A Garden Haven With a Storied Past

In 1898, wealthy businessman and newspaper publisher John R. McLean bought 75 acres of the land to build his summer home. McLean, then owner of The Washington Post and the Cincinnati Enquirer, had numerous other local properties: McLean in Fairfax County was a stop on his streetcar line that ran from downtown Washington to the Virginia suburbs in the early 20th century.

His lavish home had tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course and ornate gardens. It became a meeting place for the elite during the early 1900s, and among the regular visitors were presidents Harding and Coolidge.

Eventually McLean's grand summer home was demolished, and in 1942 the federal government built inexpensive housing to accommodate the flood of government workers coming into Washington as part of the war effort, surrounding the simple brick buildings with ample green spaces to suggest the look and feel of the suburbs.

After World War II, the buildings were offered to the general population as rental units.

More than 700 tenants lived there until the 1970s, when plans to tear down the complex gave rise to the McLean Gardens Residents Association. After a fierce battle that helped create new laws on city rent control and condominium conversion, the tenants purchased the complex in 1979. By 1982, McLean Gardens had been fully converted into condos.

"There are some rentals in McLean Gardens -- maybe 20 percent -- but they are all privately owned condominiums that are rented out by individual owners," said Barbara Bermpohl, who, with her husband and a succession of dogs, has lived there for more than 16 years.

"From my observation, McLean Gardens offers the best dollar-per-square-foot value of any condominium in the city. And as a real estate agent, I know that buyers can get any kind of financing . . . to purchase a home here; that's not the case with many other condos in the city," she said.

After a career move took the Bermpohls "way out in the country," they eagerly moved back to the District after just two years. "We're urban people; we felt exiled in Chantilly," Bermpohl said. "And we love green space, but we didn't want to do all the work. This fit our needs perfectly."

The only sticking point was finding a floor plan that would accommodate their large dining room set. Once they did -- their spacious two-story unit holds all their treasures, including a sizable art collection amassed on annual trips to France -- everything clicked into place. "We love the wide range of ages of the people here -- our neighbors are young families with children and active retirees. We often have group dinners in our building," she said.

One of those neighbors is writer Joe McGinniss Jr. His first novel, "The Delivery Man," is a hit and has him following in the footsteps of his father, author of numerous bestsellers.

McGinniss and his wife, Janine Ford, both in their 30s, arrived in 2004 from Philadelphia, and have found the neighborhood to be extremely friendly. "After time spent living in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, this is the place where we have interacted with people the most," McGinniss said.

Ford agreed, adding, "We will definitely be here for awhile. It's not super cheap to live here, but we've got a good amount of space."

Their year-old son, Julien, and playful yellow Labrador, Vegas, get the whole family outside for informal play dates with other dogs and children.

"Fortunately there are a lot of dog people here, although we try to be friendly to the non-dog people, too," Ford said jokingly. Condo rules allow residents one dog of any size per unit, or two cats, or a dog and a cat.

"It feels like baby-land, with an informal new mom group and brand-new equipment in the kiddie parks. It's nice to not have to worry about any of that," she said.

Ford also likes her easy walk to work at Fannie Mae on Wisconsin Avenue, which backs up to the community. Several of her co-workers also live in McLean Gardens.

With shops, supermarkets, restaurants and a Starbucks all within walking distance, many residents live quite comfortably without a car. Many who do own cars find street parking sufficient, although some spaces are available for rent in nine private lots sprinkled throughout the community.

There are several nearby health clubs, as well as free tennis courts at Newark Street Park. Buses on Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues make getting around the city easy; it's about a 15-minute walk to Red Line Metro stations at Tenleytown, Cleveland Park and Van Ness.