Are you looking for a new condo in Friendship Heights? Is Metro access important? Do you want a full service building? Check out the Willoughby in Friendship Heights and other similar condos.
Where is the Willoughby?
The Willoughby of Chevy Chase Condominium, standing 24 stories tall, is the largest residential building in the Friendship Heights neighborhood. With a total of 815 efficiencies, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in a North and a South building, The Willoughby has two addresses – 4515 Willard Avenue and 5500 Friendship Boulevard – and entrances at each side.
The History of the Willoughby
Until the early 1900s, Friendship Heights was an area of rolling farmland far away from Washington, DC, even though it was just outside the city limits. It was still quiet until after World War II when the returning soldiers created overwhelming demand for housing around Washington. Suddenly Friendship Heights began to develop as a real neighborhood. Businesses were attracted to Friendship Heights, whose streetcar and bus terminals at Wisconsin and Western Avenues were a major transfer point for people traveling throughout the area. The Willoughby was built in 1968 to 1969 as a luxury rental building and converted to condominiums in 1982 by the First Condominium Development Company of Chicago.
Amenities at the Willoughby
In addition to all that is available just steps outside the front doors of the Willoughby, The Willoughby’s residents enjoy the convenience of many amenities, without stepping foot outside. Those who want an active social atmosphere will find a dynamic community here, with resident-planned activities taking place throughout the year.
- Front Desk The front desks at the entrances of both the North and South buildings are staff around the clock, seven days a week. The front desk staff accepts packages for residents, admits visitors, and issues parking passes for guests.
- Controlled Access The Willoughby’s many entrance doors and garage doors are accessible only through the use of an access control card, issued by the Management Office. Residents may admit their guests by phone, using the entry phone at each of three locations. The guest simply dials the unit number and the resident uses the telephone to open the door.
- Convenience Store The Willoughby Market, located in the South lobby on Willard Avenue, provides a full assortment of canned, frozen and refrigerated foods, toiletries and sundries, bottled wine and beer, soft drinks, ice cream, magazines and newspapers. The convenience store is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Valet Shop The Valet Shop provides laundry and dry cleaning services, as well as shoe repair. Other services, including video rentals and faxing, are also available. The Valet Shop is located near the service elevators by the loading dock on the 7th floor.
- Exercise Room On the roof level, the exercise room has commercail grade treadmills, elliptical trainers, recumbent bikes, a five stage multi-gym and barbells. The exercise room is open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Laundry Facilities On each resident floor, there are two laundry rooms, one in the North building and one in the South building. Washers and dryers are operated using stored value cards available in mail rooms of both the North and South buildings. The laundry rooms are open from 7a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Library The Willoughby Library on the roof level is a completely resident operated amenity. Books are donated by the residents, shelved by the residents and borrowed by the residents.
- Party Room This amenity is located on the Lobby level of the South Building, has recently been remodeled in an elegant architectural design, and now includes a caterer’s kitchen, a moveable bar, a portable dance floor, and a drop-down screen for video, slide, or photo viewing. Residents and owners may reserve the room, which accommodates up to 100, to host their social functions—for a fee, through the Management Office.
- Restaurant Alfio’s La Trattoria is a traditional Italian restaurant in the condo complex. It is open seven days a week, offers free valet parking, and carry out.
- Roof Top Lounge and Deck The heated and air-conditioned rooftop lounge offers a relaxing place to get together with other residents, play table games, or enjoy the quietude of a comfortable place to read. It opens on to a beautifully constructed wooden deck that overlooks the Friendship Heights and Chevy Chase shopping districts. The deck is a pleasant place to view the holiday fireworks displays. Though the lounge is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., the outdoor deck is open daily from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. or half an hour after sunset, whichever occurs later.
- The Willoughby Pool was renovated in 2001 and now offers a full sized pool as well as a children’s wading pool. The on site Management Office provides the seasonal pool passes.
All About Friendship Heights – the Neighborhood
If you are looking for an urban lifestyle – a walkable neighborhood with retail and public transportation around the corner – within the cocoon of a soft urban environment – then you will love Friendship Heights! Even though you are close to retail, medical services, movie theaters, shopping, and the Metro, this area still feels like a suburb rather than a bustling urban center!
Everyone who thinks of Friendship Heights thinks of shopping! There are discount retailers like T.J. Maxx and Loehmann’s and over the top stores like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Cartier and Tiffany’s. Saks Fifth Avenue has always been at the north end of Friendship Heights, and has been joined in the last ten years or so by Brooks Brothers across Wisconsin Avenue. There is even a store from Florence, Italy – The Apothecary of Santa Maria Novella – which has locations in London, Miami, Los Angeles… and Friendship Heights! Neiman Marcus is at the south end of Friendship Heights near Lord and Taylor on Western Avenue.
There are two malls in Friendship Heights – Mazza Gallerie, which houses upscale retailers like Nieman Marcus, Williams Sonoma, Pampillonia Jewelers and the AMC movie theater, and Chevy Chase Pavilion, the second mall, which hosts J. Crew, World Market, the Cheesecake Factory, and an Embassy Suites hotel. Bloomingdales has just moved into the neighborhood in a new complex of retail stores that includes a P.F. Chang, Anthropologie and Microsoft headquarters in Washington.
The national chains are a fairly new development. Friendship Heights used to be composed of more mom and pop stores, but the larger stores are really settling in. The Whole Foods is another welcome addition to the neighborhood, giving Giant a run for its money!
Current Listings and Recent Sales at the Willoughby
With over 800 units at the Willoughby, there are always properties on the market. In late 2016 there were several condos for sale ranging from a 325 square foot studio for $186,000 to a two bedroom one bath condo with nearly 1200 square feet of living space for $420,000. Parking is occasionally offered for sale separate from a condo as evidenced by the tanden parking space offered for sale for $55000. The most expensive condo to sell in 2016 was a four bedroom two bath with over 1600 square feet of space on the 6th floor that sold for $665,000.
Prices vary depending on the view, the size of the unit, whether parking is included, whether it has been updated, and the height within the building – the floor on which the unit is located.
If you own a condo currently at the Willoughby and want to know its value, just click right here!
If you want to see what is on the market at the Willoughby, here is the list of condos at the Willoughby and other condos similar to it and nearby! If you have any questions, just give the Lise Howe Group a call at 240-401-5577 or email us at lise@lisehowe.com
Where Do Children Go to School
The Willoughby is located in an excellent school district in Montgomery County. Children living here attend Somerset Elementary, Westland Middle, and Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. Nearby private schools include Washington Episcopal, Little Flower, Holton Arms, Landon and Concord Hill. To find out more about the local schools, just click here to see a full school report! If you are in the lobby on a school morning you will be surprised how many children are there waiting for the school bus!
Pet Friendly or Pet Free
There is never a right or wrong answer to this question but it is important to ask. If you are committed to having a pet, then the Willoughby is Not for you. The building does not allow pets.
However, if you are someone who is allergic to animal dander, this may be just the building for you. After all, if dogs or cats make you sneeze, then you are probably looking for a building that is pet free. You can get on the elevator here at the Willoughby in Friendship Heights and know that you won’t be sharing it with a large grumpy dog!