Georgetown row houses and townhouses: Federal, Victorian and freestanding

At a glance

Are Georgetown row houses mostly Federal?

No. Georgetown markets itself on its Federal past, but a survey by the Historic Preservation Foundation and DC's State Historic Preservation Office, cited in the Historic Preservation Office's district brochure, found that 88% of the present building stock was built after 1870. The biggest building boom in Georgetown's history came around the turn of the 20th century, so the typical brick row on a side street is late Victorian.

That changes how you shop. A true Federal house is a scarce, specific thing: you'll find a handful of named rows and merchant houses, mostly on the N Street and Prospect Street blocks above the old harbor. Everything else is a later row house, and that's where most of the inventory sits.

It also changes what you can do after closing. Every house answers to the same Old Georgetown Board review process, but the rules bite differently by age. A house with windows installed before 1950 is expected to keep and restore them where possible; a house built after 1975 can take modern replacement windows. Read the type before you read the floor plan.

Georgetown house types, oldest to newest

The district brochure lists Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque and Classical Revival buildings plus plain vernacular ones, ranging from simple frame dwellings to large houses on planted grounds. Grouped by what you're trading, they fall into five kinds of house.

Federal row houses: the oldest fabric and the tightest window rules

In the Federal period brick replaced stone and builders began putting up speculative rows. Two are named in the brochure: Cox's Row on N Street, built about 1815 by John Cox, and a row on N Street built about 1812 by Walter and Clement Smith. Ship owners and merchants built their own houses on Prospect and N Streets above the harbor.

Buy one if you want the oldest work in the neighborhood and will live with it as found. The catch is the glass: replacement windows on any elevation seen from the street should generally be wood, single-glazed and true divided light, and pre-1950 windows are to be restored where possible. Expect to keep old glass on the front and budget for storm windows.

Greek Revival and Italianate houses from the mid-1800s

The brochure notes that Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux designed two Italianate houses in Georgetown in 1852. Houses of this age sit under the same pre-1950 window expectation as Federal ones, so the trade-off is similar: a stricter facade in exchange for scarcer architecture.

Late Victorian row houses: most of what comes up for sale

Queen Anne, Romanesque and Classical Revival rows from the decades either side of 1900 make up the bulk of the 88%. If you want the most choice of size, block and condition, start here.

The catch: they're still contributing buildings in a National Historic Landmark district, so the same rules on front windows, rear additions and paving apply. A late Victorian row is less precious than a Federal one, but it doesn't get a lighter review.

Freestanding houses on the heights

Above the old town the squares were never subdivided, and the early large houses were run as small farms with formal grounds. The brochure names Evermay (about 1801), Dumbarton Oaks (about 1801) and Tudor Place (1805 to 1816, designed by William Thornton); Dumbarton Oaks and Tudor Place are now museums you can visit to see the type.

This is the pick for garden space. The catch is that a big lot invites big plans the Board resists: new curb cuts are strongly discouraged, over-paving a yard is opposed, and extensive underground additions are discouraged to protect mature trees. Buy the garden for what it is, not for the garage or pool house you hope to add.

Houses and additions built after 1975

The window policy treats post-1975 buildings and additions differently: high-quality fiberglass, aluminum-clad wood and metal replacement windows are generally acceptable on them. If you want the location without old-window constraints, a newer house or one with a post-1975 rear wing is the practical choice.

Can you renovate a row house in Georgetown?

Yes, inside freely and outside with review. The interior is yours; anything visible from a street or alley goes through the Old Georgetown Board and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The full calendar, forms and exemptions live on the historic district and OGB page. These are the rules that decide what a row house can become.

Windows

Under the window policy updated in September 2022, street-facing or readily visible windows should generally be wood, single-glazed and true divided light. Simulated divided lights are supported on less visible secondary elevations, and sandwich muntins (grids between two panes) are never appropriate. Expect to keep the front windows close to what's there.

