Those with an interest in architecture — or a passion for fantasy — may have noticed a strange string of five attached houses in Washington’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. One of these dwellings, dubbed the “Hobbit House” by neighbors for the rounded door under a prominent bay window, is on the market for nearly $1.28 million.
The houses were built in 1890 by architect Louis D. Meline, who also designed what are now the nearby embassies of Greece, Latvia and Sudan. They are located in the Strivers’ Section Historic District, which was home to upper-middle-class Black residents in the 19th and early 20th century.
William Waybourn, who with his partner, Craig Spaulding, founded the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, first spotted what he called the “magical” building at 1738 V St. NW on walks to work when he owned a property in Kalorama. Then, the house was used as a law office.
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Waybourn bought the house in 2017 and embarked on an extensive renovation with interior designer and architect Ernesto Santalla, who had worked on several of the couple’s other properties. The renovation included an overhaul of the bathrooms, the removal of a fireplace that was putting too much weight on a wall, and the installation of new floors, appliances and cabinets.
Share this articleShareSantalla “is all about space and making small spaces look bigger,” Waybourn said. In this case, the bigger look was advanced by putting a wall that is mostly window across the back of the house and adding new light fixtures.
Perhaps the most striking detail of the property is its rounded front door, which Waybourn called “an optical illusion.” The shape makes it look like “a small door for small people,” but it’s the same height as the rectangular doors in the rest of the house, he said.
That door opens to a living room with dark-stained oak flooring. The kitchen, in the back of this level, has lacquered cabinetry, Bosch appliances and a custom table that seats eight. A push-button sliding-door cabinet hides a washer and dryer. The stairwell has a skylight.
The second level has a room — the one with the large bay window — that Waybourn used as a portrait photography studio. The primary bedroom suite, also on this level, has a wall of windows with custom drapes and an en suite bathroom with a shower and a two-sink vanity. The third level has two bedrooms that share a hall bathroom. The bedroom in the rear has a view of the city. Behind the house is an outdoor parking spot with a door separating it from the driveway.
Although the house is Shire-ish and decorated with a black-and-white portrait of actor Ian McKellen (a.k.a. the wizard Gandalf), Waybourn said he had not read “The Lord of the Rings” books or watched the movies before buying the property.
“Everyone kept telling me that I owned the Hobbit House,” he said. “So I finally had to watch it.”
$1,275,000
1738 V St. NW, Washington, D.C.
- Bedrooms/bathrooms: 3/2
- Approximate square footage: 1,600 square feet
- Lot size: 952 square feet
- Features: The 1890 house is dubbed the “Hobbit House” by neighbors because of the rounded front door under a prominent bay window. It has a skylight and a nearly all-glass rear wall. The property includes one parking spot.
- Listing agent: Eric Broermann, Compass
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