Julia Child’s Georgetown Home Renovation Nears End

July 12, 2021 by Ansley Puckett
Julia Child’s Georgetown Home Renovation Nears End
Julia Child's former Georgetown home. (Photo by Ansley Puckett)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Julia Child’s house in Georgetown is looking a bit different than it did when the famous American chef lived in it. 

The current owner, Rory Veevers-Carter, bought the 1,497 square foot home in 2015 and began official renovations in 2018. The Georgetown home, which Child called her “little jewel,” was the first house she owned and where Veevers-Carter claims her first cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” was tested and edited. 

Now, the iconic home has received several renovations and could be done and on the market as soon as this year, according to a report from The Washingtonian. 

Renovations include new floors, roof repairs and a fresh coat of “butter yellow” paint, giving it a modern look and other changes to the home.   


Documenting the progress on Facebook and Instagram, Veevers-Carter said in a post that preserving the history of the house is hard but important.  

“Renovation is a slow process but preserving as much of the history of the house as we can is rewarding,” the post said.  

Child and her husband Paul owned the house from 1948 to 1961, living in the house just before Paul Child was posted in Paris as part of the U.S. Information Service, sending them both off to Europe where Julia Child discovered her love for French cooking.  

It was an era of lavish Sunday night suppers and other social rituals in Georgetown, and soon the Child home was the scene of a regular Monday afternoon gathering known as “the cooking class.”


At these functions, the wives of government officials and newsmen would get together to prepare a dinner based on one of the complicated creations from Julia Child’s cookbook, and their husbands would arrive later in the evening to feast on their creations.

Certain rules of protocal were strictly observed on these nights: No criticism of the chefs or the meal was allowed. And no one could smoke at the table once the dinner had been served.

In the past four years of the project, the crew has uncovered multiple problems, including the house sagging in one area due to a lack of structural posts. 

Veevers-Carter posted that he was “shocked the house is still standing” when they uncovered the issue.  

Fixing the house has also brought a number of surprises to Veevers-Carter and the crew. While renovating the crew found a fireplace and a chimney flue in the kitchen. The crew has also discovered old bottles and a painting behind the washing machine.  

Julia Child’s old kitchen is also getting a new look, though Veevers-Carter plans to leave a patch of paint exposed of her old kitchen, which he found behind the walls and called a “very exciting find.” 


Veevers-Carter bought the home for $935,000, and now it is estimated to be valued at around $1,200,307. 

“This house has history,” Veevers-Carter said on Facebook. “It needs to be told and renovated so it can last for many generations to enjoy.” 

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

In The News

March 25, 2023
by Claire Cleveland
Bill Could Ban Girls from Talking About Their Periods in School

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In Florida, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bevy of new legislation that will, if passed, restrict certain... Read More

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In Florida, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bevy of new legislation that will, if passed, restrict certain health educational materials used in state schools. One such bill, House Bill 1069, would limit children below sixth grade from discussing their menstrual cycles in school. ... Read More

March 24, 2023
by Dan McCue
Innovation Is the Invisible Hand That Moves the Political Debate on Energy

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It almost seems here in Washington that the debate over energy, over the future of fossil... Read More

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It almost seems here in Washington that the debate over energy, over the future of fossil fuels versus renewables, never changes. Most everyone these days will advocate for an “all of the above” solution to meet the nation’s future energy needs and... Read More

March 24, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Senate Bill Would Require Cameras in Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — A bill introduced in the Senate last week would require the Supreme Court to televise its hearings. Senators... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bill introduced in the Senate last week would require the Supreme Court to televise its hearings. Senators who introduced the bill said it would help to ensure transparency and better public understanding of how the court operates. “Rulings made by justices in our... Read More

March 24, 2023
by Dan McCue
Solar + Storage Transforming Former West Virginia Industrial Site

RAVENSWOOD, W. Va. — Like a lot of communities in America’s heartland, Jackson County, West Virginia, was built on natural... Read More

RAVENSWOOD, W. Va. — Like a lot of communities in America’s heartland, Jackson County, West Virginia, was built on natural resources. Timber and energy wrought from the ground helped sustain and grow its population, and the arrival of manufacturing in the mid-1950s — in the guise... Read More

March 23, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
TikTok CEO Grilled Over Chinese Influence in US Through App

WASHINGTON — The chief executive of social media app and website TikTok endured five hours of withering accusations in Congress... Read More

WASHINGTON — The chief executive of social media app and website TikTok endured five hours of withering accusations in Congress Thursday that his company acted as the alter ego of the Chinese government and failed to protect children from harmful video content. Several times the lawmakers... Read More

March 23, 2023
by Dan McCue
Innovation Rules at ARPA-E Energy Summit Conference

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It’s not a conference so much as a dream factory that’s transpiring through Friday on the... Read More

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — It’s not a conference so much as a dream factory that’s transpiring through Friday on the shores of the Potomac River. Now in its 13th year, the ARPA-E Innovation Summit is a three-day program of lectures, networking events and exhibition hall displays... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top