With a Congressman Next Door and a Capital View Outside

At times, Hill House can feel like a dorm for the Capitol -- after all, a third of its 77 apartments are quarters for congressmen, while staff and lobbyists fill many of the others.

People come and go through its clean, honey-colored lobby, greeting each other warmly, no matter their political affiliation or position.

Politicos, recent grads on a budget and free spirits are among those who find the place appealing for its security, its cleanliness and its location on a pretty street with the marble of official Washington at one end and the painted bricks of neat townhomes at the other.

It's always fun to see whom you can see in the exercise room or doing their laundry, said Timothy Hill, who moved into one of the 40 efficiencies with his wife just before New Year's Day. His boss, Rep. David Davis (R-Tenn.), lives in a one-bedroom on another floor, carrying on a tradition among representatives of his district. "When he calls, I get on the elevator," Hill said, jokingly.

Hill House tenants praised the building's staff as responsive and efficient. Jordan Slopey, a legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), said they were particularly helpful after she broke her foot recently, her second foot injury in a year. "Both times, they have put packages by my door when needed and told me if I need anything to ask."

When she moved to Hill House last year, a one-bedroom apartment was out of her price range, but the efficiency suited her needs as well as her budget. "Everything is included," she said. "The only thing I pay for is cable." Moreover, "everyone I have met in the building is really nice, and it is quiet and safe."

Hill House residents can measure their proximity to the Capitol South Metro in fractions of a block, and the building is footsteps from the major House office buildings. That appeals to Andrew Zamoyski, a lobbyist for a Swiss color chemicals company. "It is so convenient to both sides of the Hill [the House and Senate]," said Zamoyski, a Rhode Island resident who keeps an apartment at Hill House. Location was the first reason he filled out an application half an hour after he arrived there, on the recommendation of two friends. The second reason is Anthony Miller, the maintenance person, Zamoyski said.

"You mention an issue, and he wants to resolve it. You tell him about something -- he gets it done. The sink is running slow, next thing you know he's in there fixing it."

For resident Francophile Victoria Reynolds, Miller even installed a bidet in the bathroom.

Miller has also apparently vanquished dust and dirt in the red brick mid-rise, according to residents, but the sparkling floors are the only flashy thing about the place.

Living at Hill House is low-key because of security, said Les Browder, the resident manager. "Capitol Hill police monitor the building thoroughly," he said, and that includes bomb-sniffing dogs around the perimeter.

The bright and airy units feature marble bathrooms, hardwood floors in the living areas, black-and-white-tiled kitchens with white fixtures and cabinets, and lots of closet space. The efficiencies have walk-in closets. Renovations have been underway for about six years, happening when a unit is vacated. Sparkling, bright laundry and fitness rooms defy the image of "scary basement stuff" common to other dwellings, Zamoyski said. Maurice Lipnick and Calvin Cafritz own the building, which was built in 1958.

Reynolds, an artist and freelance writer, is a veteran of small quarters after living in Paris and other cities. She installed a bed loft in her Hill House efficiency to maximize space after moving in, in January 2006. Her home office dwells neatly below it.

Reynolds, who loves to cook and entertain, said she relishes the "tons of cupboard space" in the galley kitchen. She even hosts dinner parties in her apartment, using stools, table extensions and a compact sofa. A dressing screen separates the kitchen from the living spaces.

She has also thrown parties on the rooftop terrace, which offers a dandy view of the Washington Monument and the annual fireworks display in one direction; in the other, what the former Montmartre resident said she loves about city apartments -- a skyline of peaked rooftops, the odd turret or church steeple, and the march of rowhouses through the treetops.