Resale of the week: Architect’s stamp on Chevy Chase town home

The Chevy Chase neighborhood in the District offers easy access to two of the city’s most beloved amenities: Politics & Prose bookstore and the Avalon movie theater.

Imagine being able to walk every evening to a local, independent bookstore and listen to the authors of your favorite novels, biographies and political histories speak, or opting instead to see the latest independent film. In between these two landmarks are a variety of shops, a branch of the D.C. Public Library and restaurant options that run the gamut from a small bakery to fine dining and everything in between.

The homes in Chevy Chase include condominiums, town homes and single-family homes, many of them built in the early 20th century, some by renowned Washington developer Harry Wardman.

Though Wardman may be known best for such large-scale projects as the Marriott Wardman Park, Hay-Adams and Jefferson hotels, he also built hundreds of single-family homes and town homes in neighborhoods across the city. Homes built by Wardman are prized for their solid construction and period details.

The end-unit brick town home at 3721 Jenifer St. NW in Chevy Chase, on the market for $879,000, is a classic example of a home built by Wardman, with its vintage details and brick walls. The home offers four levels of living space, including a finished above-ground au-pair suite on the lower level with a separate exterior entrance as well as an interior entrance.

This home is less than a mile from the Friendship Heights Metro station. The property also is less than a block from Connecticut Avenue and its bus lines. This location offers not only city amenities, but also a quiet neighborhood of tree-lined streets and lovely homes.

A flagstone front porch spans the width of this home. A few steps lead from the porch around the side of the home under a charming brick arch to a brick terrace that wraps around the back of the house.

The terrace features distinctive inlaid mosaic tiles and a built-in bench with a mosaic tile top. While there is plenty of space for entertaining on the terrace, the property also includes an open yard around the terrace that can be used for gardening.

Inside, this home has high ceilings, oversized windows, columns, inlaid wood floors and extensive wood trim to add vintage flavor to the rooms. The front door, which has a glass center, three transom windows and sidelights, opens into a wide hallway that wraps around the living room and opens into the formal dining room. The hallway provides an additional space for receptions as well as access to the main staircase.

The formal living room faces the front porch and includes inlaid hardwood flooring, four columns to define the space and two oversized mullioned windows. The focal point for the living room is the fireplace, which has a detailed wood mantel. The living room has picture-frame molding in addition to crown molding and detailed door and window trim.

Across the hall from the living room is the formal dining room, which has a chandelier, two windows and two sets of French doors that open onto the sunroom. The dining room has hardwood flooring and picture-frame molding. The adjacent sunroom has hardwood flooring and wood walls with multiple windows as well as a glass door to the brick terrace.

Just off the sunroom is a powder room with hardwood flooring. Nearby is a laundry room with a stacked washer and dryer.

The kitchen, which is adjacent to the dining room, has a charming tile backsplash, hardwood flooring, a ceiling fan and a greenhouse window.

Hardwood stairs lead from the main hall to the two upper levels. On the first of these two levels, four large bedrooms share a full bath off the hall. The first bedroom, at the front of the house, has a fireplace flanked by built-in bookcases, a ceiling fan and inlaid wood floors. This room has a glass door and two tall windows facing the front yard.

The third and fourth bedrooms have a walk-in closet each, while the second bedroom has a standard closet. All the bedrooms have hardwood flooring.

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