WASHINGTON — It’s hard to walk the streets of Georgetown and not sneak a peek, or two, through the windows of the neighborhood’s tony town homes.
But come April 28, curiosities do not have to continue. You can see the crystal chandeliers, antique art and historic hardwood up close during the annual Georgetown House Tour.
Now in its 87th year, the 2018 tour features seven homes, including the three-floor, six-bedroom town house of Tracy Iseler and Woody Driggs.
The couple bought the P Street NW home in 2010 — more than 150 years after it was built — and remodeled the 3,540-square-foot space over the course of a year and a half. Wine fridges and custom décor aside, Iseler and Driggs left plenty of previous features intact, including 12 fireplaces and an indoor swimming pool, located in the basement.
Iseler said former owners Colonel and Mrs. Joseph R. Sipper, who lived in the home from 1965 to 2010, added the pool and quickly earned a reputation around town for the “Mad Men”-esque parties they hosted “with the diplomatic set.”
“With lots of martinis, cigarettes and bow ties,” Iseler added, describing the famous pool parties.
Things have calmed down considerably with the new owners. Iseler said the pool, complete with a metal-framed pyramid skylight, is mostly used to entertain neighbors during a snowstorm.
Henry Cabot Lodge, a former U.S. senator who ran for vice president alongside Richard Nixon in 1960, also lived at the home, as did Florence Harriman, a notable suffragette and former minister to Norway.
Georgetown House Tour co-chair Hannah Isles said the tour, which benefits the ministries at St. John’s Episcopal Church, includes a mix of modern and historic homes. The event also features tea and a panel with Georgetown-based designers and architects. Details and tickets are available on the Georgetown House Tour’s website.
