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Freedom of the Press: Inside Former Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee’s Georgetown House

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Freedom of the Press: Inside Former Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee’s Georgetown House

November 3, 2020

Ben Bradlee, the famed Washington Post editor and bon vivant—played by Tom Hanks in The Post and Jason Robards in All the President’s Men—probably wouldn’t recognize his old Georgetown residence. Remodeled in an elegantly succinct style far more European than preppy, it’s still nonetheless his kind of place: the double living room is designed for hobnobbing, the dining table stands ready for a crowd, and every room is filled with family mementos, a pair of water skis included. What’s more, Bradlee would find plenty of things in common with the new owners: Miriam Mahlow, a former journalist who grew up in Berlin and has two degrees from Stanford, is a managing director at Human Rights Watch, and her husband, a Georgetown local, is a star investigative reporter.

The couple have three young sons and were living in Istanbul when New York-based architect Lauren Wegel received a call: would she help them pull together their dream house on a budget? A protégé of Annabelle Selldorf’s, Wegel now runs her own office. Mahlow, a self-described “design junkie” and longtime Selldorf groupie, had admired Wegel’s “pure but welcoming and livable” version of minimalism on Remodelista. And she liked the idea of bringing an outsider’s prospective to DC living. Wegel herself, Mahlow says, took some convincing—until she saw the place. Join us for a tour of the results.

Photography by Richard Barnes, courtesy of Lauren Wegel.

built in the mid \19th century, the mansard roofed victorian with attached carr 17
Above: Built in the mid-19th century, the mansard-roofed Victorian with attached carriage house is three doors from JFK’s pre-White House quarters.

Bradlee and the then senator are said to have met while pushing strollers in the neighborhood; their off-duty friendship led to Bradlee’s 1975 book, Conversations with Kennedy. And the discussion still rages over the 1964 murder of Bradlee’s artist sister-in-law, Mary Pinchot Meyer, who, it came out, had been having an affair with Kennedy while living in the house; her case is still unsolved. Mahlow and family holed up in the carriage house during construction.

&#8\2\20;the house is strangely grand and intimate all at the same time,&am 18
Above: “The house is strangely grand and intimate all at the same time,” says Wegel, who, accustomed to the constraints of New York brownstones, found the proportions liberating. (It’s 25 feet wide on the ground floor.) Her mandate from Mahlow: “Respect the old while enhancing it.”

Like most remodels, a lot of the work is invisible and included “new columns, footings and a deep new beam running the width of the house to correct major settling issues,” plus new central heating and AC.  Because all of that was costly, the couple decided to focus the design tweaking on the parlor floor, starting with the original Southern pine floor, which was stripped of carpeting and lightened. (“We briefly thought about going with Dinesen’s wide boards—way over our budget —but I’m glad we didn’t,” says Wegel. “It would have had a very different feel and the existing flooring suits the house.”) The pendant light is the IC Lights S Pendant by Michael Anastassiades.

the living room puts in an appearance in the post—the movie&#8\2\17; 19
Above: The living room puts in an appearance in The Post—the movie’s creative team paid the family a house call before building the set. Take a look: you’ll see the space is divided but the pair of fireplaces were carefully replicated.

The Le Corbusier LC3 Grand Model Sofas are signed originals passed down by Mahlow’s mother (“you can feel Le Corbusier’s signature etched on the undersides”). Anticipating that their black upholstery would be too heavy for the space, Mahlow ordered several sets of linen slipcovers in Istanbul: “you can walk into a fabric store, make your selections, and have them stitched in a few hours for about $5o.” As for the period chandeliers, they’re hand-me-downs: Wegel and Mahlow were having trouble finding twin lights that could carry the space when a new neighbor about to do a gut renovation asked Mahlow if there was anything in her place she could use. (Scroll down to the bottom for a look at the lighting the room came with.)

 &#8\2\20;the room is very much lived in—but there&#8\2\17; 20
Above: “The room is very much lived in—but there’s no basketball dribbling allowed,” Mahlow tells us. The Le Corbusier LC4 Chaise Longue, another original, also has different covers that get shifted with the seasons.

There are next to no window coverings and only a few rugs by choice: “I loved the house most when the work was just complete and all the rooms were empty,” says Mahlow.

the \1954 abstract painting over the mantel is by w. mülle hufschmid. 21
Above: The 1954 abstract painting over the mantel is by W. Mülle-Hufschmid.
&#8\2\20;it was very important to me that we establish a clear line from li 22
Above: “It was very important to me that we establish a clear line from living room to dining room and into the kitchen,” says Mahlow. “I knew I wanted that axis to be unobstructed.” Toward that end, Wegel widened the opening between the rooms and painted all the walls Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White. The china cabinet came with the house—it, too, appears in The Post.
the sandstone topped dining table is actually three joined tables that mahlow h 23
Above: The sandstone-topped dining table is actually three joined tables that Mahlow had made in Istanbul: it can seat up to 22. “Miriam entertains in an old-school way and hosts varying sizes of groups that the table accommodates in a flexible way,” says Wegel. The caned Hoffman Side Chairs came from DWR. The light over the table is West Elm’s Mobile Chandelier, $299. (See more mobile pendants in our Trend Alert.)
the space is brightened by the kitchen&#8\2\17;s new view of the garden thr 24
Above: The space is brightened by the kitchen’s new view of the garden through steel-framed French doors: “There was so much possible access to light that hadn’t been utilized,” says Wegel.

