Julia Child’s DC House Is Open for Tours This Weekend

Want to hang out in Julia Child’s house? This weekend you’ll finally get the chance: Her former home is one of eight houses featured as part of Saturday’s Georgetown House Tour.

The yellow clapboard house, located on Olive Street, recently underwent a top-to-bottom renovation. Software entrepreneur Rory Veevers-Carter purchased it in 2016 for $935,000, he told Washingtonian. The house was listed last summer for $3.5 million, and it sold in January for $3.3 million.

The house’s interior has been given a more modern look, with a custom floating staircase and—yes—a new kitchen. The only possible trace of Child is a patch of muted green paint behind one of the house’s original reclaimed windows. Veevers-Carter believes it dates back to when the Childs lived in the house, since it matches the color of her Cambridge, Massachusetts, kitchen (now on display at the National Museum of American History).

Child and her husband Paul lived in the house from 1948 to 1961, and the chef affectionately called it her “little jewel.” Child worked on Mastering the Art of French Cooking while living there.

Hosted by the St. John’s Episcopal Church, the Georgetown House Tour began in 1931. Other buildings on this year’s tour include one of Georgetown’s oldest homes; the City Tavern Club; and places that belong to Sara Swabb, founder and creative director of StorieCollective, and interior designer Skip Sroka.

Advance tickets for the self-guided tour are $50 and same-day tickets are $60. Masks and proof of vaccination are required. Homes will be open from 11 AM to 5 PM.