Every great Washington fortune eventually finds a second home somewhere more forgiving than Washington. For the family that controlled Riggs — the bank that carried the accounts of twenty-three American presidents — that place was London, and the address was one of the most famous in the world: a three-level penthouse residence high inside the Savoy, set above the Strand with the Thames unspooling below.

I’ve spent my career selling the houses where Washington power actually lives, and I’ve learned the best properties aren’t sold on square footage. They’re sold on story. This one has an extraordinary one — a penthouse rising across three levels near the top of the building, with the river on one side and the whole apparatus of the Savoy at the door — and after years out of reach it is now privately available through our colleagues at UK Sotheby’s International Realty.

Riggs was never just a bank. For the better part of a century it was the private banker to the American establishment and to the embassies of half the world — the institution that liked to call itself “the most important bank in the most important city.” In 1981 the Texan Joe Allbritton took control, adding it to an empire that already spanned television, insurance, and the newspaper Washington read at breakfast. A man who banks the world’s embassies needs a foothold in the world’s capitals, and no city rewards that instinct like London.

Within London, there has never been an address quite like the Savoy. Richard D’Oyly Carte built it in 1889 on the profits of his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, above the Thames on the Strand — the first hotel in Britain lit throughout by electric light. He hired César Ritz to run it and Auguste Escoffier to cook, and effectively invented the modern grand hotel. Its guest list is the twentieth century itself: Edward VII, Churchill, Chaplin, Monroe, Sinatra. And since a 1903 expansion it has quietly held Britain’s first private serviced residences — homes inside the building, with the full run of the hotel’s service and kitchens, that have housed permanent occupants from Sarah Bernhardt onward. To hold the penthouse among them is to live not in London so much as at the very center of it.

I’m keeping the particulars where they belong on a property of this caliber — behind a private conversation rather than a public price. But I can tell you what it represents. Homes come to market constantly. Provenance like this — an American banking dynasty, a British national treasure, a penthouse view of the Thames from inside the Savoy — surfaces perhaps once in a generation.

The Allbritton era at Riggs eventually came to a close, but the London residence outlasted it, as the best real estate often does. Buildings keep the story long after the institutions that built them are gone.

It’s available again, privately, through UK Sotheby’s International Realty. If it speaks to you, let’s talk. Please reach out for any additional information, brochure ect.

Jim Bell - JBE@Sothebysrealty.co.uk

202-607-4000 Cell/ WhatsApp

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I recently toured this magnificent estate. It has just been recently listed by Sotheby’s UK—a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

This exceptional early Georgian estate, steeped in English history, is set within a peaceful semi-rural pocket just 10 miles from Hyde Park Corner and moments from Richmond Park. Set within 2.3 acres, it offers approximately 16,000 sq ft of accommodation, complete with a swimming pool and tennis court.

The estate also has a fascinating history, with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, having been a regular visitor.

If you have questions or interest in this exceptional property, please do get in touch- Jim Bell (202) 607-4000/ JBE@Sothebysrealty.co.uk

If you have questions or interest in this exceptional property, please do get in touch- Jim Bell (202) 607-4000/ JBE@Sothebysrealty.co.uk

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I recently toured this magnificent estate. It has just been recently listed by Sotheby’s UK—a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

This exceptional early Georgian estate, steeped in English history, is set within a peaceful semi-rural pocket just 10 miles from Hyde Park Corner and moments from Richmond Park. Set within 2.3 acres, it offers approximately 16,000 sq ft of accommodation, complete with a swimming pool and tennis court.

The estate also has a fascinating history, with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, having been a regular visitor.

If you have questions or interest in this exceptional property, please do get in touch- Jim Bell (202) 607-4000/ JBE@Sothebysrealty.co.uk

If you have questions or interest in this exceptional property, please do get in touch- Jim Bell (202) 607-4000/ JBE@Sothebysrealty.co.uk

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3307 O Street NW- Georgetown: Stunning top to bottom renovation of this charming light filled and spacious 3,200 sq ft. 5 bedroom 4.5 bath Federal in the heart of Georgetown. Every detail has been thoughtfully attended to from the high ceilings, custom finishes, designer lighting, wide plank wood flooring and captivating floorplan. All new electrical, plumbing, all chimneys relined, new roof, new windows, new flooring throughout, all new bathrooms and kitchen. The main level offers a formal extra wide living room with fireplace and alcove, separate dining room, stunning gourmet kitchen opening to a fabulous entertaining patio, and completed with a main level powder room. Upstairs on the second level one is welcomed with an inviting primary suite with fireplace, incredible wardrobe space and elegant primary bathroom. A second bedroom and second full bath complete this level. On the third floor, two additional bedrooms, (one the size of the primary below it), a third full bath, second laundry and exciting rooftop deck will delight the senses. The daylight walkout lower level accessed from within the home is a suite unto itself, with a full bedroom, sitting room, living room, laundry and full bath along with its own outside entrance.

It’s the sort of property that rarely comes up and almost never stays around long. You need to move quickly with a market expert.

For a confidential conversation, reach out to me directly, and we’ll talk.

202-607-4000

JBell@TTRSIR.com

Jim Bell

Billion Dollar Broker

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It’s the sort of property that rarely comes up and almost never stays around long. If it’s of interest to you or someone you know, pricing and a private viewing are a phone call away.

Reach out to me directly, and we’ll talk.

202-607-4000

Jim Bell

Billion Dollar Broker

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​​​​​​​A corner residence at The Ritz-Carlton rarely comes to market, and this one arrives unlike any before it. Over a meticulous two-year renovation, the current owners enlisted architect and interior designer Jerry Harpole and Fine Point Construction to rebuild the home entirely — architecture and interiors conceived as a single, seamless vision in a refined traditional style. Every detail was considered. Everything is new.

Spanning 2,771 square feet, the residence opens onto a southwest-facing wall of glass that fills the corner with afternoon and evening light, framing open city views and two private terraces. Three bedrooms plus a den offer generous, flexible living, anchored by an exquisite kitchen designed for both everyday life and entertaining. Custom electric shades and drapery run throughout, alongside bespoke millwork and finishes that reflect a level of craftsmanship impossible to replicate. The offering includes two parking spaces — a true rarity at this address.

Residents enjoy the full measure of Ritz-Carlton living: 24-hour concierge and door service, valet parking, and direct access to the adjoining Sport & Health club and spa. Steps from the West End, Georgetown, and the Kennedy Center, with the boardrooms of downtown minutes away. A turnkey, once-in-a-cycle opportunity to own the best-positioned residence in the building

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