When the JBG Companies announced last year that it would renovate Woodley Park’s historic Wardman Tower into luxury condos, the projected price range for the 32 units was $2 million to $8 million. Hard to believe, but that estimate was apparently conservative. The prolific Washington developer, in partnership with NASH, a US subsidiary of Japanese builder Sekisui House, opened sales today, and according to McWilliams Ballard, the condos are listed for $3 million to $9 million. The current record-holder for most expensive condo ever sold in the Washington-metro area is a penthouse at the Parc Somerset in Chevy Chase, which went for $8.65 million.
Can Wardman Tower beat it? We think there’s strong evidence that it can. First of all, there’s its location. The building, nestled next to the Marriott Wardman Park hotel, is steps from the Woodley Park metro and mere minutes from the heart of downtown DC. In other words, it’s close to the walkable dining, cultural institutions, and shopping for which many wealthy empty-nesters in burbs like Potomac and McLean are eager to trade their mansions. The tower is also loaded with history—no fewer than three US Presidents: Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, and Herbert Hoover— have lived there, and the remodel was designed by prominent New York architecture firm, Deborah Berke Partners. But the best argument might be the renderings, which you can ogle below.
The units, ranging from two- to four-bedrooms and 2,200 to 4,600 square feet, are slated for completion next year, but potential buyers can tour a finished model now.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.
