Japanese maples create focal points in the rear garden, where expansive windows take in the view.
A few blocks from the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill stands a stately row house that once was home to Frederick Douglass. Its current owners hired Moody Graham to upgrade the small front garden and make the backyard functional for family living—but with an eye on respecting the site’s cultural heritage. “Material selections and design choices were made to complement the historic neighborhood while responding to a contemporary rear addition,” says landscape architect Ryan Moody. The property (now dubbed North Star Garden after a newspaper Douglass founded to help enslaved people find freedom) features a copper star on its wrought-iron entrance gate. In back, horizontal wood fencing conveys a modern feel around a patio with zones for grilling and entertaining.
Landscape Architecture: Ryan Moody, ASLA, PLA; Avantika Dalal, project designer, Moody Graham Landscape Architecture. Landscape Contractor: Oldetowne Landscape Architects.