Join the Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CHRS) for this year’s House and Garden Tour on Mother’s Day weekend – Saturday, May 10, from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Sunday, May 11, from 1 to 5 p.m.
This year, the tour will include 11 homes never before featured on the House Tour, including several semi-public buildings and rest stops. All but one of the tour stops are located in Northeast Capitol Hill, including the historic Swampoodle district, which is the corner of Capitol Hill immediately to the east of Union Station.
Most of the houses on this year’s tour were built in the late 1800’s – only a few years after the end of the Civil War. Their early history offers a fascinating reflection of what life on Capitol Hill was like in the late 19th century.
Tour tickets are on sale now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-house-garden-tour-tickets-1286417733069?aff=ebdssbdestsearch They are $40 each before the event and $50 each the weekend of the event. Tickets sold out last year.
Highlights
The house at 8th and Massachusetts Ave., NE, recently underwent a meticulous renovation to preserve original details, including doors and transom windows, pocket doors, the staircase, mantels and beautiful wood ing. The owners added Lincrusta, a luxurious, embossed Victorian wall covering made of linseed oil and wood flour in the parlor. Lincrusta was installed on the Titanic, as well as in the White House.
The house at 620 Massachusetts Ave., NE, was built by a German immigrant who ran a business that bottled soda, porter, sarsaparilla, cider and Capitol Ginger ale right next door. The current owners fell in love with the home the moment they saw it because it offered the perfect blend of space, location and historic charm.
The owners of the house on 4th Street, NE, had a surprise when they were renovating it in 2014 – the entire back brick wall fell down. Unbeknownst to the contractor or the current owners, a nondescript brick near the ceiling functioned as a keystone. When it was removed the entire wall collapsed.
The three-in-a-row homes on 6th Street, NE, with metal oriel bay windows, stand out on the block and are an unusual Capitol Hill sight. The owners worked with a paint consultant to find vibrant colors that would coordinate to create the “painted lady” effect you see today. The Queen Anne Victorian architecture is richly varied, lending itself to the three or four colors used on each home.
These three 1895 Queen Anne Victorians are all different inside: one has exposed brick and an open floor plan, another has a Scandinavian-inspired kitchen separated from the garden by a wall of glass, and the third one has historic mantels and mirrors to give it a New York brownstone vibe.
The artwork on this year’s catalogue and poster was created and donated by professional photographer – and former Hill resident – Jenny Nordstrom.
The tour is the year’s biggest annual event for CHRS. It’s the 68th year the organization has offered a Mother’s Day tour. CHRS is a nonprofit organization whose mission for 70 years has been to promote, preserve and enhance the history and character of our neighborhood. www.chrs.org
