Capitol Hill rowhouse ‘has a presence’ that abides

And so they bought it in 2000, paying $1.15 million, what was then an unheard of price on Capitol Hill.

“Being the unbelievable, wonderful guy that he was, he was like, ‘Okay, I don’t know that we’ll ever get this money out of here,’ ” she said. “But we enjoyed every minute of it. It was well worth it.”

The Tiptons were only the fourth owners of the house, known in the neighborhood as the “Deer House” because of the stone deer statue on its grounds. The original owner, Antonio Malnati, was a stone mason who came to the United States from Italy at age 23. Before arriving in America, Malnati worked as a stone cutter in Germany, Switzerland and France, according to Paul K. Williams of the House History Man blog. After becoming a naturalized citizen in 1876, Malnati was a stone cutter on the State, War and Navy Building, today’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Malnati, who built the 1903 house, designed by architect George S. Cooper, died three years after it was completed. The house remained in his family until it was sold in 1960.

Connie Tipton said she was drawn to the house, in part, because it is on three lots and has beautiful gardens and a two-car garage plus four parking spaces. But mostly because of the house itself.

“It has a presence,” she said. “It just has so much space. Every room is grand. I love entertaining. I could see the vision of it being as grand as it once was.”

Even though the Tiptons extensively renovated the house — upgrading the plumbing, the wiring, and the heating and cooling systems — many of the original features remain, including sandstone entry stairs, an ornate stone pediment at the entrance, carved keystones, beamed ceilings, plaster moldings, and chestnut woodwork in the dining room. A large safe inscribed with the name of Malnati’s wife is tucked into a hall closet.

Armed with original architectural drawings that have been passed down through the owners, the Tiptons persuaded the Capitol Hill Restoration Society to allow them to restore the side porch and paint a 16-by-45-foot mural on a neighbor’s wall that faces their garden. The trompe l’oeil painting of a Tuscan garden was done by Andre Kouznetsov of Buon Fresco Wall Artistry in Alexandria, Va.

For someone like Connie, who enjoys entertaining, the house has been a wonderful place to host events — from political fundraisers to weddings to her famous Halloween parties. Even the deer gets into the spirit. She puts a red nose on it at Christmas, bunny ears at Easter and little devil horns at Halloween.

“It’s a neighborhood favorite with the little kids,” she said. “I always tell them they can come in and sit on the deer. They come by and say hi to it.”

Tip, who died in 2013, played a significant role in revitalizing Capitol Hill. He helped secure federal funding to redevelop Eastern Market Metro Plaza and served as chairman of the Barracks Row Main Street commercial district. He pushed to have the alley behind the house refurbished. It’s now called “Tip’s Way.”

The seven-bedroom, five-bathroom, 5,688-square-foot semidetached rowhouse is listed at $4.75 million.

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