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Open floor plans, soaring ceilings, and high-end finishes seem always to be on the menu these days when condo shopping – they’ve become standards. Same goes for aluminum-cased windows, exposed brick and ductwork, courtyards, and roof patios. The Erie, an 11-unit building in the heart of humming Adams Morgan in Washington, DC, has all these things, but its feel is an utter departure. To walk through the breezeway and see the bold colors, fluid architecture, and echoing courtyard is to realize this building is cut from different cloth.
“It’s very Barcelona,” says Dennis Lee, president of DB Lee Development, the project’s developer. (Lee also heads Capital Design Group, which designed the interiors and architectural detailing. Daren Miller of nearby And Beige chose the furnishings for the model units.) “We didn’t want to create just another box building.”
For the Design-minded
From the street, the façade looks deceptively normal – a sturdy, short, brick building with modern accents. But upon entry, “you get a sensation,” Lee says. The Erie is all about “exploding spaces” – that is, spaces with inimitable impact. That extends from the unique roofline, which has the effect of a ribbon waving in the wind, to the interior details, such as recessed carpet in the concrete floors. Potential buyers notice the recessed aluminum baseboards and the level of detail in the staircases, which are made from a variety of hardwoods, steel, and glass. Individual stair treads can be customized to suit each owner’s material preferences.
The Erie is all about openness. Most units have a second-floor mezzanine that contributes to the “cavernous” feeling, Lee says. Each top-floor unit has a private patio with a hot tub and an outdoor shower, a feature Lee says he’s seen in residences in Mexico and the Caribbean. “You can look at the Washington Monument while taking a shower,” he says. And the courtyard was intended to be a true living space, he continues, a place people use daily rather than just walk through.
A Lively Location
The unusual building seems at home in Adams Morgan, a diverse community with rich nightlife, art galleries, yoga studios, tennis courts, bookshops, and home decorating stores. Fine dining and vintage clothing shops are all within easy reach.
“People talk about diversity,” Lee says. Well, this is where it thrives. He has developed several projects in the area and says people of all walks of life are drawn to the charismatic neighborhood. “You have people who could live anywhere [in the area] they want, but they choose to live in this little niche.”
