An architectural purist may look askance at the mishmash of styles in this Capitol Hill home, but there’s no question they give the house a distinctive look.
A bit of Second Empire can be found in the partial mansard roof. A touch of Queen Anne is present in the arched windows and bay front. High Victorian Gothic emerges in the brick and carved stone work above the front door and windows. A smattering of Federal appears in the wrought iron rails along the front steps.
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R.C. Mangum built the house in 1894 for J.T. Campbell, a developer of several homes in the neighborhood. On Capitol Hill, very few homes were designed by architects. Most often builders took the house’s design from architectural pattern books, which is probably where Mangum found the plans for this home. The building permit notes that it was either a teardown or a renovation of an existing structure that was owned by B.B. Edwards.
At the time, 11th Street SE in the Lincoln Park neighborhood was home to the merchant class, with several storefronts lining the street — grocery, barber shop, florist, cobbler and cleaners. The early owners of the home reflected the surroundings. They included a seamstress, a government worker and a funeral director.
Owners came and went over the years until Granville S. Austin bought the home in 1977. Austin, who lived there until his death in 2014, had a distinguished career as a scholar and political historian. He was known for his work on India’s constitution. He also was a press attache in Lebanon and a State Department director of research and analysis for the Near East and South Asia.
Much of the home’s interior has been preserved, including the heart pine floors, the millwork, the newel post on the stairs and the detailed door casings. The first-floor porch that overlooks the side courtyard can be accessed from the living room or kitchen. Entry to the second-floor veranda is from a bedroom.
The 0.13-acre property, which is steps away from Lincoln Park, includes a 2,000-square-foot carriage house with three separate, individually metered rental units and parking for two cars. The 5,673-square-foot main house has six bedrooms and five bathrooms. It is listed at $2.8 million.
Listing: 131 11th St. SE, Washington, D.C.
Listing agent: Tom Faison, Re/Max Allegiance
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