Hillandale at Georgetown

Hillandale at Georgetown is a 42-acre gated luxury community, technically located in the Burleith section of NW Washington. It is just a short walk along Reservoir Road to all the shops and restaurants of Georgetown. Hillandale was originally developed in the early 20th century as the country estate of Anne Archbold.  In the late 1980s and 1990s, the Archbold estate was developed into the Hillandale community.

Hillandale has a total of 268 homes comprised of 163 rowhouse, 68 semi-detached houses and 37 detached single-family homes.  Hillandale is bounded by 39th Street, Reservoir Road, Glover Archbold Park and Whitehaven Park.  Along 39th Street across the street from the gated entrance to Hillandale is  the Georgetown Community track surrounded by green space, adding to the sense of greenery and quiet. 

Hillandale community amenities include a swimming pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, tot lot, duck pond and security, making it a desirable community for young families who will enjoy the tot lot, pool and tennis courts.  It.is a perfect community for empty nesters who like being able to lock the door and travel for a few weeks or months.

The property that eventually became Hillandale was a 70 acre working sheep farm that included mature forests, meadows, orchards, rose gardens, a main residence, a stable, a gatehouse and several other small outbuildings. In 1922, Anne Archbold bought the property and worked with Josephine Wright Chapman to design a 25000 square foot Italian villa.  The house was built by Dorsey Nichol between1922-1925.   Before the house was finished, Anne Archbold gave 23 acres in 1924  to the DC Park Service to be added to a gift by Charles Carroll Glover, forming the 183 acre Glover-Archbold Park. When the home was completed in 1925, Mrs. Archbold entertained a variety of guests, like author Gertrude Stein and conductor Leopold Stokowski.  Mrs. Archbold died in 1968, leaving the property to her son, John Archbold.

In 1973, John Archbold sold 8 acres to the Government of France for use as the French Chancery and then in 1978  he leased 42 acres to Texas developer CW Murchison, the former owner of the Dallas Cowboys, to develop a planned unit development, on the condition he retained the 5 acre parcel that held the original mansion and gate house.

In 1980, the lease became a sale but by 1985, the property was foreclosed on after only 54 of the planned 268 townhouses (what is now Georgetown Court) and one detached house were built, and the remaining land was sold to Wymark. When its development plans were opposed by the neighbors, Wymark subsequently sold the Mansion and the remaining 1.5 acres to Sur Development in 1988. Sur tried to demolish the mansion to build single family homes but when the French embassy joined forces with historical preservationists, the mansion was listed on the D.C. Inventory of Historic Landmarks.

The Hillandale community offers tennis courts, a swimming pool, tot lots for children, gardens and a duck pond. The eight streets that make up the community are well positioned to allow for maximum privacy for all residents. In addition to the townhouses, there are a few detached homes, many of which back to parkland.  There is an extremely active homeowners’ association that helps to maintain this very popular neighborhood.

In the last six months (Dec. 2023 to May 2024), seven townhomes have sold in Hillandale at Georgetown, ranging in price from $1,505,000 (for a townhome in as-is condition) to 2,015,000 for a property on Mansion Drive.  There were no sales of single family homes in the last six months.

There are only a few gated communities in Washington DC.  Others that you might consider include the condos at 4200 Massachusetts Avenue, the townhomes and high rise condos at Sutton Place,    If you want to go further afield, you might consider a beautiful community in Leesburg at River Creek, complete with a golf course, country club and pool, and beautiful views of the Potomac River.  In Montgomery County, there is Leisure World, a 55- community with golf courses and multiple pools and other amenities.  If you want to head to the Chesapeake Bay area and Annapolis, be sure to check out Sherwood Forest or Gibson Island.