Welcome to the Willoughby Condos in Friendship Heights. This building is loved for its amenities, location close to shops and restaurants, and well priced condo units. The Willoughby of Chevy Chase Condominium is the largest residential building in the Friendship Heights neighborhood. In fact, the Willoughby is so big that it has two addresses. You can live at 4515 Willard Avenue or 5500 Friendship Boulevard – with entrances at each side. Choose from 815 one-, two- and three-bedrooms and two sizes of studio.

What is for Sale at the Willoughby

Do you want an affordable full service condominium building in Chevy Chase with many choices in layouts and sizes? Just click here!  To see all the condos for sale in the 20815 zip code near the Willoughby, just click here.

History of the Willoughby

Until the early 1900s, Friendship Heights was rolling farmland far away from Washington, DC.  It was still

quiet until after World War II when the demand for housing around Washington exploded.  Suddenly Friendship Heights began to develop as a real neighborhood. Businesses were attracted to Friendship Heights. The streetcar and bus terminals at Wisconsin and Western Avenues were a major transfer point for people traveling throughout the area.  The Willoughby Condos was one of the first buildings built in 1968 to 1969 in Friendship Heights. It began as a luxury rental building and converted to condominiums in 1982.

Amenities at the Willoughby

Here is a sample of the amenities at the Willoughby.

  • Front Desk The front desks at the entrances of both the North and South buildings are staffed around the clock, seven days a week.  The front desk staff accepts packages for residents, admits visitors, and issues parking passes for guests.
  • Convenience Store The Willoughby Market, located in the South lobby on Willard Avenue, sells foods, toiletries and sundries, bottled wine and beer, ice cream, magazines and newspapers.  It is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Valet Shop The Valet Shop provides laundry and dry cleaning services, as well as shoe repair.
  • Exercise Room    The fully equipped exercise room on the roof level is open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
  • Laundry Facilities  There are two laundry rooms on each floor, open from 7a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Library The Willoughby Library on the roof level is a completely resident operated amenity.
  • Party Room   Located in the South Building, the party room has a caterer’s kitchen, a moveable bar, a portable dance floor, and a drop-down screen for video, slide, or photo viewing.  It can accommodate up to 100 guests.
  • Restaurant  Alfio’s La Trattoria is a traditional Italian restaurant in the condo complex.
  • Roof Top Lounge and Deck The rooftop lounge  opens on to a deck with panoramic views. The lounge is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.  The outdoor deck is open daily from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. or half an hour after sunset, whichever occurs later.
  • The Willoughby Pool offers a full sized pool as well as a children’s wading pool.

What’s Around the Willoughby

If you are looking for a walkable neighborhood with retail and public transportation around the
corner then you will love Friendship Heights! You are close to retail, movies, shopping, and the metro, and the greenery makes it feel like a suburb rather than a bustling urban center!

Everyone who thinks of Friendship Heights thinks of shopping! There are discount retailers and over the top stores like Tiffany’s. Saks Fifth Avenue has always been at the north end of Friendship Heights, and has been joined in the last ten years or so by Brooks Brothers and Neiman Marcus.

There are two malls in Friendship Heights – Mazza Gallerie, which houses upscale retailers like Nieman Marcus and Chevy Chase Pavilion, the second mall, which hosts J. Crew, the Cheesecake Factory, and an Embassy Suites hotel. Bloomingdales has just moved into the neighborhood in a new complex of retail stores that includes Anthropologie and Microsoft headquarters in Washington.

The national chains are a fairly new development. Friendship Heights used to be composed of more mom and pop stores, but the larger stores are really settling in.  The Whole Foods is another welcome addition to the neighborhood!  The Willoughby Condos are the perfect location for anyone who loves to walk!

Would you rather be close to the Woodmont Triangle and downtown Bethesda? Perhaps you want to be in a smaller building? One that is pet friendly? You might consider the condos at Madison Park at 5000 Battery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Willoughby School District

The Willoughby is now home to many children.  In fact in the morning, the lobby looks like a school itself since there are so many families that call the WIlloughby home.  The public schools that the children from the WIlloughby attend include Somerset Elementary, Westland Middle School and the Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.  There are a number of private schools near the Willoughby including the Little Flower School, Blessed Sacrament, Georgetown Day School, Sidwell Friends, just to name a few choices.

Willoughby Condos Pet Policy

There are lots of choices among condo buildings for people who have dogs or cats, but the condos at the  WIlloughby are not one of them.  On the other hand, if you are someone who is not comfortable with dogs or perhaps you are allergic to cat hair, you will enjoy the pet-free atmosphere of the WIlloughby Condos!

Past Sales at the Willoughby Condos

With over 800 units at the Willoughby condos, there are always properties on the market. To see what is on the market now, you can start your search here.

Sales in the Willoughby have always been strong.  It is interesting to see the progress of values in the Willoughby over the years. For instance, In late 2014 there were more than ten condos for sale ranging from a 325 square foot studio for $179,000 to a two bedroom two bath condo with nearly 1300 square feet of living space for $509,000. Parking is occasionally offered for sale separate from a condo as evidenced by the tandem parking space offered for sale for $55000. The most expensive condo to sell in 2014 was a two bedroom two bath on the 9th floor that sold for $515,000.

Sales in 2019-2021

In 2019, a 325 square foot studio is being offered for $179,000. A 1326 square foot condo is on the market for $420,000 and a beautifully updated unit with 1288 square feet is on the market for $529,900.  A unit sold for $502,500 with three bedrooms and three baths and 1744 square feet.

In 2021, a parking space sold for $23,000.  A 318 square foot studio on the 21st floor sold for $155,000 in June 2021 while another 318 square foot studio on the 24th floor. sold for $176000.  The condo fee for a 318 square foot unit is approximately $316.  There are several of the larger studios currently on the market (435 square feet) for prices ranging between $219,000 and $239,000.  Their condo fee is approximately $399 per month.

A one bedroom one bath unit on the 24th floor with 871 square feet sold in April 2021 for $277,000.  Another similar sized unit sold for $280,000 in $280,000 in March.  The condo fee for that unit was $692 per month.

The most expensive unit to sell in 2021 so far is a 2 bedroom 2 bath unit with 1288 square feet on the 9th floor which sold for $525,000.  The condo fee for that unit was $1070 per month.

The prices vary, depending on the square footage of the unit, whether parking is included,  whether it has been updated, and the height within the building – the floor on which the unit is located, and the view from its balcony (and whether it has a balcony or terrace at all.)

What is the Value of Your Willoughby Condo

If you own a condo now at the Willoughby and want to know its value, just click right here! 

If you want to see what is on the market at the Willoughby, here is the list of condos at the Willoughby! If you have any questions, just give the Bethesda Condo Queen at the  Lise Howe Group a call at 240-401-5577 or email us at lise@lisehowe.com.  If you want to buy a condo in Bethesda or Chevy Chase, call Lise Howe, the Bethesda Condo Queen!

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