Vermont Avenue Residence by Shinberg.Levinas
Vermont Avenue Residence is a house in Logan Circle, Washington, DC, by Shinberg.Levinas. The 1880s townhouses are joined for family life, yet they still keep the option to separate in the future. Historic facades remain intact, while the interior opens to light, shared rooms, and two staircases that satisfy building code.
About Vermont Avenue Residence
Vermont Avenue Residence brings two 1880s townhouses in Logan Circle into a single home while keeping their separate identities intact. The owners want the rooms to read as one, but they also need the option to divide the properties and sell one later.
That dual brief shapes the entire house. Because the facades cannot change and each deed requires its own stair, Shinberg.Levinas works within clear limits and turns them into a more fluid interior sequence.
Natural light reaches deep into the plan. Glass walls and skylights pull daylight into the staircases and the primary bath, rooms that would otherwise stay dim.
A Shared Center
The kitchen anchors daily life and gives the family one place to gather. An open layout supports cooking, conversation, and movement between the connected halves of the house.
Nearby, the dining room introduces a slanted wall that gives the interior a sharper profile. The gesture is simple, but it changes how the room reads and how the eye moves through it.
Light Through The Core
Daylight is treated as part of the plan, not an afterthought. Openings and skylights bring brightness to circulation areas and private rooms, softening the transition between the older fabric and the new work.
The staircases become more than code requirements. Their placement and form help organize the house, while also bringing light and a sense of vertical movement into the interior.
Warm Materials, Lasting Use
Material choices focus on durability and comfort. Wood, steel, and ceramic tile give the rooms a grounded feel, and improved insulation and energy-efficient appliances update the house without disturbing its historic shell.
That mix of practical upgrades and restrained interior moves keeps the project legible. It reads as two old townhouses working together: connected, flexible, and shaped around light, family use, and long-term life.
Photography by Alan Karchmer
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