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Planned palace upsets neighbors in wealthy D.C. suburb

Planned palace upsets some neighbors in tony D.C. suburb

April 23rd, 2012

By Justin Jouvenal

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...ter_washington

Quote:

In an era of prosperity that has made the Washington area the nation’s most affluent region, the home going up in an exclusive Great Falls neighborhood could be its most potent and polarizing symbol yet: a 25,424-square-foot mansion modeled on the Palace of Versailles. “Le Chateau de Lumiere,” as its owners have dubbed it, will be among the largest homes ever built in the area, but it is also creating an outsize controversy worthy of Louis XIV himself.

Its construction has divided the Hidden Springs community, pitting a former media mogul against a CEO. It has sparked angry confrontations and spurred a lawsuit that has opened a window on the type of high-stakes disputes that are usually kept hushed in the region’s toniest enclaves. The fight largely boils down to a collision between new and old ideas about the way Washington expresses its success — and flaunts its wealth — in a place that has the region’s most concentrated affluence. Washington once shied away from such overt expressions of wealth, more common in Beverly Hills and Palm Beach. But the owners of Lumiere see their mega-mansion — big enough to make your average McMansion feel downright cozy — as a dream home.

Some neighbors see an eyesore that is not in keeping with the Hidden Springs’s traditionally Washington aesthetic, elegant but understated. They also object to the owners knocking down acres of trees to build a home in a neighborhood that was specifically created to be a wooded retreat from go-go Washington. “It’s going to put a spotlight on the neighborhood,” Thomas J. Burns, a Hidden Springs resident, said of the chateau. “I’m disappointed someone would disturb the natural beauty of Great Falls by building such a showy home here.”

The chateau will sit on a hill on a five-acre lot across River Bend Road from Great Falls Park. It will feature stone columns, arched windows, a curved roof and landscaping that echo the famed French palace. True to its moniker, the mansion will be illuminated by an extensive underground lighting system. Builders and real estate agents peg its cost at $15 million to $20 million.

Plans show the home will have five bedrooms, three two-car garages, an elevator, and a pool and a pool house. The entrance foyer will feature two sweeping staircases leading to a gallery running the length of the home. The basement alone will have a wine cellar, an exercise room, a billiard room, a theater with a concession space, a spa, a sauna, a card room, a recreation room, a gallery, a kitchen and a large guest bedroom. On the third floor, the master bedroom suite will take up an entire wing and consist of a study, sitting room, gallery and four other rooms.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/ima...s--300x403.jpg

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/ima...1335216961.jpg

Quote:

“Le Chateau de Lumiere,” as its owners have dubbed it

Is there anything more douchey than giving your house a name?

I don't think I've ever seen a pretentious French real estate name in an English-speaking area that was written correctly.

What's with America's French acceptance? It's like America is trying to become Canada.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin (Post 5683700)

Is there anything more douchey than giving your house a name?

Well, it's been done for centuries...and all over the world. I'm not sure it's truly considered by most to be "douchey" considering all of the many named estates in existence.

It is douchy when it is a mini-Versaille called The Light House.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid (Post 5683773)

It is douchy when it is a mini-Versaille called The Light House.

Okay, that's a completely different statement than simply saying it's douchey to name your mansion.

Looks like a two-story version of the Florence, SC library:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/18...02ab35186f.jpg

eh, let them eat cake.

Did people ever complain about these back then? Assuming this is architecturally well thought out, it would look great. So what, someone is rich and building a huge house. Let them. As far as the name being douchey, it is. But not any more than condo towers with stupid names. There's one here in Chicago aimed at young professionals called EnV..."envy"...get it? Except there's absolutely nothing to envy about it.

This can easily be solved through zoning restrictions and aesthetic regulation. You don't see these going up in most wealthy communities, because they tend to be extremely NIMBY.

Given that this is south of the Potomac, I assume it's a more red-leaning type of place eager for freedom from "government interference". I don't think you would see this in Chevy Chase (north of the Potomac).

Quote:

Originally Posted by KB0679 (Post 5683869)

Looks like a two-story version of the Florence, SC library:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/18...02ab35186f.jpg

Shit, that's a hell of a library for a place like Florence, SC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin (Post 5683700)

Is there anything more douchey than giving your house a name?

