The finished project proves that history is very important to the homeowners and that the refurbishing project could successfully incorporate their contemporary style into a 19th century home.

Built in the early 1800s, this grand Washington D.C. residence has continually been host to the pulse of political power and social circles. At one point in its impressive lineage, it was home to Frank Wisner, a founder of the CIA.

Subsequently, his widow, Polly Wisner Fritchey, and her second husband, award-winning journalist Clayton Fritchey, made this their residence. From 2002 until 2006, it was home to Senator John Edwards, his wife Elizabeth and their family, before taking to the campaign trail in pursuit of the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

The lawn panel provides a cool respite in this urban garden and extends the dining terrace for larger scale entertaining. Privacy from the neighboring property is accomplished with a custom mahogany fence. Plantings include ferns, iris, astilbe and dwarf mondo grass in front of a row of boxwoods. Hornbeams serve as a higher vertical hedge, helping to maximize the small garden area.

As empty nesters, the new owners wanted to move from their 1990s contemporary home, with sprawling gardens and pastures and woodlands to the activity and convenience of the city. When they purchased the property, they embarked on a complete overhaul of the house, carriage house, and the gardens to adapt them to their active lifestyle. The transformation of the interior opened the house to the garden spaces, creating extremely important interior/exterior connections.

At the time of the purchase, the neglected gardens lacked clarity; formal boxwoods were in a state of rapid decline; gravel dominated the open space; fencing and the rear gate were in disrepair; and garden walls were crumbling. The lead landscape architect, Kevin Campion, of Campion Landscape Architecture (formerly with Graham Landscape Architecture) worked with closely Sarah Trautvetter of Graham Landscape Architecture to design a series of outdoor rooms. Their design replaced the remnants of the formal gardens with a series of intimate garden rooms that would interconnect for large scale entertaining. Key design criteria included integrating traditional and contemporary elements: connecting interior and exterior spaces; expressing the clients?EUR??,,????'?????<

An historic iron fence and gate separate the lower level entry garden from the sidewalk along the street. A curvilinear bluestone walkway meanders through a lush ground plane of dwarf mondo grass, pachysandra, and vinca. The tulips are a sign of welcome, indicative of the owner?EUR??,,????'?????<

Contractor negotiations, project implementation, construction management, design modifications and selection of specimen plantings were overseen by Arthur Balter (formerly of Graham Landscape Architecture) in a carefully choreographed manner to enable the clients to enjoy the gardens when they stayed in the guesthouse while the main house and gardens were under renovation.

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The carriage house wall, at the rear of the property, is softened by a row of dogwood trees and a piece of sculpture. The lush under plantings include dwarf mondo grass, pachysandra and a variety of ferns and hosta, along with hydrangea, winter jasmine, and cotoneaster.

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The juxtaposition of contemporary elements, which express the clients?EUR??,,????'?????<

A custom steel trellis now extends along the window wall to provide support for the mature Wisteria that was once tied to rain gutters. A Paperbark Maple, appropriate to the views from the hallway and the scale of the exterior gardens, provides seasonal interest throughout the year. This particular specimen was selected for its natural shape that is indicative of the form and flow of the sculptures that the owners selected for their gardens. Ferns, hellebores and tulips complete the area beneath the maple.

Jeff Wright, retained by the property owners to coordinate all aspects of the renovation project, said the homeowner attended Georgetown University and that he was familiar with the look of the area, adding that he wanted to preserve those themes at his new residence.

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The contemporary mahogany and steel pergola, draped with trumpet vines, is an important connection between the carriage house and the main residence. The elevated walkway serves as a shady spot to sit and view the gardens, while the low wall also provides additional seating space for the terrace below.

The new designed called for four rear interconnected garden rooms that are secluded from views from neighboring properties and extend the outdoor living spaces for both the residence and the carriage house. The garden gate connects the gardens to the quaint, narrow pedestrian-oriented residential street that leads to the park beyond. Wright said approximately 70 percent of the boxwoods ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The garden area of the residence is relatively small considering that the design called for four garden rooms. The fact that crews worked on refurbishing the exterior and interior of the home simultaneously led to tight quarters for work crews.

