Luxury home: Contemporary mansion overlooks park

Contemporary-style mansions are a rare find in the District, and few offer the additional enticement of a private, estatelike property overlooking Rock Creek Park and the 24-acre Soapstone Valley Park. Built in 1994, the elegant residence at 2901 Audubon Terrace NW rests in this private location within the sought-after Forest Hills neighborhood.

The expanse of this 20,000-square-foot home site includes lush landscaping, terraces off the main and second levels, gardens and a heated swimming pool surrounded by flagstone terraces and a pergola.

On the market for $3,975,000, this spectacular property includes a rooftop patio overlooking the grounds. An elevator links all three living levels and also provides rooftop access.

While the privacy afforded by this mansion allows residents to feel they are living in the country, the Forest Hills location is just 15 minutes by car from Georgetown and downtown Washington and provides quick access to Union Station and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for out-of-town travel.

The property offers an elegant setting for entertaining lavishly indoors and out, with guests arriving by car driving along a gated, heated drive of paving stones to a porte cochere motor court. The home also has a two-car garage with extensive built-in cabinets and storage closets.

Inside, the home has approximately 6,150 finished square feet of living space on three levels. The main level has double doors with glass panels that open to the entry foyer, a dramatic space with curved walls, marble flooring, a ceiling medallion with a chandelier, a skylight, a staircase to the upper level and a spiral staircase leading to the lower level. One of the two coat closets leads to a secret room. Nearby are a formal powder room with a marble floor and a cherry-paneled study with extensive built-in bookcases and cabinets and a built-in desk. Most of the main-level rooms have oak hardwood flooring.

The banquet-size dining room includes crown molding with cove lighting, a built-in credenza with a granite top, a pass-through to a cabinet with a granite top, and a wall of glass overlooking the garden. The formal living room includes crown molding, a gas fireplace with a marble hearth and mantel, floor-to-ceiling windows, and sliding glass doors to a terrace.

The family room features glass doors to the terrace, floor-to-ceiling windows, built-in cabinets flanking the gas fireplace and a ceiling fan. A spiral staircase tucked behind the family room leads to the lower level, while a hall nearby, lined with built-in bookcases, provides access to the elevator.

An illuminated art or sculpture niche with a granite slab separates the living room and family room. Pocket doors link the family room with the kitchen and breakfast room, which have walls of glass overlooking the garden, granite counters, custom-designed cabinets, top-of-the-line appliances and a built-in bench with a granite table. Nearby is a laundry room with ceramic tile flooring, stairs to the pool area and a glass door to the side garden.

The second level has a family room with a built-in flat-screen television and an overlook to the main level as well as a wall of windows overlooking the garden. A staircase from this family room leads to the expansive rooftop patio.

The dramatic master suite has a gas fireplace with a marble mantel and surround, recessed and cove lighting, built-in bookcases, a skylight with an automatic shade and two sets of sliding glass doors on either side of the fireplace, leading to a private terrace with a hot tub. A spiral staircase near the hot tub leads to the main-level family room and the lower-level recreation room.

The suite includes two walk-in closets with custom-designed shelving and a luxurious bath with a sauna, a soaking tub, marble flooring, marble vanity tops, a glass-enclosed shower overlooking Rock Creek Park and a television hidden behind a mirror.

The second bedroom includes a private full bath, two closets and a private terrace. The third and fourth bedrooms, each with a private full bath, share a terrace.

The lower level has two more bedrooms, each with a walk-in closet and oversized windows facing the garden. These rooms share a full bath with ceramic tile flooring.

The lower level also has a recreation room with two glass doors to the swimming pool and gardens, floor-to-ceiling windows, a gas fireplace, built-in cabinets and a projection screen. Nearby are a wet bar and a guest suite with a full bath.

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