Fall is an enchanting season in Washington, DC: red and orange foliage abound, and the area’s gothic architecture delivers peak dark academia. Perhaps that magical atmosphere is why Madeleine Albright stayed in her DC neighborhood so long after her tenure as Secretary of State. The Wall Street Journal reports that the late diplomat’s longtime home, an ivy-covered Federal-style abode in the Georgetown neighborhood, has officially hit the market at $4 million. According to the publication, Albright lived in the quaint town house for over 50 years.
She purchased the dwelling in 1968 for approximately $100,000 (about $882,000 when adjusted for inflation) with her then-husband, journalist Joe Albright, residing there until her death last year. Starting in the 1980s, the Prague native hosted monthly dinner parties for foreign policy experts and other politicians at the 4,749-square-foot dwelling. “People would say I had hosted ‘salons’ in my ‘elegant’ Georgetown house,” she wrote in her 2003 autobiography, Madame Secretary. “The truth is my house is comfortable, not elegant, and my dinners were simple buffet affairs—salad, roll, and a slice of something. As one participant told a reporter, anonymously, ‘We certainly don’t go there for the food.’”
Regardless of the quality of her culinary offerings, Albright’s esteemed guests had a pleasant setting in which to enjoy the meals during visits. The formal dining room features wood built-ins and access to a sprawling, brick-paved backyard terrace. The outdoor area comes complete with a garden, space to dine, and an Old World-style stone fountain. Near the dining room, a formal living room features two wood-burning fireplaces with their original mantels, light yellow wallpaper, and pink carpeting.
“It’s a rare combination to have an important historic home in Georgetown with gracious rooms and lovely scale matched with a generous garden and [an] oversized two-car garage,” said Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, who shares the listing with colleague Logan MacKethan. “The interior historic details such as the floors, moldings, and trim work are all splendid.”
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Other highlights include original wide-plank floors, a library on the second level that features built-in bookshelves and a cozy reading spot with garden views, a third-floor office, and a renovated white kitchen with marble counters and high-end stainless steel appliances.
