Since 1894, the Church of the Holy City has called D.C.’s 16th Street NW home.
Soon, that is going to change. This week, the historic church was put on the market for the asking price of $5 million.
The gothic revival church was built by two prominent architects, including Paul Pelz, who was the main architect of the Library of Congress.
“It’s still an active Swedenborgianism church,” said real estate agent Bo Billups with Sotheby’s International. “The congregation is much smaller and they are moving to a more appropriate place that is more in line with their needs.”
The beautiful church is hard to miss as you drive around the Dupont Circle area of 16th Street NW.
While it is quite close to the bars and restaurants on 17th Street NW, there is no chance that the Church of the Holy City will turn into Washington, D.C.’s newest hot nightlife spot.
“That zoning does not include restaurants and certainly not a bar,” said Billups.
The church is over 16,000 square feet, and the realtor described it as awe inspiring.
“These interior spaces, 44-feet high,” said Billups. “The stained glass, including one from Tiffany, the stone inside, the woodwork. It’s a beautiful place.”
Since the church was put on the market on Tuesday, Billups has heard from 20 potential buyers.
“A majority are developers, investors who are considering different uses for it,” said Billups. “Certainly, residential development. We do have conceptual plans from Bonstra Haresign architects.”
Incredibly, Billups did hear from someone that looked at the church as a possible single-family home.
If you do decide to shell out $5 million for this home, there are some things you need to know before you move in.
The church does have four half bathrooms, but no full bathroom or kitchens.
One feature the church does have is worth its weight in gold when you are looking for a parking spot in Dupont.
“It has a driveway and five-car parking,” said Billups. “In Dupont, that close to downtown for that surface space, it’s worth $40-50,000, maybe more.”
