The curved limestone façade of the L’Aiglon Building—“aiglon” is French for “eaglet”—is a 1923 addition to a much earlier residential structure, large portions of which remain intact. The building, along the west side of Adams Mill Road near Columbia Road, has changed hands recently; the rumor was that the exterior would be refurbished and the interior demolished.

The hidden structure is interesting in its own right. Records at the Washington Historical Society and the DC Public Library’s Washingtoniana Division show that in 1904, a house valued at $15,000 was constructed at what was then 1808 Cincinnati Street for a prominent builder, Franklin T. Sanner. The house was designed by B. Stanley Simmons, architect of the Wyoming apartment building, the Jewish Community Center, and the Barr office building. The street was later renamed, first as Calvert Street and later as Adams Mill Road.

In early fall, rumors were rampant that two important buildings near the intersection of  18th Street and Columbia Road were to be converted into more new, upscale condominiums. The rumors were partly right—but mostly wrong.

The first site is the L’Aiglon Building at 1808 Adams Mill Rd., until recently home to Miss Pixie’s, Little Shop of Flowers, da•da, and an electronics store that occupied space in the building for more than 22 years. Washington mega-developer Douglas Jemal has bought the three-story building, which he plans to remodel for commercial use. 

Since the building is within the Kalorama Triangle historic district, Jemal must retain the current building height, and he cannot convert the building to condominiums because there is no space for the required parking spaces—unless he applies for and receives a variance. (For a history of this interesting building, read the accompanying article by Michael Ray.)