Seven years after a fire ravaged the art-filled D.C. house, Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s former home on Chain Bridge Road NW was put on the market yesterday for $20 million.
The property, located less than a mile from American University, is currently the most expensive home for sale in D.C., according to Urban Turf, which first reported the listing.
In July 2009, more than 300 artworks—worth millions of dollars—were destroyed by the fire, Cooper Cafritz, an educator and prolific art collector, told The New York Times last year. Many of the works were underinsured, she said. For example, one piece by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui would sell now for $600,000. “I bought it for maybe a 20th of that amount and never changed its insurance value—that’s the most egregious example, but there are tons.”
By all accounts, the fire began small, however, firefighters spent nearly two hours looking for a reliable stream of properly pressurized water, which prevented them from saving most of the structure. As such, Cooper Crafritz sued the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority for $30 million for failing to maintain the fire hydrants in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the 1.5 acre lot was put on the market in 2012, originally with the intent of subdividing it into three lots. That plan was scrapped in favor of the newly rebuilt home, which boasts eight bedrooms, and 11.5(!) bathrooms.
Emotionally unable to go back to the home, Cooper Crafritz settled in a $3.25 million glass, concrete, and steel duplex condo in Dupont Circle, according to The Times. She also resumed “collecting work that she loves, championing young artists and embracing the pioneering work being made by diverse artists from around the world,” Thelma Golden, director of the Studio Museum in Harlem told The Times.
And she settled the lawsuit in 2014 for an undisclosed amount.
The new Chain Bridge Road home was built by Banks Development and designed by Jones/Boer Architects. It’s listed with TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.