Balancing Act Eight years ago, a fire almost destroyed an 1891 wood-frame house in Garrett Park, Maryland, where such Victorian-era architecture is revered. Town preservationists hoped the burned dwelling could […]

Ask the Pros: Architecture What should homeowners building on the water be aware of regarding critical area law? Don’t assume anything. Critical area regulations are complicated and sometimes difficult to understand, particularly […]

River Dance While flipping through a newspaper, architect Theresa del Ninno noticed an enticing advertisement for a waterfront property offering sunset views. That led her to check out the for-sale […]

The owners of a property on Maryland’s Sinepuxent Bay decided to replace their existing home with a new one better oriented towards water views. They tapped architect Jason Pearce to […]

In the Round Architect Wayne Good was asked to overhaul a 1930s Cape Cod on Round Bay near Annapolis. “The existing house put all its energy into fronting the street,” […]

Work Space Amidst three pastoral acres in Annapolis, Marta Hansen plies her craft. Housed in a quaint, ivy-clad cottage, her studio feels like an extension of the surrounding landscape—which was […]

Embassy Glow When architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens designed the British Embassy in Washington, he could see the Washington Monument from its site on a then-rural stretch of Massachusetts Avenue. […]

Charm City Revival Built in 1926 as a Federal Reserve bank in Second Renaissance Revival style, this Baltimore grand dame was noted for its dramatic, arched doorways and imposing façade. […]

Signature Style A Nantucket vacation provided inspiration for the sleek, spare design of a Northwest DC apartment. The homeowners—both attorneys—stayed in a cottage designed by Jacobsen Architecture and fell in […]

Farmhouse Living Framed by a gentle slope in front and wooded hills rolling toward the horizon at back, a new home in McLean, Virginia, blends so naturally into its pastoral […]

Going Modern Building a new house typically requires choosing an architectural style and sticking with it through construction. Countering this practice, a couple combined both historical and contemporary designs to […]

Suite Life You can’t see it until you swing around the driveway of this well-appointed stone house in McLean, but once a guest arrives at the milky-white paneled door surrounded […]

Back to School Located near the Capitol in Northwest DC, Dunbar Senior High School began life as America’s first public high school for African Americans. The venerable 1916 building was […]

Show Me the Way A visit to the National Building Museum this summer might require a bit more path finding than usual—if you dare to enter the BIG Maze, that […]

Preserving History The stately, neoclassical National Academy of Sciences building in DC has been revitalized. Designed in 1922 by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, it was added onto in 1965 and 1970 […]

Ask the Pros: Construction When building near the bay, what factors should homeowners consider to prevent delays or setbacks due to permitting rules? Waterfront projects are among the most challenging […]