Jeff Bezos is renovating the former Textile Museum to be his new home base in Washington, DC.Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
- Amazon announced on Tuesday that it will split its second headquarters project, which it calls HQ2, in two with locations in Queens, New York, and Arlington, Virginia.
-
Jeff Bezos bought a residential property in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, DC, for $23 million in 2016.
- The two structures on the property have nearly 27,000 square feet of living space — it’s the largest home in Washington, DC.
- Bezos is said to be spending $12 million to renovate the homes and the surrounding property.
- The new mansion will have a ballroom, a whiskey cellar, elevators, a garden room, 11 bedrooms, and 25 bathrooms.
Amazon announced on Tuesday that it will split its second headquarters project, which it calls HQ2, in two with locations in Queens, New York, and Arlington, Virginia.
In 2016, Bezos paid $23 million in cash for a property in DC’s exclusive Kalorama neighborhood, home to the Obamas as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. It’s less than six miles from the future site of Amazon’s offices.
Bezos is said to be spending $12 million to renovate the homes and the surrounding property.
While the property doesn’t appear to offer much privacy in the front — it was the site of the Textile Museum for about a century — it includes two separate structures with nearly 27,000 square feet of living space and a spacious backyard.
The larger of the two homes, the Wood House, will be for entertaining guests, while the Pope House will serve as the family’s living quarters when they’re in town. The Bezos’ home base is in Medina, Washington — a secluded, 5.3-acre compound on the shores of Lake Washington.
The renovation plans were approved in September 2017 and are now underway. Below, check out the floor plan of Bezos’ future mansion in Washington, DC.
The property comprises two buildings plus a garage with staff quarters, a garden pavilion, and an attached garden room.
Jenny Cheng/Business Insider
The Washingtonian got its hands on the blueprints for Bezos’ home renovation earlier this year, and Business Insider used them to create these floor plans. The architecture firm overseeing the expansion, Barnes Vanze, specializes in historic restoration.
The plans show that the lot size is 34,000 square feet and has two structures, which made up the former Textile Museum, connected by a second-story walkway. Both structures were built in the early 1900s and are part of the National Register of Historic Places.
According to the plans, the existing driveway will be widened and restored, and the curb will be replaced with granite. “Privacy plantings” will be added to the perimeter of the property as well.
In the backyard, a new terrace will be added off the back of the Wood House with a “garden room” linking the two. Behind the Pope House, a wooden pergola and existing fountain will be restored. At the back of the lot there’s a new garden pavilion that will have a gas fireplace. A pathway leads to a one-bedroom house for the property’s caretaker that sits above a two-car garage.
The Pope House will be the family’s private living quarters.
Jenny Cheng/Business Insider
The Pope House was designed by and named for John Russell Pope, the architect behind the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
On the left side of the property and standing three stories tall, this home will be the Bezos’ main living quarters, according to the Washingtonian. Plans were publicly available for only the lower level, so it’s possible other floors aren’t being renovated now.
A huge lounge with a bar is the main event on the lower level, in addition to a whiskey cellar (complete with drying racks), an adjacent wine room, and a large kitchen.
Upstairs, there appear to be multiple bedrooms, an exercise room, a TV room, and a kitchenette. The house has a total of 10 bathrooms.
The Wood House will be used for entertaining.
Jenny Cheng/Business Insider
The Washingtonian said Bezos and his wife, Mackenzie, would most likely use the Wood House for “A-level socializing,” describing it as the “party pad of epic proportions.”
A nearly 1,500-square-foot ballroom takes up one side of the main level and rises two stories. A new limestone fireplace, staff bar room, and promenade with a balcony overlooking the space add to the grandeur.
On the other side, a spacious living room and a gallery lined with windows looking out to the front of the property are separated by another set of stairs. Visitors can also opt for the nearby elevator.
The third floor of the Wood House accommodates guests and staff members.
Jenny Cheng/Business Insider
Upstairs on the third floor are staff quarters and several bedrooms, each with at least one large window.
Between the two homes, there is a total of five living rooms and lounges, three kitchens, two libraries/studies, two workout rooms, 25 bathrooms, and 11 bedrooms.
The Washingtonian said the architecture firm estimated the renovations would be complete by December.
When’s the housewarming party?
