Oops: D.C. Must Raze Luxury Home

Royster said the city should have halted construction when residents first complained in late 2005 that they didn't think two houses should be built on the lot, once peppered with trees. Royster, a Pepco lawyer, and Malson, president of the D.C. Hospital Association, said they chipped in $30,000 for the legal battle and are to be reimbursed under the agreement.

"It harmed many families because it ruined the beauty and character of our neighborhood," Royster said. "We had to spend our own money to get the city to enforce the law."

The house, a large Cape Cod-Tudor, was one of two structures built on North Portal Drive. The five-bathroom, tan, shingled house was wedged between the new 5,000-square-foot Colonial and Royster's red-brick house with a swimming pool and Japanese pond.

Yesterday, Royster, who is the managing member of a partnership established by the three families to purchase the lot, toured the nearly complete house, with 46 windows and three sets of French doors.

In one bathroom, the fixtures were in a box on the vanity. In another, a contemporary bowl sink was sitting on the floor. A fireplace mantel was propped on one wall. A second-floor bathroom with marble floors and shower featured a whirlpool bathtub and two windows with a bird's-eye view of Royster's pool and kitchen. A white tea kettle on her counter top could be seen clearly. "Omigod," Royster said, "I didn't realize they could see me at my kitchen sink."

Many of the house's windows allowed a view of the houses on the adjoining property lots, but it was built so that the dining room had unobstructed front and side views of Rock Creek Park.

"They have a better view than we do," said Royster, who has lived in the neighborhood for eight years. The other adjoining property owners are Ellen Elizabeth Grooms and James S. Edmonds, and Howard University official Sidney H. Evans and his wife, Bebra.

The neighborhood is home to numerous city officials and longtime community leaders, many of whom attended the federal commission's meeting in May. D.C. Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby also lives nearby.

Jerome Paige, president of the North Portal Civic Association, said the group is working to ensure that zoning changes are enacted to prevent this type of error from occurring again.

"It's been an unfortunate situation for everyone involved," Paige said. "We're glad that the city has moved to correct the mistake. It's not something to celebrate. We're sorry we had to go through it."