If You Lived Here
A Stunning 1894 Skyscraper Condo with Rooftop Views at The Cairo in DC
Clip: Season 4 Episode 10 | 5m 24sVideo has Closed Captions
Explore a one-bedroom condo in one of Washington, D.C.'s most iconic buildings.
Join Jen and Ricardo as they explore a beautifully renovated one-bedroom condo inside one of Washington, D.C.'s most iconic buildings, The Cairo! The unit is full of character, with exposed brick, tall ceilings, and unique design features like eye-catching wallpaper and stylish kitchen finishes. Not to mention, the building offers some of the best panoramic views of D.C.!
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If You Lived Here is a local public television program presented by WETA
If You Lived Here
A Stunning 1894 Skyscraper Condo with Rooftop Views at The Cairo in DC
Clip: Season 4 Episode 10 | 5m 24sVideo has Closed Captions
Join Jen and Ricardo as they explore a beautifully renovated one-bedroom condo inside one of Washington, D.C.'s most iconic buildings, The Cairo! The unit is full of character, with exposed brick, tall ceilings, and unique design features like eye-catching wallpaper and stylish kitchen finishes. Not to mention, the building offers some of the best panoramic views of D.C.!
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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We're here at the Cairo.
12-story tall building, built in 1894, called the original residential skyscraper.
RICARDO: It is enormous.
BO: It is.
And that's the reaction Washington had when it was built: that it was enormous and too tall for the city.
So it actually inspired an act of Congress to limit the height of residential buildings.
JEN: Wait, so that doesn't have anything to do with the Capitol Building?
'Cause that's the urban legend.
BO: Right.
JEN: You know what I'm talking about?
RICARDO: This is what I thought all my life.
BO: No.
It's the Cairo.
JEN: Debunked.
BO: Debunked.
JEN: Today.
BO: But looking at the outside, you can see how the Egyptian theme and the name, "The Cairo," is reflected in the Moorish and Romanesque details.
RICARDO: So Bo, we are steps away from 17th Street, the main drag in Dupont Circle.
I did not realize that this was so close.
BO: It is.
17th Street is probably the most famous street in Dupont Circle.
It's filled with terrific restaurants, pubs, cafes, shopping.
The Safeway's right there.
JEN: What are some things that we shouldn't miss while we're inside?
BO: Well, the actual unit's got lots of personality.
And don't forget to go to the rooftop.
RICARDO: Ooh.
JEN: Oh.
BO: You're, yeah, 12 stories gives this a panoramic view of all of DC.
JEN: Oh, I guess so.
RICARDO: Gotta take a look at that.
We better get busy.
JEN: Yeah, let's get moving and we'll see you afterwards for the game.
BO: Sounds good.
RICARDO: Walking back in history.
JEN: Look how pretty this is.
RICARDO: I know.
It's so cute.
(gasps) JEN: This is so thoughtfully laid out.
RICARDO: Mm-hmm.
JEN: A work area, seating area, eating area.
RICARDO: What's jumping out at me is this wallpaper.
It really livens the space up.
JEN: Absolutely.
And then the exposed brick is amazing.
RICARDO: Mm-hmm.
JEN: This is definitely the type of room where I would not consider painting the brick.
RICARDO: Mm-mm, you wanna take a look at this kitchen?
JEN: Yeah.
RICARDO: Okay.
JEN: Wow.
RICARDO: Aw.
This is so cute.
You know I love how they really made good use of the vertical space in here with these really tall cabinets.
JEN: It's a little high up for me personally, but I love a two-tone and I always feel inspired to do it in my own house.
I also love how this color picks up this tile... RICARDO: Mm-hmm.
JEN: Which is a stick-on, so you can try a couple things, see what you like, see what sticks.
Um, but you don't have to spend a ton of money to liven up your space.
RICARDO: So let's see what's around here.
JEN: Okay.
RICARDO: This is bright.
Yeah, what do you think of the shower door?
I love the black detail on it.
JEN: Yeah, I would certainly pick up a tick-tack-toe game in here.
That would be fun.
And then the subway tile all the way to the ceiling.
And then just looking down, this tile is so sweet.
I love the little blue accents in here.
Let's check out the bedroom.
RICARDO: All right.
JEN: Oh, wow.
RICARDO: Oh.
JEN: This is great, with the exposed brick in here.
RICARDO: Yeah, and you've got these huge windows on either side, too, letting in all this natural light.
JEN: And then having all of this storage back here and the storage on top?
RICARDO: And even though this building was built in 1894, they were considerate enough to put in really high ceilings.
I love the tall ceilings in here.
JEN: Speaking of tall, why don't we pop up to the roof deck?
RICARDO: Oh, yeah, let's do it.
JEN: All right, let's go.
RICARDO: Okay.
Whoa.
Look at that.
Can you imagine watching the fireworks from up here?
JEN: Oh, man.
It's like a dream.
Look over here.
RICARDO: I know, there's a cathedral.
JEN: You know, this really is a huge bonus to this place.
RICARDO: Yeah.
I hate to say it, but we gotta get back downstairs and we gotta find Bo and play this game.
JEN: All right, let's go for it.
RICARDO: All right.
BO: How was the tour of the roof deck?
RICARDO: Oh, it was magnificent.
JEN: Thank you for recommending that we go up there.
I cannot imagine what the Fourth of July is like up there.
RICARDO: Yeah.
BO: You can't miss that.
And how was the tour here of the condo?
JEN: This unit is laid out really thoughtfully.
BO: I think they've made the most of the square footage and the storage options.
RICARDO: And one of my favorite features was the wallpaper in here.
So gorgeous.
BO: Terrific colors that are echoed in the cabinet paint and elsewhere.
RICARDO: So before we play the game, can I ask what the condo fee is on this unit?
JEN: Mm-hmm.
BO: So the condo fee is 493, and that covers the reserve funds, professional management, and water.
JEN: I love it when a utility is covered.
RICARDO: Mm-hmm.
BO: This home is one bedroom, one full bath, with 485 square feet.
The building was built in 1894 and the renovation was in 2023.
JEN: I'm gonna say 329,000.
BO: Okay.
RICARDO: I'm going higher than that.
Uh, I'm gonna say 400,000.
BO: The list price is... 399,000.
RICARDO: What?
BO: Just a little over.
RICARDO: Aw.
JEN: Aw.
BO: So "Price is Right" rules means Jen wins this one.
Congratulations, Jen.
RICARDO: I'm fine.
I'll be fine.
I'm okay.
BO: We're on to house number two, a terrific townhouse just a few blocks away.
JEN: Let's head out.
BO: Let's go.
JEN: After you.
RICARDO: Oh, this is terrible.
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If You Lived Here is a local public television program presented by WETA