Rear additions

The additions policy, approved in February 2009, says a rear addition shouldn't project substantially beyond the neighboring buildings of similar type and should stay subordinate, never approaching a doubling of the house. In practice your rear wall is set by the houses next door. The brochure calls limits on rear-lot coverage essential to the district, because the gardens inside each square are part of what's protected.

Roof decks and side additions

Roof additions visible from a street are discouraged, and side additions that block views into the middle of the block are discouraged too.

Parking and curb cuts

The Board strongly discourages new curb cuts. If a house has no driveway or garage today, assume it won't get one. Off-street parking that already exists is a feature to pay for; parking you plan to create is a hope.

Gardens, paving and underground space

The Board opposes over-paving yards and discourages extensive underground additions to protect mature trees. Ask an architect who has presented to the Board before you price any excavation.

Three questions that sort the houses for you

Before you tour, answer these. They sort Georgetown's row houses faster than bedroom counts do.

1. Which street elevation do you need to change? If the answer involves front windows or doors, that's review, and on a pre-1950 house the answer will lean toward restoration. A buyer who needs modern glazing should look at post-1975 houses or accept storm windows.
2. Do you need off-street parking? A new curb cut is strongly discouraged, so filter for houses that already have a garage or deeded parking.
3. Do you need more space than the neighbors' rear wall allows? If the plan only works with an addition deeper than the houses on either side, buy a bigger house instead.

Then look the house up in the Commission of Fine Arts project search to see what earlier owners asked for and what was approved. I can pull the recent sales and the review history for any block you're weighing.

What does a Georgetown row house cost?

Zillow's typical home value for its Georgetown area was $1,515,129 in August 2026, up 3.57% in a year while the DC-wide figure fell 1.05%. The figure covers every home type inside Zillow's Georgetown boundary, so read it as the middle of the market, not the price of a particular row. For how Georgetown prices have moved and how to read a thin month of sales, see the Georgetown housing market report.

Financing above the conforming limit

The 2026 conforming loan limit for a one-unit home in DC is $1,249,125. Above that you're in jumbo financing, so most Georgetown house purchases with a typical down payment need a jumbo loan.

Transfer and recordation tax

On a residential sale of $400,000 or more, DC charges deed transfer tax and recordation tax at 1.45% each on the whole price. On a $2.5M row house that's $36,250 each, $72,500 combined. The transfer tax is imposed on the seller; who pays the recordation tax is set by the sales contract. The detail is on the DC transfer and recordation tax page.

Property tax and old-house upkeep

DC taxes houses at a higher rate above a set assessment threshold, which matters at Georgetown prices; the rate tiers and a worked bill are on the DC property tax page. If you own one of these houses and are weighing a sale, the Georgetown seller's guide covers pricing and timing, and the Georgetown homes for sale overview compares the costs of each house type.

Which part of Georgetown has the row houses you want?

The house type often decides the area. The named Federal rows and merchant houses cluster on N Street and Prospect Street. The freestanding houses sit on the heights above the old town, near Dumbarton Oaks and Tudor Place. The late Victorian rows are spread across the side streets. For how the East Village, West Village, Book Hill and Burleith compare, read the guide to Georgetown's villages. If you're also weighing Capitol Hill or other row-house neighborhoods, the citywide view is on the historic homes in DC page.

Common questions

Sources

• DC Historic Preservation Office: Georgetown Historic District brochure (PDF)
• U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: Window Policy and Guidelines (Old Georgetown)
• U.S. Commission of Fine Arts: Policy on Additions and Site Alterations (Old Georgetown)
• DC Office of Planning: CFA and HPRB Review in Georgetown
• DC Office of Planning: Georgetown Historic District (publication page)
• Zillow Research: Zillow Home Value Index (August 2026)
• FHFA: Conforming loan limit values for 2026
• DC Office of Tax and Revenue: recordation and transfer tax FAQ
• DC Code § 47-903 (deed transfer tax)