A world apart near Battery Kemble Park

The entrance to MacArthur Court, just off MacArthur Boulevard in the Palisades neighborhood of Northwest Washington, is easy to miss, and that is a shame.

The small driveway opens off the boulevard into a charming community of Victorian-style homes arranged around a cul-de-sac to create a lovely world of its own.

Realtor Scott Polk of Long & Foster Realtors describes the 11-home MacArthur Court neighborhood as an eclectic mix of families from around the world who enjoy the adjacent Battery Kemble Park along with watching their children play and holding an occasional cul-de-sac party.

MacArthur Court’s residents can walk to local schools and child care facilities, the Palisades branch of the public library, the Palisades recreation center and numerous shops and restaurants with a variety of cuisines from American to Belgian to Italian to Chinese.

The Palisades neighborhood offers quick access not only to Battery Kemble Park, but also to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. The delights of Georgetown and the Kennedy Center are minutes away, and residents easily can reach downtown Washington as well as the Virginia and Maryland suburbs.

Built in 2000, the single-family homes in MacArthur Court offer a taste of contemporary style inside, including myriad oversized windows and an open floor plan, while keeping a touch of formality with elegant crown molding.

The home at 5010 MacArthur Court, on the market for $1,165,000, has three finished levels and rests near the end of the cul-de-sac, adjacent to the park. The home includes a lawn and garden beds adjacent to the brick driveway, an attached one-car garage and several mature trees on all sides. The fully fenced backyard includes a lawn, garden beds and a towering walnut tree. A deck off the main level adds extra space for entertaining outdoors.

The back of the home faces south for maximum natural light, and the home sits on top of an incline so that the upper-level bedrooms have a view of the treetops on the Virginia side of the Potomac. Every room has as many windows as possible, along with high ceilings and recessed lighting, adding to the sense of light and space. The plantation-style shutters and blinds throughout the house convey to the buyers.

A flagstone walkway leads from the driveway to the small covered front porch. The front door opens into a foyer with hardwood flooring. Both the main and upper levels have hardwood flooring as well as crown molding.

Adjacent to the foyer is a formal living room or sitting area with a picture window facing the front lawn and a long narrow window on the opposite wall. A window-shaped cutout links the living room with the open floor plan at the back of this level, allowing light to filter between the rooms while adding to the inviting openness of the home. Hardwood stairs lead from the foyer to the upper level.

The entire back of the main level is open from the family room at one end to the kitchen at the other. The family room has a gas fireplace with a marble hearth and surround and a detailed white-painted wood mantel. This room has windows on three sides, including a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with transoms and a glass door to the deck.

The adjacent dining area has a bay window framing a view of the walnut tree and backyard. The recently renovated kitchen includes granite counters, stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets. The kitchen has a breakfast bar with room for several seats and a triple window over the sink facing the backyard. The upgraded appliances include a Viking two-drawer dishwasher and double wall ovens, and the cabinets include two lazy Susan fixtures in the corner to maximize efficiency.

Just beyond the kitchen is a dazzling powder room with distinctive ceramic tile flooring that matches the counter, an oversized window with plantation shutters and a glass vessel sink.

Upstairs, the master suite has been expanded to encompass about 60 percent of the upper level. The suite includes a sitting area with a window seat set into a bay window that faces the upper branches of the walnut tree. The bedroom area has a ceiling fan and a cathedral ceiling along with windows on three sides.

The master bath has stone flooring, two vanities, a whirlpool tub and a stone shower with glass doors. The bathroom includes windows on two sides and a deep walk-in closet.