1 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
307 N. Washington Street is being restored to its original glory by its homeowners.
2 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The outside of 307 N. Washington Street after the red paint was stripped and the home was repainted white.
3 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The home at 307 N. Washington Street was originally red with green shutters before its new owners had it stripped, restored and painted white.
4 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
5 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
6 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
7 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The entryway before carpet, wallpaper and other elements were changed.
8 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The renovated front living room.
9 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The living room before the law firm's built-in shelves and carpet were removed.
10 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The "before" of the living room from when the law firm used the property for office space.
11 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
Original woodwork and millwork remain throughout the home.
12 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The master bedroom on the second floor of 307 N. Washington Street. The cork board behind the bed is a remnant from the law firm that previously occupied the property.
13 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
A sitting area in the home.
14 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The master bedroom "before."
15 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The library (after being restored to appear more historic).
16 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
The library in it's "before" state.
17 of 17
Courtesy of Brian Branton
What is now the dining room used to be a reception area for the law firm.
Most people don’t refer to the purchase of a 210-year-old home as an impulse purchase.
But when Brian Branton saw 307 N. Washington Street listed for sale, he immediately became — in his words — “obsessed.”
Branton had a longtime interest in perusing real estate listings. He happened to stumble across the Federal-style building on North Washington Street listed for sale in August 2016, just months after he had moved to a new place near Logan Circle.
Branton wrote in the caption of an Instagram photo of the home in August 2016, “In my mind, I've already bought it, moved in, renovated it, decorated, and decked it out for the holidays.”
He was able to move in that November, but wasn’t able to settle on the property or start renovating it until in February 2017, after required zoning changes for the residence delayed the closing. (Since the 1960s, the home had been used as offices for a law firm and was zoned accordingly.)
With an eye for potential and an appreciation for how the home flowed, Branton saw nothing but possibilities in the home, even though the place hadn’t been used as a residence in decades.
The house was built in 1808 by Robert Brockett, who built the three other homes along that block at the same time. The home, at 307 N. Washington Street, was added to in the 1850s, and restored in the 1930s or 1940s.
The law firm’s ownership of the home was a mixed blessing — air conditioning and plenty of extra electricity was added over the years, along with built-in bookshelves. The law firm maintained the mechanical systems, replaced the roof and more.
However, the law firm also removed all the home’s full bathrooms, leaving behind only powder rooms and half baths. The law firm also had built throughways to the home next door (also used as part of their office space), and added an entrance in the back, taking out part of the already-small kitchen.
The law firm did restore one small full bathroom in the home to turn it back into a residence before selling it, and Branton requested they pull up and discard all the wall-to-wall carpets in the home before he moved in.
Because the home was in such good structural condition, Branton has been able to focus on aesthetic changes in the first year, along with planning for the major renovations to come.
The home still has hundreds of historic elements — from the narrow staircases to original 1800s wood floors to amazingly detailed trim and gorgeous millwork around the home’s fireplaces.
In a glass pane of a window facing North Washington Street, a woman carved her name, Grace, into the glass with an engagement ring. It was the “thing to do” in that period. (Brian now affectionately refers to the home’s supposed ghost as “Grace.” Law firm staff had named the ghost “Alice.”)
In the past year, the home has gone from red to white on the exterior. That turned out to be an expensive and painstaking process that required stripping all the red paint and repairing some of the exterior wood before painting it white. It was the costliest single renovation in 2017.
In addition, Branton has spent a lot of time on interior painting, restoring floors and furnishing the home. He’s hired people to repair walls, remove wallpaper and handle other major tasks (including that exterior paint job).
Branton selected paint colors for the interior of the home “to respect the age of the house,” he said. The yellow doors were inspired by a visit to President James Madison’s home, Montpelier, in Central Virginia.
The decision to paint the trim and woodwork (and return the living room walls to white) was a historically-minded decision, as well. Most of the interior painting and work has been completed during “staycations,” nights and weekends. Much of the furniture has an antique look — all Branton's own choices.
2018 plans include putting in a laundry room on the second floor in what used to be a solarium. Right now, the home does not have a washer or dryer, and having to schedule time to take care of laundry is a bit of an inconvenience. Putting in a laundry room will require re-plumbing that section of the home with pipes large enough to accommodate modern washing machines.
Branton also plans to renovate the kitchen by reclaiming some space the law firm took away from the kitchen, and adding a gas fireplace to the dining room. Upstairs, they plan to build a full bathroom where a full bath used to be — that will require moving a wall back to its original position and restoring plumbing.
This winter, a radiator leaked and broke part of the ceiling near the kitchen. Branton said they were lucky — the ceiling broke in an area they planned to renovate, anyway.
Much of the “easy stuff” Branton is doing himself, with help from his partner, who is an architect. The home is surprisingly quiet for being just feet off of busy North Washington Street — a testament to how well the home was originally built, Branton said. Even the foundation is in good shape, according to inspectors.
The home was on an Old Town Alexandria house tour in the 1950s, and Branton joked about a return to house-tour status as a goal for the next few years.
“It’s a labor of love,” Branton said.
