Second Best Condominium: Union Row

A model unit in Union Row

Best: The Viya, 2426 Ontario Road NW
Second-best: Union Row, 14th Street between V and W Streets NW

The Viya’s condominiums in Adams Morgan look like they were made for hosting dinner parties—the ceilings are high and most every kitchen island is the size of a mattress. Six to eight people could gather around one and still have room to chop up a salad. But the last of the building’s 16 high-ceilinged units was sold in November. For those still in the market, PN Hoffman’s Union Row has plenty of units left at all different sizes and prices. This mammoth property actually has two parts: The Flats at Union Row is the rounded yellow building visible from 14th Street. The Warehouses at Union Row is composed of two practically mirror-image buildings, one-time car warehouses, that are tucked away inside a broad corridor leading off the sidewalk. There are roughly 270 units within the complex, but the spaces don’t feel cookie-cutterish. Union Row’s spaces are clean and simply laid-out, with high ceilings and gorgeous, deep-hued wood. Step outside and you’re roughly two blocks from the Metro and across the street from Busboys and Poets (a spot any developer would envy). One downside: For those units facing the west, sunsets are intense. Maybe PN Hoffman could finally unload its remaining units by offering buyers free Ray-Bans.

The view from Union Row