Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-28
Foxhall Village Group Homes Are Distinctive
Maj. John Mcdowell
and H. L. Willett, Jr.,
Buy Houses.
ROOF AND FACADE
LINES DIFFERENT
Materials of Structures In
Development Also Are
Varied.

An Illustration of row houses that
are not row houses" in the formerly
generally accepted sense is seen in the
English group dwellings at 1916 ano
1913 Forty-fourth street, Foxhall Viii
lage, which have been purchased re-
Gently by Maj. John M. Mcdowell
U. Sc. A., and Herbert L. Willett, jr.
director of the Gorgas Memorial
Institute respectively.
The feature of these adjoining houses
that makes them group" houses rathe:
than row structures is that roof anc
facade lines are differentiated so as tc
give each building different aspect
materials employed in the facades are
varied and the layout of the separate
houses also is varied.
Comparatively New Development.
This treatment of what once was
called the row house is a comparatively
new development in operative building
construction in this country. These two
dwellings are part of the Gloucester
shire group on Forty-fourth street, the
designs for which were awarded dis
tinguished' rating by the Architects
Advisory Council, composed OF mem-
bers of the local chapter of the Ameri-
can Institute of Architects.
The design of both houses is English
The Mcdowell home has an all-Colonial
brick facade, however, while the second
and third stories of the Willett home
are finished in stucco and exposed tim
berwork. Gable lines of the two facades
also offer striking difference.
The front door of each house is nt
battem design, two and quarter inches
thick, and resembling the heavy studded
doors of old English castles. One OF
the features of the house at 1916 is the
large brick bay on the front, which is
mounted with parapet fall the roof
deck to be used AS sun porch. This
overlooks Foundry Branch Valley to
the east.
Living Room LayOuts Differ.
The living room in each house is 20
by II feet, but the layout differs. The
dining rooms of the two houses are 1872
feet by IL feet, and they also have diff
ferent shapes.
There is a vestibule in each house
large enough to be used as reception
hall. The living room has large fire.
place with a wood mantel of original
design. The fireplace is faced with
Sienna marble, having tones of gold.
cream and tan. Through an archway
one goes from the living room into the
dining room, which has triple windows
and an all-glass door leading to a rock
garden at the rear.
The woodwork is copy of that in a
house in Georgetown which is $50 years
old. The living room. dining room and
master bedrooms all have a chair rail.
in the manner of early American and
old English houses.
Each of the two houses has a fire.
proof studio room over the garage. a
brick structure with pitched roof at the
rear Of the lot. The studio is ap-
preached by way Of a wooden bridge
running from the Second-Story porch
of the house.
Cold Storage Room.
On the second floor are three bed
rooms and two tiled baths, each with
shower. There are two linen closets OH
this floor. On the third floor are two
bedrooms, one studio and a tiled bath
and shower. There also is large cedar
closet.
The kitchens have china closets and
dresSers running from the floor to the
ceiling. They were specially designed
to fit the walls of the kitchen in each
house and are built in The doors OF
the cabinets are of wood.
There is a cold-storage room in the
basement which has ceiling height
of feet.
The houses were purchased from Boss
81 Phelps. developers of the village
were designed by James E. Cooper.