Augusto López-Claros and his wife Myrta López, who have lived all over the world, were less interested in who their neighbors were than what their surroundings had to offer.

“Over the past two decades, work has taken us to Moscow, London, Geneva and Madrid, and we were looking for a property in the middle of the city, near museums, the Kennedy Center (we’re both classical music fans) and green spaces like Rock Creek Park,” Lopez said. – Claros wrote in an email.

In the year The couple, who bought the house in 2011, wanted a home that could comfortably entertain large groups. They enjoy inviting guests to lectures and dinner parties. But they weren’t the first people to take advantage of the house’s layout. Many other famous Washingtonians have lived and entertained here.

Philip M. Stern is believed to be the original owner. Stern was a philanthropist, author, and activist for the Democratic Party. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in the Kennedy administration. His books include “The Best Congress Money Can Buy” (1988); “The Great Treasury Heist” (1962); and “The Shame of a Nation” (1965). In 1974, he spent several months as a special investigative reporter for the life insurance industry for the Washington Post.

Lawyer Duke M. Patrick bought the house from Stern in 1965. Patrick sold it to Hobart Taylor Jr. in 1979.

Taylor also worked in the Kennedy administration, serving as special counsel and executive director of the newly formed President’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the forerunner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He was the first non-white man to lead a presidential committee staff. He is credited with coining the term “safe action.” Taylor was later appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson was a director of the Bank of Exports.

Mishal al-Sabah, the prince of Kuwait, was listed in the document as occupying the house between 1983 and 1988.

Ellen Tauscher paid $1.5 million for the house shortly after she was elected to the California House of Representatives in 1996. Taucher, who was one of the first women to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, served more than a decade in Congress. In the year She joined the State Department in 2009 and left her post as an arms control adviser to President Barack Obama.

After occupying the home, Myrta Lopez worked with Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen and Bethesda, MD to update it. On the third floor, the owner’s room has been converted into a bathroom and dressing area. The fourth floor bathroom was also remodeled. Carpets were removed, revealing floors next to pristine hardwood. Both kitchens – the main one on the second level and the catering on the first level – have been upgraded. A room adjacent to the main kitchen was converted into a breakfast area.

But many of the house’s original features remain intact, including the sweeping spiral staircase and flanking wall of windows, both of which span all four levels. In the marble foyer, the sculptural staircase provides a perfect entry to the house.

“It was one of the features that we found most attractive,” said Augusto López-Claros, head of the International Governance Forum, by phone from Madrid. “The combination of the round staircase and the very large windows from the first to the fourth level gave the house an enormous amount of light.”

Mirta explains that the stairs are not steep and hence easy to climb. For those who don’t want to climb the stairs, an elevator runs to all four levels.

Since the house is built in a hill, both the entrance level and the second level open to the outside. The living room has multiple glazed French doors leading to the rear patio. There is parking for three cars to the front of the house, and a cleverly concealed, attached garage has space for a fourth car. Instead of a traditional garage door, the opening on the garage looks like a glass French door shutter.

“It is a very comfortable and simple house,” Mirta said. “It has a lot of natural light. It has a wonderful flow when you have guests. But apart from that – this is a little mystery – I think every house has a soul and this house is one of the happiest houses.

The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom, 6,700-square-foot home is listed for just under $4.5 million.

2315 S St. NW, Washington, DC

• Bedrooms / Bathrooms: 5/7
• Approximate square-foot: 6,700
• Lot size: 0.12 acres
• Main features: The 1958 home in DC’s Kalorama neighborhood has formal living and dining rooms on the second level. Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath updated the master kitchen on the second floor. The dining room on the entry level has also been remodeled. The living room has multiple glass French doors that open to a walled patio. In addition to parking for three cars in front of the house, a one-car garage is attached to the house.
• Listing Agents: Margot Wilson, Robert Hryniwicki, Adam Rackliff and Christopher Leary, Washington Fine Properties