Welcome to Kalorama

An exclusive enclave high above the city.

Kalorama—Greek for “fine view”—gets its name from a large, classical estate built on one of the city’s highest elevations in 1807. Though the estate is gone, the eponymous neighborhood is now home to some of DC’s chicest addresses, from diplomatic homes and embassies to Mediterranean, Colonial and Georgian-revival mansions.

Gray stone townhouse with front steps, black iron railings, and leafy trees along the sidewalk.

Brick building with a white-columned entrance and flags above the doorway.

Ornamental red street fixture with a horseback-rider illustration beside a leafy residential sidewalk.

What to Expect

A world away from it all.

As one of the city’s earliest developments, the leafy streets of this wholly residential neighborhood are off the grid—they were exempted from DC’s gridded street-layout system as development crept outward from downtown. The result is that these distinguished homes and classic old apartment buildings feel a world away from the bustling city around them.

Gray-and-white townhouse with a red tiled roof, dark front door, and leafy trees.

Equestrian statue on a stone monument above curved steps, with trees and buildings behind it.

Ivy-covered brick residence with a dark green garage door and ornate columned entrance.

The Lifestyle

“Do Not Disturb.”

Peace and quiet are the rules of this close-knit community, where security is tight around the homes of former President Barack Obama and current presidential advisors Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Its residents—be they ambassadors and diplomats, cabinet secretaries, or C-suite executives—come home to escape. Rather than their high-ranking jobs or social lives, they’re more likely to talk about their dogs, children, or parking woes when they meet on Kalorama’s sidewalks and parks.

Red-brick two-story home with black shutters, front steps, and a woman walking a dog.

Natural food supermarket storefront on Columbia Road, with a woman and child entering.

People walk along a tree-lined sidewalk beside a grassy park.

Tennis court behind a chain-link fence, bordered by leafy landscaping, with two players.

Unexpected Appeal

International flavor.

Kalorama is home to dozens of embassies that open their doors to the public every spring to display the fruits of their cultures. You can also get on individual embassy email lists for public concerts, lectures and exhibits held throughout the year.

Bronze statue of a man in a garden outside a pale stone building.

The Market

Rarefied real estate.

Most of the neighborhood is filled with stately homes built in the early 20th century, and the city’s elite pay millions to snap one up when it comes on the market.