Hill Slowinski • Real Estate: Blog: January 2011

A Rare 1770 "Flounder" Beautifully Renovated  (SOLD!!)

202 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA

OFFERED for $1,410,000

This rare 1770 freestanding brick flounder, built well back from the street and surrounded by a formal garden with potting shed and high brick walls, is a jewel of Old Town.  The two and one-half story brick home, with a rolled tin roof and beautifully renovated and restored in 1995, is one of the few remaining freestanding flounder houses in Alexandria.  It features crown moldings, paneled foyer, library with original fireplace, and a full in-law suite with separate entrance.

William Mitchell, a sea captain, built this ‘flounder' house in 1770.  "Flounder" means that the wall that faces the neighbor's yard has no windows; therefore, the windows are on the other side, like the eyes of a flounder.  The name is unique to Alexandria.

The property originally had a warehouse in the front yard. The practice of building rear wings was common in early America.  The house never acquired additional fronting on the street after the warehouse was demolished in 1815.  The 2½ story brick home with a rolled tin roof is one of the few remaining freestanding flounder houses in Alexandria. 

The house stood vacant for eight years in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  It was carefully restored in 1995.  Crown moldings throughout the home were duplicated using an original 18th Century piece.  Pass through the paneled foyer to the library warmed by the original fireplace.  Exit the house through the renovated kitchen and turn right in the alley to view the windowless side of the house. 

At the time of the renovation, the brick patio in the front yard, completely covered with mud and weeds, was unearthed.  The holly tree, climbing rose, large English boxwoods on the street side of the garden, the azalea bushes on the patio's west side, and one boxwood against the house were on the property in 1995.  European hornbeams line the entry walkway to the pergola covered in wisteria and grape vines.  English boxwoods frame the brick patio and dogwood tree, and a climbing hydrangea is the focal point on the front of the house.  The potting shed was added in 2007.

Click here for the Virtual Tour

For additional details, see AX7500675 at www.HillSlowinski.com.

Old Town Alexandria:  Closes to Everything!  (SOLD!!)

211 South Payne Street, Old Town, Alexandria, VA  22314

Offered for $875,000  

          This two-story brick Colonial Revival style detached townhouse was built in 1900, with a three-bay façade with six-over-one windows and an abbreviated classical cornice.  It is in easy walking distance to the King Street shopping and dining corridor, Metro Station, Courthouse, and Patent and Trademark office. The home underwent a thorough renovation from the ground up completed in 1995 with all new mechanical and electrical systems, new double-pane windows, and new plumbing. 

            The formal living room is anchored by an inviting clean natural gas fireplace, large side windows with southern exposures, and an elegant seating area. The living and dining rooms area have crown molding and polished wood floors. The intimate dining area leads to the open white kitchen which features a center island, gray countertops, and upgraded appliances. The attached eating space in the sun room overlooks a spacious 15' x 15' sun deck, enhanced with a stunning new English style square post iron trellis, private landscaped yard, and a deep inviting garden enclosure. 

            The second floor features the master bedroom which offers a large custom designed tiled master bath area, complete with separate glassed shower and whirlpool bath.  There are two additional bedrooms and one additional full bath. The well-proportioned bedrooms include plentiful closet space and large windows with sunny southern exposures

Click here for Virtual Tour

For more information, see: AX7493490