Renovated Homes, With Nods to the Past

All 90 apartments in the affordable-housing complex Carousel Court have balconies. (By Susan Straight For The Washington Post)

"Sometimes they'll fix a plate for me before even asking. I'll try almost anything," he said.

Washington also knows a lot of the complex's many children. "I may not know all of their names, but I know them by face and by apartment," he said. That helps keep problems with the kids to a minimum.

Rana and Ijaz said their primary concern is their children. Their older daughter has shown such promise in her studies, Rana said, that they think: "She'll be more productive for this country. Our ultimate goal is to see her in a good position."

"The main attraction for me and my wife is that it's near schools," he said. His daughters go to Parklawn Elementary, a public school, and Belvedere Elementary, a magnet school about a mile away. Both daughters have thrived in their schools, including being elected student association presidents.

"We are very satisfied," Rana said.

Rosa La Torre lives in a two-bedroom unit with her daughter, Briana Portillo, 5, and her infant son, Enrique Portillo. She moved in eight years ago, when her brother-in-law lived in the building. "It's close to everything. It's close to my work," she said.

The playground is a favorite part of the renovation, she said. "In the summertime, we're out there every day, especially my girl," she said.

Magdi Abdalla and his wife, Rasha Ibrhaim, who recently moved to the United States from Egypt, were looking for a three-bedroom apartment for themselves, Abdalla's mother and their three girls, ages 8, 6 and 5. They spent some time at a different apartment building before moving to Carousel Court. "I was looking for a three-bedroom with reasonable rent and in a good area," Ibrhaim said.

Their three-bedroom unit at Carousel Court overlooks the green lawn and new playground. Through her third-floor balcony, Ibrhaim can watch her children playing while she cooks or cares for her mother-in-law. Beyond the lawn, her balcony looks onto a neighborhood of single-family houses.

The children have fit in well in the neighborhood, Ibrhaim said. "From the first day, they had friends. They were playing back there," she said, motioning to the back lawn. "They love it."

Because she knows other parents in the community and because of the enclosed nature of the lawn, she feels comfortable with her children playing there. "It's safe. There are no cars around," she said.

Ibrhaim said her family made a good choice. "Everything is convenient. The shopping, the doctors. It's easy for me to go anywhere," she said.