Coming Full Circle

Written by Trish Donnally Photography by Morgan Howarth

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This beautiful baby was born here and now she’s back!” Lorna Gross of Savant Interior Design says of her client, Sylvia Davis. In fact, Davis was born at Columbia Hospital for Women, which was one of the oldest hospitals in the District when it was closed in 2002 and converted into condominiums. Davis is not only back at her birthplace, but living in the handsome penthouse of what is now called The Columbia Residences of Washington, DC.

“This was a flat roof with a screened porch when this was a hospital. It was a soldiers’ hospital before being a full-fledged women’s hospital. Soldiers were often sick with TB and came up here for air, later to be followed by the birthing moms coming up here for same,” says Davis, an intellectual property attorney and partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. When she and her significant other bought the space, there was next to nothing standing. “When I first came here, it was an open space, just four surrounding walls,” she says.

‘Wood, Stone, Glass and Metal’

Architect Mark Stumer of Mojo Stumer + Associates changed that when he transformed the 4,000-square-foot space into a dynamic two-bedroom penthouse and incorporated an original cupola, plus an additional 2,000 square feet of spectacular terraces, into his design. “At the beginning, we said we wanted the elements of wood, stone, glass, and metal,” Davis says. Stumer skillfully integrated these elements, beginning with a huge mahogany front door that pivots and leads to an art gallery-style hallway. The rest of the space flows from there. Stumer anchored the living room with a mahogany, stainless steel, and limestone fireplace surround that fills an entire wall. Opposite, a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors leads to the front terrace. Stumer designed sculptural mahogany panels on two facing walls, one in the dining area above a cantilevered console, and one behind the TV, also on a console.

Warm Gestures

Stumer also designed limestone ledges along the entry hall and added pinpoint lighting to highlight artwork that Davis would eventually acquire. Once the glamorous unit was completed, Davis bought several major furniture pieces, including her living room sofas and chairs, dining room table and chairs, a sectional for the media room, and bed. “The palette was neutral. Sylvia hired me to warm up the space,” Gross says. She accomplished her mission by specifying a burnt orange rug handmade in Tibet and russet draperies in the living/dining room, adding accessories including lamps and pillows, and guiding Davis in the purchase of art. “With art, even though you may initially fall in love with something, a week later, you may not feel the same. There’s no rush – you can always go back and get it,” Davis says. Tina Rahman of Tina’s Gallery presented an eclectic selection of art, and many pieces spoke to Davis.

‘Chicago Man’

Davis’ “absolute favorite” piece of art in her penthouse is a painting in the media room that she calls “Chicago Man.” Her uncle had found the painting by an unknown artist at a flea market in New York and had it hanging in his Manhattan apartment for decades. “I was eyeing it, and I worked on that for 10 years. Finally, my uncle said, ‘Take it.’ I took it off the hook,” Davis says, smiling. “It had been hanging in my uncle’s home for so, so long, I wanted him to be a part of our space.” As it turns out, “Chicago Man” played a pivotal role in the decor of Davis’ condo. “We based the color palette of our home on this piece,” she says.

Fresh Air

The exterior of Davis’ home is just as exciting as the interior. “This is a traditional building on the façade, but we wanted it to be open on the inside. We wanted our terrace to be an extension of the interiors,” Davis says. Lighting throughout the unit was important, too. “We were trying to capture as much of the view as possible. At night, I can see into Virginia. We can see fireworks on the Fourth of July and you can sit in the living room and catch the sunset,” she says.

This former rooftop once provided a place for hospital patients to soak in fresh air, and it’s still performing the same function. “This is the condo version of a front yard and backyard,” Davis says of the formal space on the front of the old hospital and the more casual terrace through the kitchen door on the other side. “This allows us to entertain and to let our son out to get a little recreation.”