Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Patrons’ Party Co-Chairs Malcolm Dilley and Alex Ragonese: Bringing the Georgetown House Tour to the Next Generation ?
The co-chairs of this year’s Georgetown House Tour Patrons’ Party are excited to get the next generation involved. Washington Fine Properties realtor Malcolm Dilley and his husband Alex Ragonese, who is involved in commercial real estate, are working hard to get some buzz going among their peers.?
How It Started?
It all started with Georgetown House Tour chair Azali Kassum. Kassum, a neighbor who has known Dilley for years, asked him and Ragonese to get involved.?“I mean, I give it to her, she’s working tirelessly to make this a really spectacular year,” Dilley said.??
Realizing that Dilley and Ragonese were perfect picks to co-chair the Patrons’ Party, Kassum was on to something, A Georgetown native, Dilley attended the Potomac School and began his career in philanthropy and special events at the National Gallery of Art. He now works with the Roth Team at WFP.?
The Next Generation of Georgetowners?
“I’m born and raised in Georgetown,” Dilley said. “I joke that I’ve essentially lived in a five-block radius my whole life.”?
Ragonese, who moved to D.C. in 2012, remembers the Georgetown House Tour as one of the first community events he attended. He grew up in a small New England town that puts on a house tour during the holiday season. When he was a child, it was the highlight of the year.?
“I have always loved Georgetown and the House Tour, and when I was told about this opportunity, I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to give back to this place I love so much,” he said.?
Dilley echoed his sentiment, saying how nice it is to just walk out their door and see familiar faces, whether they’re neighbors now or family friends from his younger years. It’s nostalgic for him to see the Little Folks School students, as he was a graduate of the preschool.?Dilley and Ragonese reside in Georgetown with Parker, their English yellow Lab.?
“Obviously I’m biased because I was born and raised here, but when I met Alex, I said we’re living in Georgetown, that’s our only option,” Dilley said. “For a number of years, we felt like we were one of the few people in our friend group living here.”?
It wasn’t until after the pandemic hit that the couple began to notice young adults who were starting families migrating to Georgetown. “It’s nice to have our friend group really evolve over the last few years,” Dilley said. “It’s been so special to just walk a couple blocks to a friend’s house and have a glass of wine and sit in their backyard.”?
With Ragonese in commercial real estate, a lot of the couple’s household discussions revolve around retail. They both agree that Georgetown has gotten livelier in the last 18 to 24 months, with lots of small boutique brands opening, whether they’re restaurants, clothing stores or coffee shops.?
With the businesses being smaller, a sense of community, service and camaraderie is fostered, Dilley pointed out.?
The House Tour: What to Expect?
“What you see with the House Tour is what we see in the neighborhood,” Dilley said. “For homeowners and business owners alike, Georgetown is such a wonderful place to invest, not just money but invest in building their lives.”?
The chance to be able to go into homes and see the way people live is what Dilley called a special opportunity. When people walk through the neighborhood on weekends, they often like to peek inside homes — not just to get a glimpse inside the lives of Georgetowners, but to actually see that the community isn’t just full of museums.?
“It’s a real neighborhood with real people that live here,” Dilley said. “It’s always great to see the number of people out on the sidewalks during House Tour weekend.”?
As for houses on the tour, there are a few that the couple are eager to see. They are both excited to check out one of the homes on N Street on Cox’s Row.??
“One thing that is going to be really special this year is that we have a varied collection of houses,” Dilley said. “Visitors are going to be able to see a lot of different aspects on what you can do with a Georgetown house.”?
Also new this year is a design panel at B&B Italia on the Thursday before the House Tour. For years, Kassum and Dilley discussed the idea of getting a group of local designers, architects and builders to share their thoughts on what it takes to do a project in Georgetown, bringing the neighborhood’s historic homes up to modern living standards.?
The Patrons’ Party?
Dilley is relishing the event planning for the Patrons’ Party, to be held on Wednesday, April 23, at Anderson House. “I used to work in events and hospitality, so to me, planning parties is one of my favorite things to do,” he said. “I love to do it personally and we love to entertain at home and host parties.”?
For the younger generation that Kassum and Dilley are pulling in this year, there is a new “Young Patron” ticket level: $175 for those 40 and under. That price includes a ticket to the House Tour.??
While Dilley understands the price can be a deterrent to some, it’s important to create a rhythm with people and to communicate that the House Tour supports a good cause. Since 1931, St. John’s Episcopal Church has organized and hosted the event to raise funds for its ministry and outreach; it has been an essential part of enabling St. John’s mission in the greater community.?
“We hope that it’s a start of getting people to hopefully put this on their calendar annually,” Dilley said.?
More information on the Georgetown House Tour can be found at georgetownhousetour.com.??