One of the largest, if not the largest, private homes in
Washington is nestled behind a dense row of trees between north Cleveland Park
and Forest Hills, at the intersection of Broad Branch Road and Albemarle
Street. Known as Firenze House since
1941, it was constructed between 1925 and 1927 for Mrs. Blanche Estebrook
O’Brien with a total of fifty-nine rooms.
Its address today is 2800
Albemarle Street.
O’Brien was
the widow of Paul Roebling, a member of a New Jersey family that had been responsible
for financing and building the Brooklyn
Bridge, which opened in
1883. When the house was begun in 1925,
O’Brien was married to Colonel Arthur O’Brien.
She choose architect Russell O. Kluge for its design, and former Army Corps
of Engineers General Richard Marshall as the contractor. Upon its completion in 1927, the house was
coined ‘Estebrook.”
Like many
homes of the era, the Tudor styled residence featured rather dark interior
rooms, furnished with Jacobean style furniture.
O’Brien purchased fine paneling and mantels designed by noted architect
Sir Christopher Wren in London,
and had them incorporated into the house during its construction. The house itself, set among 22 acres, was
constructed of gray fieldstone, quarried on the site, and limestone trim. A variegated slate roof, green shutters, and
leaded glass windows completed the design.
Several
outbuildings also graced the estate, including a large gatehouse on Broad Branch Road,
garage with servant’s quarters, ninety foot swimming pool, tennis courts, and
an art studio. It was estimated that
over ten thousand trees originally existed on the grounds.
The home’s
interiors reflected a variety of styles, dominated by an enormous three story
grand hall with carved oak beams and stairway.
Following the Great Depression, the property was leased to the Minister
of Hungary until it was sold in 1941.
The buyers that year were Colonel and Mrs. Meyer Robert Guggenheim, who
had been residing on their yacht ‘Firenze’
before it was lent to the government for wartime use. The renamed their new estate ‘Firenze’ in its honor, a name that has remained to this day.
The Guggenheim fortune stemmed from the M.
Guggenheim and Son Mining and Smelting Company in 1925, and later from the Guggenheim
Exploration Company. He retired from
business in 1929.
The
Guggenheim’s changed much of the dark interiors into a lighter shade, by
pickling the oak staircase, for example.
They installed two Waterford chandeliers in the drawing room, and filled
the house with priceless art, including Jacomo Victor’s “Barnyard Scene,” dated
1672, Van Dyck’s “Earl of Arundel,” and Murillo’s “Salvatori Mundi.” They also furnished the mansion with period
American and European furniture of the utmost quality, mostly in Queen Anne and
Hepplewhite styles. They entertained up
to 600 guests at a time!
Unfortunately,
a fire in 1946, destroyed two Titian portraits, and a large amount of original
paneling. Interior decorator Michael
Rosenaur was hired that year to restore the interiors of the house. M. Robert Guggenheim died in 1959, and his
widow later married John A. Logan, and together they resided at the estate
until the mid 1970s.
Copyright Paul K. Williams
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