About Washington's Glover Park

Nestled just North-West of Georgetown and West of Observatory Circle is a quaint neighborhood called Glover Park. Home to the US Navy Observatory, the Vice-Presidential Mansion, and several embassies, Glover Park is a tight-knit residential community and a "destination" for those in search of vibrant nightlife options. Over the years, the neighborhood has continued to attract new residents - even though they may not know how to pronounce the name. Named after a 19th century philanthropist Charles Glover (which rhymes with "cover,") a strong contingent of residents and outsiders say it to rhyme with "clover."

Regardless of the name debate, a couple of years ago, the neighborhood's popularity spread like wildfire and quickly became home to many young professionals. Many of these new residents (also known as "DINK's"- double-income-no-kids) were in search of some good places to blow off steam and a wide variety of trendy eateries as well. Catering to this need were various new and hip restaurants and nightclubs, many of which featured shuffleboard and pool tables to break up the monotony and keep things interesting.

However, Glover Park has always been known to cater to residents of all ages. The popularity of Glover Park really stems from the surrounding parks, which are so appealing to many residents. The community has a very green, suburban feel - with smaller residential streets and a number of shady trees. Many residents enjoy that this community is surprisingly quiet, especially considering its close proximity to the rest of the city. There is Farmer's Market and a Whole Foods in town, plus a hardware store that is a member of "A Few Cool Hardware Stores" co-operative that offers residents nearby options for home repair supplies.


Housing in Glover Park is a mix of apartment buildings and porch-front row houses built in the 1930s, and housing is actually very affordable. The neighborhood's elementary school, Benjamin Stoddert Elementary, is one of the most highly-rated schools in the District; its athletic field is home to the Glover Park Co-ed Softball League, and DC Stoddert Soccer. Even though Glover Park does not have a Metro station, several bus routes run through the area and provide access to Georgetown, DuPont and downtown, as well as several subway stations.

There are lots of good reasons you should consider moving to Glover Park:

• It's fun. There are many restaurants and shops within walking distance. Need more shopping or food options? Georgetown is only a short distance away. (See our blog Restaurant Week, Part II: Eating Your Way through DC Neighborhoods to get the "flavor" of the area.)
• It's convenient - just minutes from National Airport, subway, and train stations.
• It's beautiful. Situated along Glover-Archibald Park, it has its own Public Garden
• It's historic. You are within walking distance of Georgetown University, and many of the Foreign Embassies.
• It's timely. Every morning and evening, the naval observatory has the sounding of colors in synchronization with the national Master Clock.
• It has many housing choices, which include row houses, condos, and apartments.

No matter how you say it, you can call Glover Park "home." If you're ready to make the move to this wonderfully quaint neighborhood, call Rachel Valentino, DC's "Best Real Estate Agent", as voted by Washington City Paper, for a no-pressure consultation. Rachel is on top of DC's real estate scene and active in all avenues of the market - including private residences, new construction, the luxury market, and the condo and co-op community.

In our last article, we suggested that you Ditch Your Grocery List as you satiate your palate and explore some of the more than 200 restaurants participating in Washington DC's Restaurant Week August 16-22^nd. Eating your way through DC neighborhoods is a fun way to explore DC and try some great new restaurants.

Here are few interesting places to explore:

A nice starting point is Glover Park, a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, DC just steps away from Georgetown and cradled by the serene forested parklands of Glover-Archbold Park and Whitehaven Park. Home to embassies and a closely knit body of residents, Glover Park also features Guy Mason Park nearby, just south of Calvert Street. Hungry? Try Rockland's (BBQ), Heritage India and Blue Ridge Restaurant. If you like BLT's you might be glad to know that the ones the Blue Ridge serves up come with Fried Green Tomatoes - can you say "yum"?

Then there's Georgetown. Take a tour of Georgetown University located just west of Wisconsin Avenue. Founded in 1789 on 106 beautiful acres, Georgetown University is one of the country's oldest universities. Centered on Wisconsin and M Streets, this charming historic neighborhood was once a thriving colonial port. Dumbarton House, Tudor Place, the C&O Canal, and Old Stone House represent the rich history of this unique community. These days, however, it's widely known for its specialty stores, nightclubs, and intriguing restaurants. The Melting Pot, 1789 Restaurant and Morton's, The Steakhouse are just a few of my personal favorites that are definitely worth checking out during restaurant week.