The pergola incorporates a transparent plexiglass panel into the design to provide protection from the rain when entering or leaving the carriage house while allowing full view of the trumpet vine as it spreads along the horizontal surface. The copper rain chain gently guides water from the overhead surface to the adjoining planting beds.

The total space for the lawn terrace, the fountain terrace, the spa terrace, the walkway from the carriage house to the residence, and all of the rear planting beds is just over 2,000 square feet. The project was substantially completed within 4 months, which included all deconstruction and reconstruction. Because the owners enjoyed staying in the carriage house when they were in town, crews had to implement the gardens in such a way so the homeowners could enjoy time outside, even though they were surrounded by construction. It was not uncommon for them to walk across planks to get to areas to sit. Because of the timeframe, and the fact that the rear gardens were the only access that the construction crews had to the house, trafficking was a challenge. There were many days that saw 20 or 30 people working in various areas outside, while an equal number of people were working inside.

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The view from the carriage house entrance extends across the dining terrace to the fountain at the opposite side of the property. The trumpet vine climbs up the side of the pergola and creeps along the overhead plane. The paperbark maple adds a sculptural component and with its exfoliating bark and yellow fall color, it provides four season interest.

The primary view from the kitchen, family room, library and gallery is the Fountain Terrace, which extends the main level?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The plant pallet includes junipers, boxwood, ophiopogon, pachysandra, and a Paperbark maple that were selected for year round interest, while hydrangea, magnolias, bulbs, and mature wisteria add seasonal interest. Various water displays and lighting in the fountain are controlled through a sophisticated home automation system that allows the owners to achieve a range of visual and auditory effects appropriate to the desired tone for large or small scale entertaining.

Nestled between the main residence and the carriage house, the Dining Terrace?EUR??,,????'?????<

The dining terrace is embraced by the walkway between the carriage house and main residence. A brick and bluestone ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Lawn Terrace, with its bluestone and brick border, offers a cooling respite in the heat of the city. Serving multiple purposes, it is a lounging area for the family, a play area for the grandchildren, and it extends the Dining Terrace when the gardens become host to large groups of guests. The custom mahogany fence provides a backdrop to an aerial hornbeam hedge and lush plantings and adds to the warmth of the grass carpet.

The Spa Terrace is tucked away from view of the other gardens and is gently embraced by an elevated boxwood hedge. A flight of steps from the end of the Fountain Terrace leads to this lower level garden. Magnolias, ferns and a privacy fence add layers of screening that enhance the intimacy of the space.

The primary street view, in this historic neighborhood of brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets, is enhanced by the newly designed entry garden. Lush plantings and a curvilinear bluestone path downplay the lower level entrance door while offering an inviting garden view from the street. Newly installed mature plantings including an 18?EUR??,,????'?????<

The owners are able to set the mood in the garden, from quiet bubbling to energetic movement, through the use of interchangeable fountainheads and push button control for water volume and height control. The fountain is nestled between a matched pair of sheared Hollywood Junipers and is softened further by climbing hydrangea. The salvaged brick was selected to match the brick walls in the kitchen and family room, further connecting the interior and exterior spaces and visually making the fountain wall along the property line seem as if it is the exterior wall of the house.

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Designs were developed in accordance with the guidelines of the Old Georgetown Board and the Commission of Fine Arts. The site?EUR??,,????'?????<

Wright said the iron fence at the front of the home is original to the property, circa 1829, adding that it was very important to incorporate the fence into the new design. Wright added that the Old Georgetown Board was initially apprehensive about giving the go ahead to the project due to the size and scope of work to be performed.

Fine details are seen at the rear entrance to the garden. Lush plantings of dwarf mondo grass, black ophiopogon, ferns, hosta, and astilbe surround the large Black Walnut. Various brick and bluestone patterns serve as the rear ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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In addition to the residence, Wright said that crews were able to rejuvenate three yards, two and a half houses, finished rebuilding a neighbor?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Once the project was completed, the Old Georgetown Board gave its seal of approval.

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