The architect credits project general contractor Kaz Malachowski of Falcon Construction as key to the success of the renovation: “I could trust him to get all the details right and my clients loved him. For me, being long distance, Kaz was truly a godsend.”

the team started from scratch in the kitchen, which mahlow tells us she envisio 25
Above: The team started from scratch in the kitchen, which Mahlow tells us she envisioned as being “as un-kitchen-y as possible: no visible appliances, no overhead cabinets—I wanted it to work, but more importantly, to look good.”

Though she was initially resistant to the idea of an island, Mahlow was persuaded that it was the best option for the space: “She can cook and enjoy her family at the same time,” Wegel says. The island has a Walnut Butcher Block Top from John Boos. The Viking cooktop (and the oven below it) has a retractable downdraft hood, all by Viking. For similar lights, see 10 Easy Pieces: White Globe Pendants.

unlike most of wegel&#8\2\17;s clients, mahlow asked for a sense of opennes 26
Above: Unlike most of Wegel’s clients, Mahlow asked for a sense of openness in lieu of a lot of storage. The cabinet fronts are painted wood and the sink counter and backsplash are Carrara marble sourced locally. The floor is Stonesource’s Bianco Natural, a stone lookalike made of porcelain.

The refrigerator is a Fisher & Paykel: “It isn’t as expensive as a Sub-Zero, but you get the counter depth and the custom panel,” says Wegel. “I also like the high freezer: it allows a lot of storage and coordination with the counters opposite.” Note the art throughout the room (Mi!, the neon sculpture on the wall, was a 10th anniversary present to Mahlow from her husband). See The New Gallery for more examples of art in kitchens.

the kitchen table came from west elm and the rush chairs are a vintage gio pont 27
Above: The kitchen table came from West Elm and the rush chairs are a vintage Gio Ponti design that Mahlow bought on eBay. The fireplace replaced a space-hogging brick original; the new setup has a gas insert and is flanked by seamless storage cabinets. The carved-wood clock is Belgian.
a new powder room tucked under the stairs has a cement tiled backsplash in a pa 28
Above: A new powder room tucked under the stairs has a cement-tiled backsplash in a pattern called Rotterdam Blocks from Granada Tile in Los Angeles. The sink is the 2nd Floor Vanity Basin from Duravit—with a custom lacquered cabinet underneath it—and the single-lever faucet is the Noma from Vigo Industries. The walls are painted a Benjamin Moore gray called Cheating Heart.
the upper two floors have yet to be fully tackled: upgraded bathrooms are on th 29
Above: The upper two floors have yet to be fully tackled: upgraded bathrooms are on the docket for Phase 2 of the remodel. Vintage water skis from the family’s lake house in New Hampshire hang in the stairwell leading to the kids’ rooms.
the houses&#8\2\17;s back stairs, something wegel had never encountered in  30
Above: The houses’s back stairs, something Wegel had never encountered in NYC, were rebuilt: “they’re wonderful  because they allow continuous circulation.” Translation: “Our boys can run up the main stair and down the back,” says Mahlow.
the house has a new steel deck off the kitchen. the garden is getting tackled n 31
Above: The house has a new steel deck off the kitchen. The garden is getting tackled next.

Before

the backyard was accessed through a single door and underutilized. 32
Above: The backyard was accessed through a single door and underutilized.
in the house&#8\2\17;s previous incarnation, there was pile carpeting, mod  33
Above: In the house’s previous incarnation, there was pile carpeting, mod lights, and an out-of-scale narrow archway between the living and dining room.
all of the appliances were on show, and the kitchen was dominated by a large br 34
Above: All of the appliances were on show, and the kitchen was dominated by a large brick hearth—”we had hoped to keep it as a pizza oven,” says Wegel, “but that didn’t allow room for a table.”
lauren wegel&#8\2\17;s ground floor plan introduced an entirely new kitchen 35
Above: Lauren Wegel’s ground-floor plan introduced an entirely new kitchen, access to the back, and a continuous flow between the living spaces.

Here are the two projects that inspired Mahlow to reach out to Wegel:

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Frequently asked questions

Who is Ben Bradlee?

Ben Bradlee was a former executive editor of The Washington Post.

What is the name of the house that Ben Bradlee remodeled?

The house is named Grey Gardens.

When did Ben Bradlee purchase Grey Gardens?

Ben Bradlee purchased Grey Gardens in 1979.

What was the condition of Grey Gardens when Ben Bradlee purchased it?

Grey Gardens was in a state of disrepair with overgrown gardens and dilapidated interiors.

What changes did Ben Bradlee make to Grey Gardens?

Ben Bradlee made extensive renovations to Grey Gardens including updating the electrical and plumbing systems, installing central heating and air conditioning, and remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms.

Who helped Ben Bradlee with the renovation of Grey Gardens?

Interior designer Bunny Mellon and architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen helped Ben Bradlee with the renovation of Grey Gardens.

Was Grey Gardens featured in a documentary?

Yes, Grey Gardens was the subject of a documentary film called 'Grey Gardens' released in 1975.

What is the current status of Grey Gardens?

Grey Gardens is currently owned by Sally Quinn, the widow of Ben Bradlee.

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