A Classic Look Outside, Modern Touches Inside

16th Street's Barclay, Ravenel Get an Overhaul

The Barclay Ravenel is undergoing a serious overhaul.

In the two-building rental complex on the 1600 block of 16th Street NW, lobbies in both buildings have been spiffed up with sleek contemporary furniture and art. Renovations to the apartments are ongoing, and, according to property manager Josh Baker, 40 percent of them have been redone since Carmel Partners, a California investment group, bought the buildings about four years ago. There are plans to refurbish the elevators, too.

Despite the changes, the buildings retain their 1940s facades and infrastructure. A red brick building with a grand, pillared entryway, the Barclay contains 56 units. The tan brick Ravenel, a few steps down the street, has 64 apartments. Both are a mix of studio and one- and two-bedroom units; the Barclay also has several three-bedroom apartments.

Evan Muchmore, 26, moved to a one-bedroom unit in the Barclay from Indiana. "Coming from a bigger house and condensing into a smaller apartment in D.C., I thought it was going to be a little more traumatic. But it's actually been plenty of space and feels very airy and light and comfortable."

He said he appreciates the spacious bedroom and recent upgrades in his unit, which he shares with his girlfriend. "It's fresh paint, the floors were just redone, the kitchen's new," he said, plus stainless-steel appliances. Muchmore said he never hears his neighbors through the walls and that the privacy is "a big plus."

Anne O'Connor, 26, moved in July to a studio on the ground level of the Ravenel. She had been living in Bethesda, but she said she was "missing out on the D.C. experience" and decided to move into the city. "Immediately, what drew me was the price of the apartments because it really was reasonable for the area," she said.

Although her apartment is small, she said, its huge walk-in closet is one of its best features. Her kitchen has only a small refrigerator and a range without an oven. But it does have a dishwasher, which she considers a decent trade-off.

George Washington University student Joycelyn Macbeth, 25, moved into her studio apartment in 2004 and also said she appreciates the storage space. "A lot of places I had looked at didn't have the same amount of closet space," she said.

For O'Connor, a big part of the Barclay Ravenel's appeal is its address. "This is premiere location right here. You're within walking distance of some of the best nightlife D.C. has to offer," O'Connor said. She said she enjoys going to bars in Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle and frequents the small strip of restaurants and cafes on nearby 17th Street, where Hank's Oyster Bar is her favorite. The building is also close enough to her office that O'Connor can walk to work. That's "a great benefit of living here," she said.

Sharlette Visaya, a freelance writer who works at a bed-and-breakfast, said she likes how close the building is to the Whole Foods on P Street and the Safeway around the corner. Because of the location, she said, "I walk everywhere, actually, and take advantage of public transportation."

The Dupont Circle Metro station is a short walk away, and there is a stop for the 16th Street bus lines on the block. Visaya, 37, said it's an easy place to get a taxi, too.

Each building offers residents a central laundry facility and a limited number of uncovered outdoor parking spaces. Ravenel has a small fitness center for its residents, and Barclay has a bicycle storage room. Another GW student, Sarah Boeckmann, 24, said that the fitness center is small but useful. She works out there several days a week when she doesn't feel like heading all the way to campus for exercise.

Muchmore said he values the property's pet policy. He struggled to find an apartment that would allow two cats and said many of the ones that did charged monthly pet rent. The Barclay Ravenel, however, charges only a one-time $300 pet fee.

O'Connor has been impressed with the building's staff. "I have had the best service here," she said. Her maintenance requests have usually been addressed within a day. "I think they're really responsive and very polite and helpful."

Boeckmann said she likes that there is a staffer in the on-site leasing office during weekdays who can accept packages on her behalf. "That was a huge thing for me, coming from New York," where she said she often had to trek to a faraway office to pick up packages that carriers would not deliver without a signature.

Overall, Macbeth said, the complex is an ideal setting for someone her age. "My neighbors are pretty quiet and friendly; I love the neighborhood; the management is really nice, really cordial," she said. "I think it's just the perfect spot for folks who are in the 20s and 30s range."