By Andrea Rouda
Special to the Washington Post
Saturday, September 15, 2007

With architectural details reminiscent of merry old England -- leaded-style windows, coats of arms etched in stone above doorways, curved chimney pots and stone globes on the pediments -- there's an unmistakably historic feel to Washington's Foxhall Village, a 29-acre enclave of about 330 homes just west of Georgetown.

The resemblance to England is no accident. Legend has it that on a trip abroad, Washington builder Harry Boss was enamored with the architecture and returned home determined to replicate the stucco Tudor-style houses he had admired in England on his own turf. His firm, Boss and Phelps, began construction along Greenwich Parkway and Reservoir Road in 1925; their first house, with the date "1925" etched into the cornerstone, is plainly visible from the street.

By 1927, nearly 150 homes had been completed, and the community was named after an early influential resident of the area, wealthy Englishman and former Georgetown mayor Henry Foxall. (Eventually an "h" was added to the spelling.) Rival construction company Waverly Taylor added similar homes to the neighborhood in the 1930s. There are also about 50 non-Tudor homes of eclectic styles and, in the 1990s, a row of Federal-style townhouses was built on the southeast corner of Reservoir Road and Foxhall Road, replacing what was an Episcopal church.

The neighborhood is tight-knit, with residents often pitching in to take care of the medians and other common areas. Scott Polk, an agent with Long & Foster who shares his three-story Tudor with his wife and their two terriers, has for years voluntarily overseen the landscaping of the large grassy area that is the site of many community activities, including a spring yard sale and annual holiday picnics. But, Polk said, that commitment to Foxhall Village is also its downside, as there is little turnover among homeowners.

"The saying around here is: When you buy your house they give you a pine box, because that's how you'll leave it," he said. He estimates the worth of his home, which he bought in 1984 for $215,000, at more than $1 million. (Not that he's selling; he's waiting for that pine box.)

These days, the big news in Foxhall is its recent designation, after almost four years of trying, as a residential historic district. Paul DonVito, who spearheaded that process through the Foxhall Community Citizens Association, predicted that the designation will mean a significant change for the neighborhood.

"Many areas have well-designed homes, but locally there are very few examples of community design," he said. "In Foxhall, the houses are constructed in symmetrical sets, so a relatively small architectural change will damage the whole."

The new designation will affect only the facades, for example prohibiting bay fronts, except where they were original, and vinyl windows. Residents may alter the interiors and rear elevations of their homes. A drive through the network of narrow back alleys in Foxhall Village reveals how owners have chosen to do just that. The original sleeping porches have been renovated in wildly different ways: some are now screened-in back porches, while others are modern two-story decks or starkly paved parking pads. Some homes have somewhat dilapidated garages, while others display professionally landscaped gardens and patios.

The latter includes the yard of Judy and Darrel Rippeteau, who moved into their home in 1988. Their rear garden is relatively large for Foxhall, and it has been the setting for many outdoor parties. Judy, a retired elementary school teacher, and Darrel, an architect, are recent empty-nesters; they appreciate that the house is not overwhelming for just the two of them, yet it comfortably accommodated their three children who grew up there. "I love how quiet it is here. It's like a suburb in the city, without the negatives," Judy Rippeteau said. "When it snows, you can just leave your car and walk everywhere." She hikes daily to shops along Georgetown's Wisconsin Avenue and frequents Foxhall's own mini-mall for her weekly manicure at Happy Nail.

Bill Deegan and Melissa Kern, both eye surgeons, moved to Foxhall Village in 1995. They said they enjoy the community's diversity.

"There are students, but there are also retirees, and some people who have lived here for their whole lives. It's cohesive without being suffocating," Deegan said. "There is an informal togetherness; we are constantly walking the neighborhood with the kids and the dog."

On one of those family walks while living in their first home there, the couple stopped in at an open house. "It was actually two original houses that had been partially connected," Deegan said. They bought it in November 2003 and moved in two years later; the interim was spent dealing with contractors, architects and building permits, to integrate the two homes into one. "We considered those 14 months of renovations our own little entertainment," Deegan said. "We all came over on weekends for a picnic lunch, and took pictures of the progress."

Now, they spend their free time at the nearby Glover Archbold Park, which provides 183 acres for walking, running and biking with their two children, ages 3 and 8.