MEMBERS
OF
THE
household
at
1337
10th
St.,
NW,
tend
to
gather
in
the
kitchen
for
good
food,
wine
and
company.
No
wonder
patrons
of
the
D.C.
Guesthouse
keep
coming
back
to
this
home-away-from-home
in
the
historic
Shaw
district.
The
hospitality
of
gay
proprietors
Randy
Kuczor,
Tom
Bell,
Ron
Wilkerson
and
Mike
Molock
has
earned
a
large
repeat
clientele
for
the
guesthouse.
Not
to
mention
the
rich
and
eclectic
art
collection
housed
in
this
restored
Victorian,
one
block
from
the
new
Washington,
D.C.
Convention
Center.
The
ever-growing
collection
ranges
from
African
to
Chinese
and
includes
many
works
from
gay
art
deco
master
Erté
and
several
pieces
by
Beryl
Cooke.
Recent
additions
include
a
Tibetan
altarpiece
and
Russian
Perestroika
paintings.
The
four
friends
bought
the
house
in
1999,
after
seeing
it
advertised
for
sale
in
the
Washington
Blade.
A
black-owned
mortuary
for
close
to
a
century,
the
mansion
stood
vacant
in
the
’70s,
stripped
of
its
Victorian
moldings,
which
makes
the
current
incarnation
all
the
more
miraculous.
It’s
been
two
years
since
the
friends
opened
their
home
and
its
accumulated
riches
to
the
traveling
public.
They
made
the
decision
in
February
2003,
after
all
of
them
—
except
for
Molock,
the
architect
—
lost
their
jobs
in
the
wake
of
Sept.
11
attacks.
Now,
the
guesthouse
has
become
such
a
second
home
for
two
regular
guests
that
they
carry
their
own
keys.
“Vinny
has
a
key,”
Wilkerson
says.
“He
leaves
clothes
here.
Mary
has
a
key
too,
because
she
arrives
for
supper
late.
She’ll
call
to
ask
what
room
she’s
staying
in.”
The
proprietors
target
the
high-end
gay
and
lesbian
market.
Room
rates
range
from
$175
to
$275
a
night,
depending
on
the
suite
and
time
of
year.
“The
more
grounded
gay
people
tend
to
come
here,”
Kuczor
says.
“You
don’t
expect
guests
to
bring
parties
back
here.”
The
guesthouse
also
draws
a
considerable
heterosexual
clientele.
“They
have
a
great
time,
and
hopefully
we’ve
changed
a
few
stereotypes
about
gay
men,”
says
Kuczor,
who
balances
cooking
gourmet
meals
for
the
guests
with
working
in
the
wine
department
at
the
Whole
Foods
on
P
Street,
NW.
“This
morning,
breakfast
was
Mediterranean
bake
with
roasted
red-pepper
sauce,
pan-fried
potatoes
(a
guesthouse
legend)
and
spiced
apple
fruit
compote,”
he
says.
SOME
GUESTS
FEEL
free
to
come
downstairs
in
pajamas
for
their
morning
coffee
and
it’s
not
unusual
to
have
a
Baptist
minister,
a
lesbian
couple
and
people
from
the
Senate
around
the
same
breakfast
table
in
the
dining
room.
Bell,
who
handles
marketing
and
guest
relations,
tells
of
the
D.C.
Guesthouse’s
first
Valentine’s
Day
romance.
The
hosts
had
set
the
scene
for
a
mixed
couple’s
arrival:
a
crackling
fire
in
their
room,
champagne
on
ice
and
flowers
arranged
by
Wilkerson.
In
the
morning
the
woman
preceded
her
partner
to
an
“extremely
diverse”
group
at
the
breakfast
table.
“Next
thing
she
raised
her
hand
to
show
off
a
new
ring
and
said:
‘I
got
engaged
last
night.’
Everybody
around
the
table
applauded.
I
ran
to
the
kitchen
to
announce
our
first
engagement.”
“It’s
amazing
how
people
get
on,”
remarks
Wilkerson,
fresh
from
a
Hirshhorn
exhibition
of
master
sculptor
Isamu
Noguchi,
renowned
for
his
paper
lanterns.
Wilkerson
keeps
guests
informed
as
to
the
latest
happenings
in
the
city.
Guests
also
seek
advice
on
interior
design
from
this
20-year
veteran
of
displays
at
Woodie’s,
a
former
department
store
in
downtown
D.C.,
who
now
keeps
an
eagle
eye
on
changes
to
the
decor
at
the
house.
“The
secret
is
balance,”
he
says.
“Nothing
overpowers.
We’ve
a
lot
of
African
and
mix
it
with
Chinese.
But
don’t
ask
me
about
technology.
That’s
Mikey’s
job.”
In
a
neighborhood
that
favors
diversity,
the
tight
gay
“family”
has
the
full
support
of
neighbors,
some
of
whom
help
out
in
the
guest
lodge
during
busy
times.
The
D.C.
Guesthouse
family
gained
a
new
member
four
months
ago
when
Bell’s
friend
of
24
years
gave
birth
to
his
daughter,
Taylor
Yvonne
DiNovo-Bell.
“It
feels
wonderful
to
be
a
dad,”
says
Bell,
who
cares
for
his
baby
daughter
13
days
a
month.
“She
has
three
uncles.
Ron
buys
her
an
outfit
a
week.
She’ll
be
well
socialized.”
