Before & After: They Gave Their Dilapidated Washington D.C. Home the Renovation of a Lifetime
"I’m going to die in this house," says homeowner Ezekiel J. Emanuel, who famously wrote an essay about how he will refuse medical care after the age of 75.
"I’m going to die in this house," says homeowner Ezekiel J. Emanuel, who famously wrote an essay about how he will refuse medical care after the age of 75.
This was a renovation 25 years in the making.
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, who goes by Zeke, first saw this house on a picturesque street in Washington D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood in 1999. He lived in the area, and he passed it every day on his way to the metro. At the time, Zeke had already renovated several homes, and this was his next target. "I love broken-down houses," he says.
There was just one problem: It wasn’t for sale. He left a letter at the property in 2000 asking to buy the house, and again a few years later, but no one contacted him.
Before: Exterior
Fast forward nearly two decades and Zeke, a well-known oncologist, bioethicist, and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and his partner, Teasel, were looking for their next project.
She called him one day in the summer of 2019 to tell him about a house on Highland Place that was part of an estate sale. He stopped her as soon as she said the street. "I know the house—we’re going to bid," he recalls saying.
After: Exterior
The renovation, led by Fowlkes Studio, rebuilt the house from the inside out.
Jennifer Hughes
When the team presented the plans to the neighborhood historical society for approval, "everyone was thrilled," says Martin Locraft, a member of the architecture team.
Jennifer Hughes
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: They Gave Their Dilapidated Washington D.C. Home the Renovation of a Lifetime
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