Georgetown Real Estate Maven Dishes on Swingin’ ‘60s and Beyond

BY KATE OCZYPOK

“As I sit here at my desk, I’m looking at the most magnificent, panoramic view of Georgetown,” said real estate agent Terri Robinson. “I live about a block from the Four Seasons Hotel, and it’s fabulous.”

Not only is Robinson’s home fabulous, her life is also arguably just as extraordinary. Robinson has achieved more than $2 billion in residential and commercial sales and ranks in the top one percent nationwide. Her clients over the years have included investors, major institutions, embassies and corporations. She has been with Long and Foster Real Estate for nearly 20 years.

PRE-REAL ESTATE YEARS

Robinson’s life wasn’t all about real estate though. She once served as Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) press secretary, first arriving in Washington, D.C., for the newly elected President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural ball in 1961. Robinson reminisced about that inaugural weekend, chatting about having dinner at Rive Gauche, a French restaurant that stood at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Streets NW and mingling with President Kennedy’s physician.

Robinson believes she was the first female press secretary on Capitol Hill, having first volunteered on Ted Kennedy’s campaign at just 18 years old.

“They made me the National Committee Woman of the Young Democrats when I was 19,” she added. “That’s how I got into politics.”

When asked if she ever felt overwhelmed being that young involved in such big things, Robinson cited being her church organist, directing the church choir and serving as a major in a bagpipe band as sources of confidence.

Originally hailing from Boston, Robinson was immediately drawn to Georgetown for its similar historical nature. Her Bostonian heritage was what made her want to specialize in historic homes when she began her real estate career.

Working And Raising A Family

After she married and the birth of her son, Robinson felt compelled to stay home. She decided to get into the real estate business 52 years ago, citing the flexibility of the profession.

“It really gave women independence, and it gave us equal pay for equal work,” Robinson said. “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to take care of my children on my schedule.”

According to Robinson, when she got into real estate, there were only 400 licensed agents in Washington. They were mostly women older than Robinson, whose children had gone off to college.

“They looked at me in a different way, let’s say, because I was much younger and they were women whose husbands were successful. They just did it really as a part-time position,” Robinson said.

THE SWINGIN’ ’60S—AND THEIR AFTERMATH

Robinson reminisced about Georgetown in the 1960s, calling it “so much fun.” When The Georgetown Inn opened in 1962, Robinson lived next door to the now deceased Collins Bird, the former manager of the hotel (and husband of Georgetowner writer Mary Bird).

“He would invite me [to the Georgetown Inn] and we would have so much fun,” Robinson recalled. “The Mercury astronauts would stay there—we had a lot of good evenings there having cocktails and just singing a lot.”

Of course, a lot changed after President Kennedy’s 1963 assassination and the 1968 riots.

Full article at Georgetowner.com