect of the United States Capitol. Built between 1799 and 1801, this was the first house to be completed "in the neighborhood" of the White House.

• One of Tayloe's fifteen children either fell to her death through the center of the grand staircase. Stories include a strange candle-shaped shadow on the staircase and the faint sound of a falling scream.
  
• A second daughter, while pregnant, died in the house by throwing herself from the top banister upon finding out her father had done away with her soldier lover, whom he disapproved of. Her ghost is said to roam the halls.
  
• Occasionally visitors have claimed to seen John himself walking the halls of the home along with slaves performing their daily routines.
  
• A somewhat more pleasant ghost, reported to have been seen dancing and enjoying the lilacs, is assumed to be Dolley Madison who adored her stay in the house.

The Octagon House Museum Web Site



Healy Hall-Georgetown University

Officially, the fifth floor of Healy Hall does not, and never did, exist. The high Victorian design of the building, which was constructed in the late 1870's during the presidency of Patrick Healy, lends itself to speculation about secret sealed-off floors and ghostly inhabitants.

• One story of how this floor came to be haunted dates back to when Georgetown was a liberal arts college. A young Jesuit student accidentally opened the Gates of the Underworld when reading forbidden chants in a book about exorcism within a secret room in Healey Hall that is now sealed off.
  
• A second tale involves another Jesuit, who was crushed to death by the hands of the clock while working in the clock tower and now wanders the floor moaning in pain.
  
• Other Georgetown ghost stories tell of trapped spirits in the University's underground tunnel system.

Curb Appeal

The homes along the North Quaker Lane area of Alexandria are beautiful and spacious. This was the case for our clients whose property is gorgeous and has a wonderful interior; the one exception being that their home lacked curb appeal. Our design team recommended focusing the effort and dollars to upgrade the entry porch and improve the home’s street presence. The existing covered porch was uninviting, narrow and felt like a back door. Exposed brick walls at the porch looked rough and unrefined, old stone paving was cracked and loose, and a pair of glass patio doors served as the front entry but lacked ‘front-door’ status.

This project was all about the details; the details of the architecture and the details of the arrival experience. Starting your journey at the driveway we constructed low stone square piers to announce the new flagstone sidewalk; each pier capped with thick flagstone for a substantial feeling, and built-in lighting illuminates the step. The sidewalk’s flagstone was laid in a diagonal pattern to create a rhythm as you progress parallel to the front of the house. Arriving at a turning point, the walk widens to a square and the paving pattern changes, designating its time to turn and face the porch. To make the porch feel more inviting the flagstone paving was extended beyond the porch roofline. This extra floor space allows visitors to gather and accommodates porch accessories such as benches or decorative pots.

The new sidewalk delivers the visitor to the center of the porch so that you must walk through the porch to the front door and experience the space. The porch offers a new experience because the brick walls of the porch are covered with wood paneling with panel molding. Three different wall panel designs were proposed, ranging from formal (raised panels) to informal (vertical T&G boarding). Each style was mocked-up life size for the client to examine and the design selected was the flat recessed panel with panel molding which was chosen because it is not too formal and not too informal. The fake shutters were removed from at the porch windows and door to let the paneling do its work. New trim at the door and windows further enhances the details. The old glass patio doors were replaced with an elegant custom door flanked by sidelights that gives the house a new status.

The home’s new curb appeal puts it in sync with the quality of the overall residence and enhances its market value.

photo by Ron Blunt