This nineteenth century home tucked away on the quiet streets of Cleveland Park was once owned by John Adlum, known as the “father of American viticulture” – or so the story goes. According to legend, Adlum, who joined the Revolutionary War two days after the signing of the Declaration of Independence at age 17, began one of the new nation’s first vineyards on this property.The truth is murkier.
“This was a very fine wine, and so exactly resembling the red Burgundy of Chamberlin, that on a fair comparison with that, of which I had very good on the same table, imported by myself from the place where made; the company could not distinguish the one from the other.” The six-bedroom, five-bathroom house sits on over an acre of land. The main level features a grand foyer with peachy walls and is flanked by a library on one end and a receiving room on the other. The dining room and living room open to a veranda that overlooks the expansive property and private garden. A metal storage rack hangs above the country kitchen, and the family room is lit by oversized windows in the day and by a fireplace in the evening.
There are two covered patios in the backyard, one of which leads into the backyard and the other to the main floor. A separate structure next to the house is used as a one-car garage. In the front of the house, a circular gravel stretches 3,600 square feet.