Ringgold‑Carroll House — An Historic Landscape Reimagined Through Adaptive Reuse

The Ringgold-Carroll House, Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC

Our adaptive‑reuse landscape plan for the Ringgold‑Carroll House rehabilitates and reinterprets one of Washington’s most historically significant properties. Located just three blocks from the White House, the house has served many roles over its two‑century life. In the early 19th century, it operated as a boarding home for prominent Washingtonians—including Chief Justice John Marshall—before becoming the private residence of political hostess Virginia Lowe Bacon in 1923. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985, the property now serves as the headquarters for Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR).

DACOR engaged Bell Design to create a code‑compliant entrance sequence that would accommodate aging members while preserving the site’s historic character. The scope required a level of precision and sensitivity typical of complex preservation work. We collaborated closely with the National Park Service, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and the DC Historic Preservation Office to ensure that all interventions met federal and local preservation standards. The resulting design introduces a classically inspired 150‑foot ADA‑compliant ramp, carefully threaded through the existing landscape. Achieving this required surgically cutting through historic masonry, reconstructing 300 linear feet of retaining walls, and addressing long‑standing water infiltration issues. Original brick and Seneca Red limestone coping were meticulously removed, cleaned, catalogued, and reinstalled. Where new material was required, we sourced matching brick to feather seamlessly into the restored sections.

The ramp’s new walls were designed to integrate gracefully with the site’s steep topography through reduced wall heights, context‑sensitive grading, and layered plantings. New steel handrails, detailed in a traditional profile and painted “DACOR Blue”—an inky blue‑black drawn from the house’s historic ironwork—provide continuity with the building’s architectural language. Subtle louvered downlighting ensures safe nighttime use during DACOR’s frequent evening events while maintaining a discreet visual presence.

The planting design blends Mid‑Atlantic native and adapted species with historically appropriate ornamentals from the house’s period of significance (c. 1820–1920). Native selections such as Bluestar, Coneflower, Witchhazel, Juniper, and Blazingstar provide seasonal interest and lower maintenance needs, while Winter Jasmine cascades softly over the ramp walls. To honor the property’s layered history, we incorporated traditional species and cultivars associated with early American and Federal‑era gardens, including Boxwood, Bear’s Breeches, Iris, and Pheasant’s Eye Daffodil. Inspiration was drawn from the gardens of Colonial Williamsburg, the Taliaferro‑Cole and Master Gardener’s Gardens, as well as regional precedents such as Tudor Place, Dumbarton Oaks, and Monticello.

The completed design restores dignity and accessibility to this storied property, weaving together preservation, engineering, and horticulture into a cohesive whole. The Ringgold‑Carroll House now welcomes members and visitors through a landscape that is historically grounded, technically robust, and beautifully reimagined for contemporary use.