If you are ready for a change in scenery, just south of the National Mall is a neighborhood that's home to the Tony Award-winning Arena Stage, Benjamin Banneker Circle and Fountain, the Titanic Memorial and L'Enfant Plaza. The scenic waterfront area features a shimmering array of piers, sailboats, yachts, fishing boats, seafood markets, and of course, restaurants. A few in this neighborhood that may merit your "taste-testing" skills during Restaurant Week include McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, Zola, and Oyamel.

Regardless of where you decide to visit or dine during Restaurant Week, you won't be disappointed with your selections! You might fall in love with a few restaurants and with some neighborhoods. I'm planning on checking out a few myself and will be sure to let you know my thoughts. Stay tuned!

As you eat your way through DC neighborhoods, you might finds somewhere you want to live. If you are new to the area or thinking about moving here, call Rachel Valentino, DC's "Best Real Estate Agent", as voted by Washington City Paper, for a no-pressure consultation. Rachel is on top of DC's real estate scene and active in all avenues of the market - including private residences, new construction, the luxury market, and the condo and co-op community.

Almost every house I've shown this week has had a view something like this out one or more windows. I took this photo with my I-Phone looking out the window of a house in Glover Park. These trees are just amazing, and they dress up the city - not to mention our listings!

© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certainly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment. The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.

Well...in late Spring, I was able to get a little time with a local, busy developer to get advice about his prediction on the real estate market in the dc area. I told him I was very interested in moving full steam ahead on the Staging part of my business, since I did pretty well with it the prior summer. I was really interested in getting in front of builders and developers to let them know of my services, but was concerned with everything I was hearing about the state of the real estate market.

He didn't have much good to say about the market, especially in DC. He told me that many of the smaller investors/developers were NOT going to be active because the banks were no longer lending money. He encouraged me to reconsider my strategy and consider decorating office lobbies and offices, since the government had loads of cash and with the new administration, there might be a need to have these spaces redecorated.

Needless to say...I was a bit discouraged. After having a successful time the summer before I was really looking forward to getting back to Staging. So I thought and prayed and planned and figured. I found this new great new website/blog focused specifically on the DC condo and home real estate market, and seemd to carry a small number of ads from condo projects just finishing or soon to be finished. I contacted the site/blog and inquired about their stats on readership, exposure, daily hits and pricing. Ad rates were crazy low and I signed up for a one-month option. I was honest in speaking with the blogger/website owner - if no return, calls, or anything in 30 days, I am out.

Well...as fate would have it - on day 28 - I received a call from a realtor. He ultimately hired me to stage a single family home in April - literally 2 blocks from my own home. Five months and 7 properties later, I had the BUSIEST SUMMER EVER! The last two properties sold within 3 weeks of them being on the market. That ONE realtor led me to 2 others who kept me busy AND my ad (yes, I kept it running) lead me to another developer!

Below is a view of the last property (in Glover Park/Cathedral) that had an offer after 2.5 weeks on the market. The shortest turnaround on all of the projects from this summer!

Before of living room 2BD, 1BA condo

After - what a diference!

So although I do think it was wise to seek the advice of the original developer, I am really glad I didn't listen! I do think his words made it more serious and more me determined to figure it out.

So be careful who you listen too and let influence your business. And remember, no one has the magic crystal ball to see into the future - we are all trying to figure it out! But if you are serious about it, then DO IT!

Feel free to check out more of the staged rooms and homes on my portfolio. Thanks for all of the positive responses and feedback on my earlier posts! If you are in the Metro DC area, I have a warehouse full of decorative items, just waiting to dress up and help you sell your vacant property!

There are many great condominums in the Glower Park neighborhood. The most populous are 1 bedroom units, follwed by 2 bedooms and few studios.

Here is a breakdown of the Condos Curently For Sale in the Glover Park Neighborhood of Washington DC:

Here is a chart showing the Condos SOLD (since Nov 1, '07), in Glover Park:

Row Houses in Glover Park. Both Actives and Solds (since Nov 1, '07) are on the same chart:

Call James for all your Real Estate needs and questions; servicing Glover Park and the Greater Washington DC area.