At Home on the Hill

Think of living on Capitol Hill, and you might imagine setting up shop in a 12-foot-wide, 19th-century row house. But many Hill residents also recharge their bodies and their cell phones in condominiums. Whether they choose four-unit buildings that blend in with the area's distinctive brick townhouses or developments of several hundred units, condo-dwellers near the Capitol dome find the calm of a neighborhood that moves at a slower pace than Northwest Washington but still has many of the mod cons most homeowners seek.

Hill is that we're a neighborhood first and foremost," said Meg Shapiro, a Realtor with REMAX who lives on the Hill. "It is, and always has been, a living, walking, working neighborhood with lots of green space, shops and cafes."

Now more than ever, the Hill bustles with amenities like restaurants of every flavor, coffee shops, bars (Irish, martini, sports, to name a few), gyms, a dance studio and shops peddling home furnishings, yarn, pets, gifts, cameras, books and clothing.

But as the Hill loses some of its edginess and grit and becomes attractive to more buyers, condo prices have shot up accordingly.

"Last year we were looking at prices in the $300 to $400 per square foot range for new condos," Shapiro said. "This year, it is more like $500 to $600, sometimes more for new construction. That's not including condo fees. So the obvious downside to this is that you're hard-pressed to find anything livable under $200,000. That's tough for first-time buyers."

Nevertheless, there is no dearth of takers. Two large condo projects currently under construction have sparked interest for people new to the Hill -- some singles, some young couples, some empty-nesters.

"This area has been long neglected, and hopefully this will spur development farther east," said John Beggert, development manager at JPI, whose Jenkins Row project at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE will include 247 luxury condos, a Harris Teeter grocery store and additional retail establishments. Beggert said the first condos will be ready late in the summer of 2007, and fewer than 10 units are still available. The condos include underground parking and a shared roof terrace. Prices start at $300,000 for studios and over $1 million for three bedroom apartments.

The 'hood's other large development is Senate Square at 3rd and H streets NE, behind Union Station, at the site of the former Capital Children's Museum. The project is being developed jointly by Abdo Development, the company behind the 45-loft historic renovation section (called Landmark Lofts), and Broadway Management, which is developing 480 condos in a section of new construction (called the Lexington and Concord buildings).

By 2007, the Jenkins Row development on Capitol Hill will feature condos, a Harris Teeter grocery store and additional shops.

The Landmark Lofts are located in 130-year-old buildings that held the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Elderly until the 1970s. Condos will be equipped with Sub-Zero refrigerators and Wolf ranges, and they are selling from $700,000 to more than $1 million. The new construction condos range in price from $300,000 to over $1 million.

"It's an entire city block," said Toby Millman, vice president of project development for Abdo. "With that, we've been able to bring some significant benefits, like an open courtyard, benches, a screening room and a lap pool."

Millman said he is watching new businesses open on H Street NE, like the dance studio Joy of Motion and the Jamaican restaurant Phish Tea. He expects a grocery store to open near Senate Square. "Union Station has been drawing tourists," he said, "but as H Street develops, residents will be taking advantage of all its shops and restaurants."

Although most of the condos under construction on the Hill tend to be new, part of the allure of the area -- that historic character and charm -- comes across in existing buildings.

Condo conversion developments include Abdo's Bryan School Lofts at 1315 Independence Ave. SE, a 100-year-old school that was converted into 20 luxury units with an average size of 2,200 square feet each, and the Lovejoy Lofts at 400 12th St. NE, also in a converted schoolhouse. The latter boasts 54 one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 870 to 1,300 square feet. Also popular: the Car Barn, an 1896 streetcar depot and repair shop that encompasses 146 units, including one- and two-bedroom condos and 50 two-bedroom townhomes.

Some residents like living on the Hill because it's convenient if they work at or near the Capitol. But others love the neighborhood for its historic, tree-lined streets and brick sidewalks. Also appealing: the small-town feel of commercial corridors like Barracks Row along 8th Street SE and the Eastern Market area on 7th Street SE.

There's no shortage of cultural attractions, either. Residents can attend plays and check out exhibits on the Bard at the Folger Shakespeare Library, see movies and attend readings at the Library of Congress or take in Washington Nationals ball games and D.C. United soccer matches at RFK Stadium. Other happenings: summer parades at the Marine Barracks, performing arts at the Atlas Theater on H Street, films at Union Station and Second Saturday, a monthly promotion on 8th Street when Barracks Row shops and galleries stay open later and offer drinks and happenings.

There are many reasons to stay on the Hill, but when folks want to leave, that's convenient, too. Amtrak trains depart from Union Station; there are five neighborhood Metro stations (Capitol South, Eastern Market, Potomac Avenue, Stadium-Armory and Union Station); and Virginia is only minutes away by car via 395 South.

Julianna Caplan said one of the reasons she and her husband decided to buy a place in the Car Barn two years ago was its affordable price tag ($475,000). She also thinks Hill condos "aren't high-rise and cookie cutter." Caplan, a public relations executive, said she also liked the fact that you enter their two-bedroom townhome right from the street. "We didn't want a doorman and a fancy lobby. This feels more private."

Caplan, who has Washington Nationals season tickets and can walk to home games, said she also enjoys the Hill's diverse population. "You can tell from the stuff at yard sales -- this area is hipper and more diverse than Northwest."

Among her favorite haunts: Murky Coffee (660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-546-5228; murky coffee.com), the newish, Cali-cool Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar (223 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-544-8088; sonomadc.com,) and, near RFK Stadium, the retro, year-old Trusty's Full-Service Bar (1420 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-547-1010).

For Beth Blaufuss, an administrator at a private school in Prince George's County, the Hill remains diverse, but not as much as when she bought her Lincoln Park condo in 1999. "I liked the fact that it was a mixed-income neighborhood at the time," she said. "I'm the mix now."

Blaufuss still loves the area, because there are always people around (though the sidewalks aren't packed) and it's still possible to find parking. She hangs out at Firehook Bakery (215 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-544-7003) and Starbucks (237 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-544-9783), where she sits upstairs and works in what she calls the Capitol Hill Study Hall. Another favorite: Frager's Hardware (1115 Pennsylvania Ave.; 202-543-6157), which carries all sorts of things to help furnish a condo. "If you need it, they have it," Blaufuss said.

Denise D'Amour, co-owner of Hoopla Traders (733 8th St. SE; 202-544-3620; hooplatraders.com) and Capitol Hill Bikes (709 8th St. SE; 202-544-4234; capitol hillbikes.com), has lived on the Hill since 1989. She's seen a huge change in the area. "When we opened the bike shop, everyone told us to lock things up," she said. "We didn't heed that advice. We wanted to send a message. We had everything out in the open."

She said today there's a lot more pedestrian traffic, and people come from other neighborhoods to shop. Quite a difference from four years ago, when Hoopla opened. "We took the building over from a tattoo parlor," she said, "that kept pit bulls in the basement."