Among the angular Federal-style homes that define Old Town, a lopsided, sea-green structure draws attention like a fish out of water. The “Flounder House” at 511 Queen St., now on the market for $2.9 million, is one of fewer than 20 such architectural oddities left in Alexandria, Virginia.
These houses have a single-pitch roof as opposed to the double pitch of a gable roof. They are called flounder houses, after the species of flatfish which, like all flatfish, has both eyes on one side of its head instead of one eye on each side. Some of the oldest surviving flounder houses are in Alexandria, and it is unclear why some Revolutionary-era builders chose this design.
The Queen Street house was built around 1784. Its owner, Rosemary Furfaro, felt it was her duty to preserve the personality of the original house. In the case of such an old house, she said, “you’re not so much an owner as a steward.”
She and her husband, who died in 2012, bought the house in 2004 for its location and quirks. At the time, Furfaro wasn’t a fan of the house’s colors, fireplaces, and English garden.
A restoration project, delayed by the 2008 recession, was completed in 2009. The renovation included an addition with a new kitchen, a study and a master bedroom, and it transformed the second-floor storage room into a walk-in closet.
The exterior of the extension is constructed of unpainted brick, in accordance with the requirements of the Alexandria Council for Architectural Review.
As part of the restoration, a front door was made from a piece of worm-eaten 19th-century chestnut without glue, but with pins to hold it together. The solid brass knocker, in the shape of a dolphin, was made by a Venetian craftsman from a mold dating back to the Renaissance. The door is a nod to Furfaro’s travels, her studies in art history and the maritime trading history of Venice and Alexandria.
The older portion of the house has original heart pine floors and five fireplaces — one in each original living space. On the first floor, that space includes a living room, dining room, and foyer. A breakfast nook connects those spaces to the addition.
Furfaro, a former chef and restaurateur, designed the kitchen with cooking in mind. She was inspired by British “unfit” kitchens — with cabinets and appliances that aren’t built-in — and by Spanish tiles in Seville. The signature island has three sections: a white marble block for making pastries and pasta, a maple and walnut butcher’s block, and a slate section for preparing fruits and vegetables. The two ends are kidney-shaped, an ergonomic decision that helped Furfaro avoid awkward corners.
Upstairs is the master bedroom with a 1930s Venetian chandelier and an early 19th century hand-forged iron door knocker on a door leading to a Juliet balcony.
The en suite bathroom, which was featured in a local design magazine in 2009, was inspired by memories of fog rolling over the hills around Furfaro’s former San Francisco home — with gray, green and white tones surrounding the stainless steel Japanese soaking tub. A glass-tiled shower features a rain showerhead, and on the wall above the tub is an alcove custom-designed to display a racehorse statue, an ornament Furfaro purchased in Old Town. The suite has a walk-in closet with a washer and dryer.
Another bedroom has an en suite bathroom, a fireplace and direct access to a conservatory. The third bedroom has a fireplace.
The garden is designed for year-round color: peonies, irises and cherry blossoms in spring, gardenias and English roses in summer, the foliage of Japanese maples in fall, and Daphne and Sasanqua Camellia trees in winter. The driveway has two parking spaces.
511 Queen St., Alexandria, Virginia.
- Bedrooms/Bathrooms: 3/3
- Estimated square meters: 2,400
- Lot size: 4,100 square feet
- Features: One of the last remaining homes in Old Town, this flounder was built in the late 1700s and retains many original details. The home has undergone a series of renovations over the past two decades, including the construction of a sizable addition in 2009. The driveway has two parking spaces.
- Listing Agent: Kay Blemker, Compass Realty
