Page 70 - Fall 2019

Washingtonian Residential Design Award curiously institutional character to some of its key rooms. Gurney’s
design, by contrast, is a carefully controlled composition that manages
Massachusetts Avenue to feel homey despite its large scale. The house is divided into three
Heights House primary wings, each clad in red brick and capped by a simple gable
roof of black slate. The use of such traditional materials and forms
Washington, DC
connects the house to its more traditional neighbors, though the
simple detailing, absence of cornices, and minimalist glass
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect hyphens linking the three pavilions clearly convey its modernity.
The middle wing is oriented perpendicular to the two flanking
Interior Designers: Baron Gurney Interiors
wings, with its gable end facing the street. It thus evokes, if very
Landscape Architects: Campion Hruby Landscape Architects
abstractly, a classical pediment, which is appropriate given that this
Structural Engineers: 1200 Architectural Engineers
is also the location of the main entrance. Beyond the entrance hall
Contractor: McCullough Construction, LLC
in this wing are the principal living area, a study, and a screened
porch on the main floor, with bedrooms above. The south wing, which
Located just two miles from the National Mall, Massachusetts Avenue
contains the kitchen, dining room, and family room on the main
Heights feels a world away from Washington’s Monumental Core
level and the master bedroom suite above, is accented by a cross-axis
and even its commercial downtown. The leafy neighborhood,
that complements the perpendicular gable of the middle wing. The
initially developed in the 1910s, is known for grand single-family
north wing contains the garage, with more bedrooms above.
houses—quite a few of which are now the residences of foreign
The house boasts several soaring spaces, sometimes in
ambassadors—set on relatively large lots. Although it is close to the
unexpected locations. The screened porch, for instance, is two stories
center of the city, the area evokes some of the wealthier suburban
high and accented by a fireplace with a tall chimney. Meanwhile, pure
enclaves of Maryland and northern Virginia.
white ceilings under the sharply gabled forms lend an exhilarating
This new house by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, replaced a
quality to the master bedroom and a second-floor office.
rambling structure that had an exceedingly quirky layout and a

Front façade of the Massachusetts Avenue
Heights House, with main entrance at center.

68 WASHINGTON AT HOME