Historic Homes for Sale in the DC Metro Area

There are few places in our country where you’ll find more historic homes for sale than in the Washington Metropolitan area. From DC to Northern Virginia to Maryland, this region is awash in tradition and very old, and very cool, properties. But even so, the inevitable evolution and growing of the DC Metro area present a conundrum—the preservation of something old versus the excitement of forward-thinking modern development.

If you're looking for a home with character, we have it!

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1288 Ballantrae Farm Dr, MCLEAN

$39,995,000

1288 Ballantrae Farm Dr, MCLEAN

12 Beds 14 Baths 14,000 SqFt Residential MLS® # VAFX2184764

BALLANTRAE FARMS

2000 Massachusetts Ave Nw, WASHINGTON

$29,950,000

2000 Massachusetts Ave Nw, WASHINGTON

4 Beds 6 Baths 23,600 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2095294

DUPONT CIRCLE

6699 Macarthur Blvd, BETHESDA

$23,500,000

6699 Macarthur Blvd, BETHESDA

6 Beds 9.5 Baths 11,522 SqFt Residential MLS® # MDMC2133200

BETHESDA OUTSIDE

1102 Chain Bridge Rd, MCLEAN

$15,900,000

1102 Chain Bridge Rd, MCLEAN

6 Beds 8.5 Baths 16,284 SqFt Residential MLS® # VAFX2196876

LANGLEY FARMS

10980 Poplar Ford Trl, MANASSAS

$15,000,000

10980 Poplar Ford Trl, MANASSAS

3 Beds 2.5 Baths 1,666 SqFt Residential MLS® # VAPW2086226

NONE AVAILABLE

3508 Prospect St Nw, WASHINGTON

$12,500,000

↓ $3,495,000

3508 Prospect St Nw, WASHINGTON

8 Beds 6.5 Baths 9,086 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2129376

GEORGETOWN

318 N Quaker Ln, ALEXANDRIA

$11,500,000

318 N Quaker Ln, ALEXANDRIA

9 Beds 8.5 Baths 7,351 SqFt Residential MLS® # VAAX2039112

NONE AVAILABLE

3023 Q Nw, WASHINGTON

$11,000,000

3023 Q Nw, WASHINGTON

6 Beds 6.5 Baths 4,817 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2154754

GEORGETOWN

13320 Signal Tree, POTOMAC

$10,995,000

13320 Signal Tree, POTOMAC

8 Beds 11.5 Baths 26,716 SqFt Residential MLS® # MDMC2151600

RIVER PLANTATION

3031 Gates Rd Nw, WASHINGTON

$10,500,000

↓ $1,500,000

3031 Gates Rd Nw, WASHINGTON

8 Beds 6.5 Baths 10,100 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2168528

FOREST HILLS

1524 33rd St Nw, WASHINGTON

$9,995,000

1524 33rd St Nw, WASHINGTON

6 Beds 6.5 Baths 6,950 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2168684

GEORGETOWN

New
3005 45th St Nw, WASHINGTON

$9,850,000

3005 45th St Nw, WASHINGTON

8 Beds 11 Baths 14,400 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2174640

WESLEY HEIGHTS

3313 O St Nw, WASHINGTON

$7,995,000

3313 O St Nw, WASHINGTON

6 Beds 6.5 Baths 6,184 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2130126

GEORGETOWN

8110 Georgetown Pike, MCLEAN

$7,500,000

8110 Georgetown Pike, MCLEAN

6 Beds 6.5 Baths 12,000 SqFt Residential MLS® # VAFX2194738

NONE AVAILABLE

1314 28th St Nw, WASHINGTON

$7,500,000

1314 28th St Nw, WASHINGTON

7 Beds 6 Baths 5,300 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2139980

GEORGETOWN

2824 Chain Bridge Rd Nw, WASHINGTON

$7,400,000

2824 Chain Bridge Rd Nw, WASHINGTON

5 Beds 4.5 Baths 8,000 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2154542

KENT

811 Prince St, ALEXANDRIA

$7,400,000

↓ $600,000

811 Prince St, ALEXANDRIA

4 Beds 4.5 Baths 8,600 SqFt Residential MLS® # VAAX2028270

OLD TOWN HISTORIC

3001 Foxhall Rd Nw, WASHINGTON

$6,475,000

↓ $20,000

3001 Foxhall Rd Nw, WASHINGTON

6 Beds 7.5 Baths 7,250 SqFt Residential MLS® # DCDC2163840

WESLEY HEIGHTS



From palatial manors to funky Craftsman cottages, and from Art Deco towers to Neo-Gothic row houses, historic homes for sale in DC Metro come in all shapes and sizes. But before getting to the here-and-now, there’s the small matter of a timeline.

The earliest Virginia colonists founded Jamestown in 1607 and gradually spread out. Early land grants spawned the tobacco trade, with the first landowners in what is now Washington DC, arriving around 1662. By 1670 plantations were showing up in Fairfax County. Around the same time, a Scotsman named John Alexander purchased farm and in what would become Alexandria.


And while historic homes for sale in the Washington Metropolitan area don’t date back quite that far, there are still plenty of antique properties. The Melwood Park House in Upper Marlboro, Maryland was built in the Flemish bond brick style in 1710. The Ramsey House in Alexandria dates to 1724 while the Ball-Sellers House in Glencaryln Arlington, was originally built as a one-room log cabin in 1750.

As for Washington, DC, some of the oldest existing homes include a trio of brick Federal mansions in Georgetown—the Prospect House, the Halcyon House and the Forrest-Marbury House, all built between 1787 and 1788. Also worth noting are DC’s oldest known row houses, Wheat Row—four townhomes in the Southwest Waterfront dating to 1794.

While there are a number of brick Federally-inspired structures in Alexandria and DC from the early-to-mid 1800s, residential development kicked into a much higher gear during the post-Civil War era. From grand Colonial manors to an incredible variety of Victorian-inspired row houses, the Washington Metro area became a vast boomtown featuring a golden age of architecture.

In DC alone, a massive wave of row house construction from the 1870s to the early 1900s saw a diversity of style that is still marveled at. Among the many architectural types, are Victorian, Beaux-Arts, Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque, Second Empire and Italianate. Some of the most renowned builders at the time were Henry Wardman (sometimes referred to as “King of the Row Houses”), and James McGill who designed 64 unique row houses in LeDroit Park between 1873 and 1877—no two were alike!

But as prevalent as row houses are, they represent just a portion of the historic homes for sale in the Washington Metropolitan area. Detached single-family structures also come with an amazing variety of sizes, styles, ages and prices. There are giant Georgian estates, stately Colonials, picturesque Victorians, classic Tudors, Dutch Revivals, Arts & Crafts, French Country and so much more.

And of course, don’t forget the trendy Craftsman homes for sale, the most common supplier being the Sears Modern Home Catalog. Between 1908 and 1940, 70,000 to 75,000 kits in 447 different styles were sold, shipped and assembled! And while models ranged from seasonal cottages to deluxe Dutch Colonials, the most recognizable design influences are low-pitched gabled roofs and open porches.

You can find historic homes for sale throughout the Washington Metropolitan area. The largest concentrations can be found in the many officially recognized historic districts, but many others are sprinkled throughout the region. Ready to own a piece of the past? Start your search engine!

To learn more about historic houses, condos and row houses for sale in the Washington DC Metro area, call the experts at District One Partners at Compass, (202) 400-3070.

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Listing information last updated on January 25th, 2025 at 9:00pm EST.