Take a drive by 1001 N. Market St. in Washington and what you’ll see is a stately Colonial Revival home, with a green tile roof and double columns marching down the length of a deep porch. But turn your head and look across the street, and you’ll see pretty much the same thing: an identical home, perched on the opposite corner.

Built by two brothers, the Bower brothers, in the 1920s, downstairs the homes share the same floor plan as few structural changes have been made in the past 90-plus years. Stately, elegant head turners, the two homes serve as a reminder of a more genteel Washington.

Today, the home on the corner of North Market and East Tenth streets offers that genteel living, but with convenience thrown into the mix, as well.

“I love how close it is to downtown,” said owner Lauren Spruill. “It’s extremely centrally located. I would say it’s convenient to everything in town.”

The Spruill family bought the home in 2007, after the one major change to the home’s layout — enlarging the kitchen — had been made by previous owners. Since, renovations have been limited to cosmetic changes and replacing systems: HVAC, plumbing, electric. This is simply because the timeless beauty of the home — large rooms with high ceilings, polished inlaid floors and 8 over 1 original leaded glass windows — required no more than a good eye for design to make it shine. With lighting provided by original fixtures, the home feels and looks historic, even with pieces of more contemporary furniture scattered throughout.

At 4,500 square feet, the Spruill home boasts nine fireplaces, two of which are working wood-burning fireplaces, the others outfitted with gas logs, four large bedrooms upstairs with a master bedroom downstairs, as well as a large bonus room on the third floor. With a guesthouse — originally a carriage house — sitting right outside the back door, the Spruills took advantage of the two-bedroom, 1 ½ bath, cottage, and have leased it out to tenants over the past several years.

But it’s the deep, ceramic-tiled front porch that is a favorite family place for Spruill.

“I do love the front porch,” Spruill said. “It’s a great, big front porch. I’ve loved sitting out there, watching the kids play in the front yard.”

For Miller Spruill, Lauren Spruill’s son, the best part of the house is the many hiding places he’s discovered over the years, from “tunnels” in the basement to built-in closets in the expansive stairwell.

“It’s a great hide and seek house,” Spruill laughed.

Spruill said she was flattered when asked by her realtor if the home could be included on the Washington Area Historic Foundation’s Spring Homes and Gardens Tour — one of 13 historic properties to be included on this year’s tour.

For more information about the homes tour and taking a peek inside this North Market Street property, see the homes tour article on today’s front page of the Washington Daily News.

The Spruill home is currently for sale, listed at $399,000.