By Patrick Rucker
Friday October 7, 2005

The District is in the midst of a building and remodeling binge but some neighborhoods have kept their charm intact.

Glover Park, comprising 600 townhouses built in the 1920’s just north of Georgetown, is one such historic neighborhood.  A house tour later this month will feature the area, showcasing remodeling done to update and expand the homes. 

“The homes are roughly the same size and so neighbors will be able to see what has been done and what they can do themselves,” said Anslie Stokes, the realtor behind the tour.

In all, seven homes will be open within a few blocks of one another so neighbors can wander between them and exchange ideas on how to get the most out of their space.

Some homeowners have taken a lot of initiative.

In one home, (pictured) the owner put a 14-foot extension on the back, adding room for a new master bedroom and bath, kitchen and family room.

Most of homeowners have long ago enclosed their sleeping porches – thank you modern air conditioning!

Others have taken quaint homes and added modern touches: replacing six-on-one window sets, swapping wooden banisters with metal and turning old style kitchens into stainless steel wonders.

One neighbor who wanted to replace a stained glass front window gave it to a neighbor to use as a front door transom.  Now she spies it from across the street everyday.

Proceeds from the house tour will go to benefit Stoddert Elementary School.