Thomas Jefferson... yeah, that man was a real douche.

...

I consider it a sign of progress when the good people of DC stop pretending they aren't actually sapping wealth from 300-million of the rest of us (probably more like 3-billion). They should flaunt it. After all, it's quite an accomplishment.

Besides...still too much hope out there. We slaves out in the districts aren't anywhere close to rebellion yet; any spark is still well-contained. Maybe if a few thousand more palaces get built, somebody outside the Capitol will take notice of the wealth being accumulated there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunt_q (Post 5684281)

...

I consider it a sign of progress when the good people of DC stop pretending they aren't actually sapping wealth from 300-million of the rest of us (probably more like 3-billion). They should flaunt it. After all, it's quite an accomplishment.

Besides...still too much hope out there. We slaves out in the districts aren't anywhere close to rebellion yet; any spark is still well-contained. Maybe if a few thousand more palaces get built, somebody outside the Capitol will take notice of the wealth being accumulated there.

Right, because I'm certain that the owner of this new palace and the others being built or planned to be built are federal government employees sapping your hard-earned tax dollars for their frivolous spending. You know how government employees are just rakin' in the fat stacks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunt_q (Post 5684281)

If you bothered to read the article, you'd realize that the owner of this home founded a chain of sleep deprivation clinics in the area. So, you should find a better place to inject the same old meme about sapping wealth.

It's not an eyesore per say but they complain about it sticking out like a sore thumb and disrupting the neighbourhood's character. Or maybe some are just jealous too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Private Dick (Post 5684287)

Who said anything about a government employee? If he was an executive at, oh, Lockheed Martin, would he be any less dependent on federal largesse than the person who actually gets their paycheck from the federal treasury? Of course not.

Do you REALLY mean to tell me that the Washington-metro's success and wealth is not at all related to the increase in federal spending and the growing size of the federal government? You cannot be serious. What other reason would there be for DC getting richer and richer through the worst recession in two generations?

Quote:

Originally Posted by novawolverine (Post 5684289)

the owner of this home founded a chain of sleep deprivation clinics in the area. So, you should find a better place to inject the same old meme about sapping wealth.

I ask you the same question. If not the presence of the federal government, what is driving DC's success (relative to other metros around the country)?

Also... sleep deprivation clinic. Right. That's not a luxury for the well-to-do (or people with kick-ass health insurance, at least)... sure... Regular people drink a beer, or a glass of warm milk. They don't go to a chain of sleep deprivation clinics to get medicated up so they can sleep through the night.

Also, you people need to lighten up. You have sticks jammed so far up your a**es you can't even pick out a joke, a hunger games reference, etc. OH MY GOD it must be another EVIL TEA PARTIER here to spout lies! Chill out. It's not like liberals can't have a reasonable discussion about federal spending. If this guy building the house built cluster bombs or serine gas, I'm sure you'd be all up in arms about the evil military industrial complex ruining the planet. If you can't lighten up, at least try not to be a total hypocrite.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunt_q (Post 5684300)

If you're talking about "the people of DC sapping the wealth" from all the rest of you poor, poor souls, then the only target of your missive has to be government employees -- who get their paychecks from your tax dollars.

Otherwise, blame capitalism and the cozy relationship our powerful corporations have shared with our government since long before your great granddaddy met your great grandmama. It's always interesting to hear complaints about DC's growing wealth through recession as if its something new...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Private Dick (Post 5684321)

Well, and all the lobbyists, contractors, lawyers, consultants and the like, who, collectively likely outearn the DC area govt. employees, and who, in most cases, are being directly paid by the federal treasury.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1 (Post 5683722)

What's with America's French acceptance? It's like America is trying to become Canada.

Hey Mr. History, you know a Frenchman created the plan of Washington, right? You know Detroit is a French name because it was founded by the French. That the first non-native credited with kicking off what became Chicago was a Frenchman, and for decades after 1776, French was spoken more than English in the Great Lakes region which was all part of Quebec for a while. That the entire Great Lakes region was included in New France, a colony for nearly 250 years before the Revolution. Even today, in addition to Louisiana, there are counties in New England where French is commonly spoken.