The Westchester is a self-governing coop apartment complex situated on 10 landscaped acres in northwest Washington, D.C. The five buildings were designed by esteemed architect Harvey H. Warwick, Sr. and are included among Washington’s Best Addresses.
Depending on orientation, apartments view the National Cathedral, Glover Archbold Park, and/or city landscapes. Residents walk to popular restaurants, supermarkets, and shopping. Resident and guest parking is available on the grounds, along with bus stops in front of the complex. At least five bus lines operate within a two-block radius. For walkers, four metro stops are equidistance from the complex, each less than 1.5 miles away.
Living at The Westchester offers many on-premises amenities including a sunken garden, barber and beauty shop, dry cleaner and alterations valet, convenience market with take-out food, fitness center, “hotel” room rentals, and a realtor specializing in the complex.
The esprit de corps among residents is palpable, and for those who wish, there are many opportunities to participate in this vibrant community through monthly happy hours, a concert series and speaker series, and activities such as the library committee, bi-monthly newsletter, children’s programming, and service on multiple committees of the Board.
The Westchester began construction in March 1930 and was completed in 1931. It was to designed to be the largest apartment house south of New York City, with eight buildings designed around a spacious quadrangle open to Cathedral Avenue.
The financial pressure of the Depression permanently halted the master plan midway through construction. Nonetheless, the five completed buildings made The Westchester the largest luxury apartment house in Washington for nearly twenty years. In 1954, the building became a co-operative.
Look closely, and amidst the carefully updated Westchester of today you will see shades of the past: the magnificent Beech tree behind North Main that dates from the late 1800s when the property was just a farm; the Chinese screens and mirrored pillars brought in by society designer Dorothy Draper in the late 1930s; and the impressive Georgian gates and pillars that were imported from an estate in England that had been destroyed in World War II.
Today, The Westchester’s well-proportioned pre-war style apartments, gracious common spaces, and meticulously landscaped grounds continue to set the standard for elegant living in the nation's capital.
4000 Cathedral Avenue, N.W.
Southwest Corner of Cathedral
Avenue and 39th Street