Page 56 - ArchDC_Spring 2021

alterations to a covered property. Zapatka was able to add a
large shed dormer to bring daylight to one of the new third-floor
bedrooms facing the rear. He also obtained the trust’s approval
to build a gable on the front of the house, which had been part of
J. Edgar Sohl’s original design, but the clients ultimately decided
not to pursue that addition. Whereas previous landscaping
included the typical bushes right next to the house, which
muddied the impression of the architecture, the new landscape
design is much neater and crisper, allowing the house’s form to
read more clearly.
This renovation involved challenges that are common in
projects involving historic buildings, most notably the existence
of previous alterations that must be reconciled both to the
original architecture and to current needs. In this case, three
distinct eras in the house’s nearly century-long history now
coexist comfortably.

The author thanks Kathy Orton, of The Washington Post, for
information regarding some of the house’s former owners.
Front façade and yard of the renovated house.

Rear façade and yard.

54 LET IT GLOW