While Washingtonians haven’t exactly led the pack in their desire for modern residences, Robert Gurney, a D.C.-based architect, says that has dramatically changed since he began his practice in 1990.

Architect Robert Gurney and his client, a young entrepreneur with a large family, shocked the residents of the Edgemoor section of Bethesda, Maryland, with the house they created. It was not because of the design's Modernist roots, although the house is decidedly unlike the Colonial- and Craftsman-style ones nearby. The surprise comes from its size.

Built like its neighbors, over a century ago and part of a continuous network of buildings in a historical district, this 3,250-square-foot former commercial building has been completely renovated into a three-story town house that retained its traditional limestone facade—a requirement due to the historical status of the building.