209 S Lee St

This gracious brick, free-standing home with private side garden, carriage house and additional buildable lot stands on one of the original thirty-one lots offered for sale in 1749, on a plat originally owned by Augustine Washington Jr., the half-brother of George Washington. Built in 1812 and renovated in the 1850's to add Victorian details, including a Mansard roof, it is surrounded by formal gardens with growing beds, mature evergreens, boxwood, hellebore and hydrangea and roses. Rare to these older properties is the original carriage house with a full kitchen and bath that can be used as a separate apartment, artist studio, office or guest suite. The house is representative of the traditional historic Alexandria "townhouse" having a rectangular form with entrance hall at the side and two adjacent formal rooms. The entry with vestibule reveals a glass interior door opening to a gracious hall with heart pine floors and wide openings that frame a sophisticated, formal living and dining room. Extensive decorative moldings, including matching mantels for the two wood-burning fireplaces, accent sun-washed rooms joined by an elaborate arch, with Corinthian columns and a keystone and gorgeous cast iron radiators. Built-ins in the dining room provide storage and display space, with French doors that open to the garden terrace.An inviting eat-in kitchen with gas fireplace has custom cabinetry, granite counters, stainless appliances and an enameled French range with six burners, a simmer plate and two ovens. Shuttered triple-hung windows and French doors open onto a private garden with a fountain and rose trellis.Beyond is a family room with arched windows illuminating this space with light throughout the day. A coffered ceiling, heart pine floors with radiant heating underneath, a gas fireplace, built-in bookshelves with cupboards below and generous space for lounging. Open the screened French doors on two sides to let in the breeze and the sound of the fountain. Completing the first floor of this beautifully maintained home is a powder room and mud room with heated tile floors, storage cubbies and cabinets and laundry.The second level offers 11-foot ceilings, windows on all sides and several private retreats. A handsome sitting room/library has numerous built-in shelves and cabinets, a wood-burning fireplace and floor-to-ceiling wood paneling, while the gracious master bedroom offers another fireplace and views of the gardens. Don't miss the handsome bead board bath with an antique six-loot long claw foot tub, separate shower and original glass-front cabinet.The stair landing and master bedroom offer access to the rear of the second level where a spacious dressing/sitting room with wide mirrored closets joins the front of the house with a private guest suite and convenient additional washer and dryer tucked in the back. Enjoy an intimate balcony, beaded ceiling bedroom with plantation shutters and a full marble bath with spa tub and pocket door.Two additional light-filled bedrooms with heart pine floors, high ceilings and arched windows share a full bath on the third floor.The house sits on a triple lot with brick pathways, planting beds and storage shed. The converted carriage house sits tucked into the rear garden and is equipped with full kitchen, living space , loft bedroom and bath, skylight, and ample storage space. With its own entrance and French doors that open onto the garden, it provides a private retreat or space guests can come and go as they choose.The property is conveniently located a block from the restaurants and shops along King Street and two blocks from the river, with three off-street parking spaces.This special residence rare in the size of its grounds with the added amenities of gardens, a carriage house and off-street parking sits in the desirable Southeast quadrant of a block that boasts early facades, picket fences and a canopy of trees.