Dunblane

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This 1911 residence is the only known local example of a Craftsman residence directly attributable to Gustav Stickley, one of the originators who popularized of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Dunblane was erected for physician Mabel Cornish Bond and her husband, attorney Samuel Hazen Bond. They derived the design for the house from plans published in 1904 in Stickley’s magazine The Craftsman, then the leading voice of the movement. The house illustrates numerous Craftsman ideas, including a preference for natural, often rustic local materials, an openness and flexibility of plan, and conveniences for comfort and efficiency.

The house is set on a large lot at the edge of Tenleytown, approached by a circular drive leading through rubble stone entrance piers and past the garage workshop. It is made of brick with a green tile roof and large openings with ganged windows. The interior is largely intact, featuring straightforward exposed wood beams, floors, paneling and stairway, and a large hall fireplace. An illustrated article on the house appeared in The Craftsman in February 1913.

The house and the surrounding land represent one of Tenleytown’s two remaining 19th-century estates. The history of Dunblane parallels that of Tenleytown: the land and house that sits on it have witnessed and contributed to Tenleytown’s growth from a small village in 1791 to a thriving 21st-century neighborhood. The owners of Dunblane during the last two centuries include land speculators, horse enthusiasts, and a Gold Rush heiress, as well as less flamboyant stewards.

DC Inventory: April 28, 2005
National Register: September 21, 2005