Robert Allbritton's purchase of the Bowie-Sevier House in Georgetown remains the most expensive home sale on record in the District. Photograph by Bob Narod.
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Robert and Elena Allbritton
$19.7 million, Georgetown
Two thousand seven was a big year for Robert Allbritton. That’s when the then-37-year-old head of Allbritton Communications launched the award-winning newspaper and website Politico and plunked down $24 million for the Bowie-Sevier House in Georgetown. At the time, it shattered the record for the most expensive home sale in DC by $10 million; it remains the most expensive ever sold in the District.
The Federal-style house was built in the early 1800s by Georgetown harbor merchant Washington Bowie, godson of George Washington. More recently, it belonged to developer Herb Miller and wife Patricia, who spent several years restoring the seven-bedroom, 12-bath home—with eight-car garage—before selling it to Allbritton.
