All About the Willoughby Condos by Lise Howe, the Bethesda Condo Queen

Welcome to the Willoughby Condominiums

Chevy Chase MD 20815

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Welcome to the Willoughby, a well known condo building in  Friendship Heights that is loved for its amenities, location close to shops and restaurants, and its well priced condo units.The Willoughby of Chevy Chase Condominium, standing 24 stories tall, is the largest residential building in the Friendship Heights neighborhood.  In fact, the Willoughby is so big that it has two addresses - 4515 Willard Avenue and 5500 Friendship Boulevard - with entrances at each side. The Willoughby has  a total of 815 efficiencies, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in a North and a South building,

THE HISTORY OF THE WILLOUGHBY

Until the early 1900s, Friendship Heights was an area of rolling farmland far away from Washington, DC.  It was still quiet until after World War II when the returning soldiers created overwhelming demand for housing around Washington.  Suddenly Friendship Heights began to develop as a real neighborhood. Businesses were attracted to Friendship Heights, whose streetcar and bus terminals at Wisconsin and Western Avenues were a major transfer point for people traveling throughout the area.  The Willoughby was built in 1968 to 1969 as a luxury rental building and converted to condominiums in 1982 by the First Condominium Development Company of Chicago.  

AMENITIES AT THE WILLOUGHBY CONDOS

In addition to all that is available just steps outside the front doors of the Willoughby, The Willoughby's residents enjoy the convenience of many amenities, without stepping foot outside. Those who enjoy a vibrant social atmosphere find a dynamic community here, with resident-planned activities taking place throughout the year.

• Front Desk The front desks at the entrances of both the North and South buildings are staff around the clock, seven days a week.  The front desk staff accepts packages for residents, admits visitors, and issues parking passes for guests. 
• Controlled Access The Willoughby’s many entrance doors and garage doors are accessible only through the use of an access control card, issued by the Management Office. Residents may admit their guests by phone, using the entry phone at each of three locations. The guest simply dials the unit number and the resident uses the telephone to open the door.
• Convenience Store The Willoughby Market, located in the South lobby on Willard Avenue, provides a full assortment of canned, frozen and refrigerated foods, toiletries and sundries, bottled wine and beer, soft drinks, ice cream, magazines and newspapers.  The convenience store is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Valet Shop The Valet Shop provides laundry and dry cleaning services, as well as shoe repair.   Other services, including video rentals and faxing, are also available. The Valet Shop is located near the service elevators by the loading dock on the 7th floor.
• Exercise Room   On the roof level, the exercise room has commercail grade treadmills, elliptical trainers, recumbent bikes, a five stage multi-gym and barbells.  The exercise room is open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Laundry Facilities On each resident floor, there are two laundry rooms, one in the North building and one in the South building. Washers and dryers are operated using stored value cards available in mail rooms of both the North and South buildings.  The laundry rooms are open from 7a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Library The Willoughby Library on the roof level is a completely resident operated amenity.  Books are donated by the residents, shelved by the residents and borrowed by the residents. 
• Party Room  This amenity is located on the Lobby level of the South Building, has recently been remodeled in an elegant architectural design, and now includes a caterer’s kitchen, a moveable bar, a portable dance floor, and a drop-down screen for video, slide, or photo viewing. Residents and owners may reserve the room, which accommodates up to 100, to host their social functions—for a fee, through the Management Office.
• Restaurant  Alfio's La Trattoria is a traditional Italian restaurant in the condo complex.  It is open seven days a week, offers free valet parking, and carry out. 
• Roof Top Lounge and Deck The heated and air-conditioned rooftop lounge offers a relaxing place to get together with other residents, play table games, or enjoy the quietude of a comfortable place to read. It opens on to a beautifully constructed wooden deck that overlooks the Friendship Heights and Chevy Chase shopping districts. The deck is a pleasant place to view the holiday fireworks displays. Though the lounge is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., the outdoor deck is open daily from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. or half an hour after sunset, whichever occurs later.
• The Willoughby Pool was renovated in 2001 and now offers a full sized pool as well as a children's wading pool.  The on site Management Office provides the seasonal pool passes. 

FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS - THE NEIGHBORHOOD

If you are looking for an urban lifestyle - a walkable neighborhood with retail and public transportation around the corner - within the cocoo5 of a soft urban environment - then you will love Friendship Heights! Even though you are close to retail, movies, shopping, and the metro, this area still feels like a suburb rather than a bustling urban center! 

Everyone who thinks of Friendship Heights thinks of shopping! There are discount retailers and over the top stores like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Cartier and Tiffany's. Saks Fifth Avenue has always been at the north end of Friendship Heights, and has been joined in the last ten years or so by Brooks Brothers. There is even a store from Florence, Italy - The Apothecary of Santa Maria Novella - which has locations in London, Miami, Los Angeles... and Friendship Heights! 

There are two malls in Friendship Heights - Mazza Gallerie, which houses upscale retailers like Nieman Marcus, Williams Sonoma, Pampillonia Jewelers  and the AMC movie theater, and Chevy Chase Pavillion, the second mall, which hosts J. Crew, World Market, the Cheesecake Factory, and an Embassy Suites hotel.  Bloomingdales has just moved into the neighborhood in a new complex of retail stores that includes a P.F. Chang, Anthropologie and Microsoft headquarters in Washington. 

The national chains are a fairly new development. Friendship Heights used to be composed of more mom and pop stores, but the larger stores are really settling in.   The Whole Foods is another welcome addition to the neighborhood, giving Giant a run for its money!

SCHOOLS FOR CHILDREN AT THE WILLOUGHBY

The Willoughby is now home to lots and lots of children.  In fact in the morning, the lobby looks like a school itself since there are so many families that call the WIlloughby home.  The public schools that the children from the WIlloughby attend include Somerset Elementary, Westland Middle School and the Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.  There are a number of private schools near the Willoughby including the Little Flower School, Blessed Sacrament, Georgetown Day School, Sidwell Friends, just to name a few choices.

PETS AND THE WILLOUGHBY

There are lots of choices among condo buildings for people who have dogs or cats, but the WIlloughby is not one of them.  On the other hand, if you are someone who is not comfortable with dogs or perhaps you are allergic to cat hair, you will enjoy the pet-free atmosphere of the WIlloughby!

CURRENT LISTINGS AND RECENT SALES AT THE WILLOUGHBY 

With over 800 units at the Willoughby, there are always properties on the market. To see what is on the market now, you can start your search here.

Sales in the Willoughby have always been strong.  It is interesting to see the progress of values in the Willoughby over the years. For instance, In late 2014 there were more than ten condos for sale ranging from a 325 square foot studio for $179,000 to a two bedroom two bath condo with nearly 1300 square feet of living space for $509,000. Parking is occasionally offered for sale separate from a condo as evidenced by the tanden parking space offered for sale for $55000. The most expensive condo to sell in 2014 was a two bedroom two bath on the 9th floor that sold for $515,000.     

In 2019, a 325 square foot studio is being offered for $179,000. A 1326 square foot condo is on the market for $420,000 and a beautifully updated unit with 1288 square feet is on the market for $529,900.  A unit sold for $502,500 with three bedrooms and three baths and 1744 square feet.

Prices vary depending on the view, the size of the unit, whether parking is included,  whether it has been updated, and the height within the building - the floor on which the unit is located.

If you own a condo currently at the Willoughby and want to know its value, just click right here! 

If you want to see what is on the market at the Willoughby, here is the list of condos at the Willoughby! If you have any questions, just give the Lise Howe Group a call at 240-401-5577 or email us at lise@lisehowe.com.  If you want to buy a condo in Bethesda or Chevy Chase, call Lise Howe, the Bethesda Condo Queen!