Nestled in the heart of the Olney Oaks community, this historic 1925 estate — a large, custom home built by Sears — has modern updates that enhance the home's history.

Iron gates set in brick usher you onto the more than two-acre property. The blacktop driveway loops around a rolling front lawn and back behind the guesthouse. A short brick entrance leads to the striking front of the home, which has six white columns on a brick front porch. Black shutters adorn huge windows overlooking the front lawn.

In the massive foyer, a double grand staircase leads to the second floor. Original oak hardwood floors, brass hinges, handsome, new radiator covers, high ceilings, crown molding and elegant decorative molding extend throughout the main level.

To the left of the foyer, a large, luminous living room has long, built-in, white bookcases, a chandelier and a wood-burning brick fireplace with a beautiful white mantel.

Beyond is the fifth bedroom, which could serve as an office. It has a gas fireplace with dark wood mantel, view of the backyard, a full wet bar, a walk-in closet, a full bath with historic-looking tile and a white pedestal sink. To boot, the main floor bedroom/office has a claim to fame: former President Franklin D. Roosevelt slept here, the Realtor said.

To the right of the grand foyer is an enormous dining room, with a view to the side and front lawns, and a second wood-burning fireplace with a white mantel. On the door to the kitchen, a golf ball-sized glass window was kept intact from the days when servants would keep a close eye on the meals in the dining room.

Through the dining room door is a generous breakfast nook; two columns separate it from the large, modern, country kitchen. A long center island offers a counter-height bar, plenty of storage and black granite countertops, which extend throughout the kitchen. White cabinetry abounds, and upper cabinets have glass-paned doors. The kitchen also has two ovens — one is convection, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and other matching stainless-steel appliances. Nearby is a large laundry room with a closet, a pantry and a wine rack. A side door at the back of the kitchen provides access to the side portico and guesthouse.

In the back of the home, with access from the foyer and the kitchen, is a huge, bright sunroom with floor-to-ceiling windows lining the back of the room. Two ceiling fans, brick flooring, beadboard ceiling, white interior columns and a marble gas fireplace complete the beautiful, airy space.

The double grand staircase with wood stairs and railings leads up to a large landing, and then up a few more steps to the second level, where hardwood flooring extends into three of the four bedrooms — each with a ceiling fan, large windows and three with a walk-in closet.

The two rooms at the front of the home are larger and one has wall-to-wall carpeting. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet and a private master bath with granite countertops, a double sink and a glass-door shower.

A door in the hallway provides access to a huge storage attic that runs the length of the home with room to stand and two cedar closets.

At the side of the home, a pergola shades a side patio with flagstone pavers. A brick walkway leads to the separate guest house, which has hardwood floors and crown molding throughout the living room, dining room, bedroom and kitchen. The guesthouse also has a washer/dryer and a private deck.

Attached to the guesthouse is the pool house, which could serve as a studio. It has a full wet bar with a refrigerator and a granite countertop, a high ceiling with exposed rafters, a window air-conditioning unit and a full bathroom. The pool house also has access to the two-car garage that separates it from the guesthouse.

In the backyard, a large inground swimming pool has a one-meter diving board and a raised, brick-ringed whirlpool, all ringed by a cement deck and patio. A large, white pergola offers shade on the house side of the patio.

According to the homeowner, this estate, known as Headwaters, has had famous residents: Harold Ickes (FDR's secretary of the Interior and a close friend of President Herbert Hoover) and railroad magnate Lionel Probert, then the executive vice president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and a close friend of President Calvin Coolidge. Probert built Headwaters on the same footprint as the original manor home that burned down in 1921.

This historic home, set in a cul-de-sac, has had updates including the installation of copper plumbing systems, new HVAC, new boilers for radiator heat and new bathroom fixtures. All renovations have preserved the historic integrity of the home, which won a Major Historic Renovation Award in 1995.

Specialties of the house

Address: 11 Shallow Brook Court, Olney

Style: Georgian colonial

Lot size: 2.33 acres

Price: $1,500,000

Estimated taxes: $12,488

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 4 full

Contact: Judy & Mitch Milstein, Long & Foster, 301-520-3694, 301-774-3045, 301-765-3103