When residents of the Madison condos in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Northeast Washington collect their mail they can gaze up into the interior of a church spire that rises more than 20 feet above a stained-glass window in the mailroom. The nine-unit condominium building, which began sales in March, preserved the facade of the 1880 church while replacing the rest with new construction.
“We said, ‘How can we maximize this space but keep its integrity?’” said Alexandra Ross, a real estate agent with Ross Residential, which is selling the units.
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Chevonne Eversley bought the condo that includes the preserved front of the church, with three tall arched windows and a circular window, all beneath what might be called a cathedral ceiling.
“The windows are just stunning,” said Eversley a geneticist who moved into her two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit in April. “I looked at a lot of places, and this one was the one that spoke to me the most. I just loved it.”
The other eight condos, which range from one to three bedrooms, are completely new construction. Six have been purchased and two are available to purchase. All units have wide-plank white oak floors, with heated tile floors in the primary bathrooms. Wood kitchen cabinets are handmade by Amish crafters. Kitchens also have quartz countertops and Bosch appliances, including induction stoves. Each condo has a private first-floor entrance and a washer and dryer.
But the condos do not have identical finishes. For example, kitchen cabinets can be white, sage green or slate blue. Some bathrooms have star-patterned floor tiles; others have floor tiles that are simply white.
Two similar three-story units are still available. They are each about 1,800 square feet and priced at $999,000. Each has three bedrooms, four bathrooms (including a powder room), a first-floor patio, a third-floor balcony and a private roof deck.
Also available is a two-story, 1,170-square-foot unit with two bathrooms and two bedrooms, priced at $700,000. A similar, slightly larger unit (at 1,360 square feet) with a second-floor deck sold for $800,000.
The smallest units, both sold, are about 750 square feet each, with one bedroom and one bathroom. They sold for $485,000 and $490,000.
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Eversley paid $940,000 for her 1,595-square-foot condo, which has a second-floor balcony. Ross said it’s the condo with the “most church aesthetic.”
The Madison is named after the Rev. Madison Lewis, who oversaw construction of Mount Horeb Baptist Church on the site in 1880. It later became the Universal Church, and it was purchased in 2022 by Urban Edge Development, which turned it into condos.
The Madison is located in the Kingman Park neighborhood, which abuts Capitol Hill.
“The nice thing with Kingman Park is that you get a bigger mix of demographics: families, young professionals, a really nice mix,” Ross said. “I call it an extension of Capitol Hill without the congestion. You don’t have to fight for parking. It’s easier to get to. You get a lot more space for your money.”
Eversley agrees with that assessment.
“I like the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s very quiet. It just feels very neighborhood-y, but also very close to things I want to get to. I work in Baltimore, so it’s easy to get up there.”
What’s nearby: Hechinger Mall, less than a mile away on Benning Road NE, has a Safeway, a Pizza Hut, a Ross Dress for Less and other businesses. About a half-mile to the east is Lincoln Park, the largest Capitol Hill park. The U.S. Capitol is a mile and a half away. RFK Stadium, which has been approved for demolition, is about a half-mile away and can be seen from the rooftop decks of the Madison.
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Schools: Maury Elementary, Eliot-Hine Middle and Eastern High School.
Transportation: The Stadium-Armory Metro station, on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines, is three-quarters of a mile away.
- Address: 217 16th St. NE, Washington, D.C.
- Builder: Urban Edge Development
- Type of home: Condominium
- Price: $485,000 to $999,000
- Bedrooms: 1 to 3
- Bathrooms: 1 to 4 (including powder rooms)
- HOA fees: $170 to $401 a month
- Number of units: 9 (2 available)
- Square footage: 775 to 1,831
- Website: rossrem.com/results-gallery/?listingid=148444431~149263050~149263052~148444850&photo
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