Capitol Hill House and Garden Tour Returns This Weekend

An Afghan sleigh, a hidden stairway and private gardens will get a public showing this weekend.

The annual “Capitol Hill House and Garden Tour” is back Saturday and Sunday with stops at St. Monica and St. James Episcopal Church (222 8th St. NE), East Side Yoga (518 10th St. NE) and eight houses in the neighborhood. The focus of the tour this time is Near Northeast.

Patrick Crowley, treasurer of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, which organizes the tour, said the homes are a “broad spectrum of styles from very traditional to avant-garde.” Houses featured are new to the tour or haven’t been shown in at least a decade, he added.

“I’ve been struck by the number of winding staircases this year — some are spirals, some hidden, some switchbacks,” Crowley said. “And of course, libraries — wouldn’t be Capitol Hill without them.”

The hidden stairway can be found at the St. Monica and St. James rectory. As for the Afghan sleigh, it’s at 414 D St. NE. Crowley described the sleigh as “a backpack of sorts with poison darts and a blow tube.”

The other houses on the tour include:

• 19 2nd St. NE.
• 315 Constitution Ave. NE.
• 11 4th St. NE.
• 811 A St. NE.
• 415 6th St. NE.
• 600 E St. NE.
• 630 E St. NE.

An advance ticket costs $35 and can be purchased online or at various Capitol Hill businesses. Otherwise, a ticket is $40 this weekend. The tickets are good for Saturday and Sunday.

The tour will run from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Photos courtesy of Patrick Crowley