The lengthy dispute over proposed renovations to one of Georgetown’s treasured historic houses — formerly owned by George Washington’s great-grandnephew; by Col. William “Wild Bill” Donovan, who ran the OSS, precursor to the CIA; and by Katharine Graham of the Washington Post — appears to be resolved. Work on the property at 2920 R St. NW, currently owned by Mark Ein, has begun.
The fierce and weird fight over the empty mansion caught the interest not only of Georgetown residents but of outsiders, thanks to write-ups in The Georgetowner as well as in the Post, Washingtonian, the New York Times and the Daily Mail.
The Beaux-Arts-style home was remodeled over the years, lastly by the Grahams, who bought it in 1946. Katharine Graham died in July of 2001. Ein, a businessman and part-owner of the Washington Commanders, bought the house in 2002. More than 10 years later, Ein and his wife Sally presented plans to the Old Georgetown Board — which controls the look and use of Georgetown exteriors — for modernizing and expanding the house.
At the time, neighbors Calvin and Jane Cafritz (he a real estate developer and she an attorney), who shared the driveway with the property, objected to Ein’s plans for additions, a garage, a retaining wall and landscaping. The OGB swatted down the Ein plans several times.
Last month, the Commission of Fine Arts, of which OGB is a part, approved Ein’s most recent concept submission: “No objection to concept design for addition at side, single-story ‘garden room’ addition at rear, underground addition and garage, and driveway ramp, per supplemental materials received 22 August 2025, PROVIDED Option B is used for the general design and massing on the north elevation with the Option A windows, the roof height of the hyphen on the north elevation is lowered, Option B is used for the design of the garden room at the rear, the design of the garage door is restudied, and great…