On the Market: 4406 Norwood Road

I can't even imagine how many people have walked past this house over the years and thought to themselves, “That’s my dream home.” But the years turned into decades and then a century went by and for 110 years, 4406 Norwood faithfully sheltered the same family. Now, for the first time ever, she’s ready to welcome new stewards into her story. Lovers of historic homes, old bones, lush gardens, and towering trees, this one’s for you...

Constructed by renowned architects Palmer & Lamdin in 1915, this extraordinary home sits on a rare double lot—nearly half an acre of mature landscaping—just one block from Baltimore’s beloved Sherwood Gardens. With 5–6 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and nearly 4,000 square feet of beautifully preserved architecture, it offers a level of craftsmanship that can’t be replicated today.

Even among other Palmer & Lamdin homes, this one is truly special. Its charming blue cottage-style façade offers unmatched curb appeal on one of Guilford’s most picturesque tree-lined streets. Beyond blooming gardens and century-old oaks, a gracious entryway welcomes you into a space filled with original details—rich hardwood floors, soaring ceilings, custom millwork, and warm, timeless character throughout.

Inside, a traditional center hall layout offers gracious flow. To the left, a grand formal living room stretches across the front of the home, anchored by a wood-burning fireplace and flanked by custom built-ins. Dual sets of French doors open to a tranquil screened porch overlooking the lush rear garden—perfect for morning coffee or evening cocktails. On the right, a formal dining room with antique wallpaper (that's so out, it's back in) and an original imported Irish crystal chandelier provides an elegant space for holiday dinners or celebrations. Just beyond, the kitchen is a retro time capsule—full of nostalgic charm and ready for your dream renovation, with a spacious and functional layout that offers endless potential.

The second floor, accessible by both the main and back staircases, features three large bedrooms, two full baths, and a fourth flex room—perfect as a nursery, office, or walk-in closet to create a luxurious primary suite. The layout is functional yet versatile, with great potential for customization.

One more flight up, and you'll find two additional bedrooms and a central bath. These top-floor rooms brim with charm thanks to classic dormers and rare eyebrow windows—architectural touches that add both character and light.

Outside, the .4-acre lot feels like a private garden sanctuary. Carefully cultivated by generations of passionate gardeners, the grounds offer winding paths, perennial blooms, and mature shade trees—a peaceful retreat that evolves with the seasons.

While original details have been lovingly preserved, thoughtful updates have also been made. Recent improvements include a full exterior painting, maintained slate roof, new water heater, updated gas boiler, and a waterproofed basement with French drains and dual sump pumps—ensuring peace of mind.

Located just a block from Sherwood Gardens yet tucked away on a serene street, this home offers rare privacy but with a strong sense of community. Guilford is home to multiple neighborhood parks and hosts year-round events like the Tulip Dig, Halloween Parade, outdoor movie nights, and more. The location also offers ideal proximity to top-rated schools, including Calvert School (just a 5-minute drive or 15-minute walk), Johns Hopkins University, Loyola, and Union Memorial Hospital. You're also minutes from the Rotunda, Hampden’s award-winning restaurants, farmers markets, and nearby walkable neighborhoods like Charles Village and "Alonsoville."

Don't give up your love of city life for a detached home and a yard in the county: you can have it all here in historic Guilford. This is more than a house on the market, it’s a once-in-a-century opportunity. But don't take it from me, come see for yourself!

On the Market: 101 Cotswold Road

As a child attending the Cathedral School, I’d frequently see this house, perched on a rise with a sweeping green lawn, and dream about how perfect it was. Decades later, I realized that its architects were personal favorites, Palmer & Lamdin, who designed it in 1935. In fact, several houses on Cotswold Road were designed by the firm.

The back of the house is actually what you see from Cotswold Road,

the front is accessed by a long driveway, leading to the ivy-covered stone house, complete with its own turret!

The house shows off some of Palmer & Lamdin’s hallmarks, including steeply pitched roof-lines, advancing and receding planes, casement windows, and quirky details. The front door is recessed in an arched cove which leads to a large entry hallway with arched doorframes. At this point, the house is only one room wide, with huge steel-framed casement windows on either side and throughout the house.

One of the most interesting things about this house is that on the ground floor, along with the walnut-paneled living and dining rooms, library, music room, office space, and kitchen, it has always contained the primary suite for the owners. From a 1932 article, it’s described as “the owners' sleeping apartment consists of a large bedroom, two dressing rooms and two baths [with newly installed heated floors].”

The second floor contains additional bedrooms and bath, with one of the most charming rooms, not home to a home office, set under the double peaked roofline, with floor-to-ceiling windows, built-in bookcases, and Juliet balconies.

While the third floor originally contained several small bedrooms for servants, there is now a large children’s playroom and loads of storage space.

The basement is finished with a family room with fireplace. There is also a built-in three-car garage, with plenty of space for parking outside. The grounds are full of old growth plantings, sweeping views from the bluestone terraces, and a sense of being in the heart of the country, maybe even the English Cotswolds!

Cotswold Road is situated between Northern Parkway and Charles Street. It’s almost a hidden road in the middle of the private school section of Baltimore. It’s convenient to either Eddie’s, many schools, the Jones Falls Expressway and more. But at the same time, it’s a secluded little part of Baltimore.

This house is handsome in its own simple and dignified way, with a particularly notable feature being the greenish stone obtained from the mountains of Western Maryland. When it’s said that they don’t make houses like this anymore, this house is exactly what they mean. The listing for the house is here.   

All photographs from the listing. 

On the Market: 101 Witherspoon Road

I swear, I thought I'd already written about this house, because friends grew up there and they used to have great parties!

This architecturally unique stone home, designed by the renowned Palmer Lamdin Architects and built in 1928, offers a rare blend of timeless craftsmanship and modern luxury.

With an expansive square footage and gracious room sizes, the home sits on an unusually large lot, spanning over half an acre, providing plenty of living space plus outdoor enjoyment.

Boasting 5 true bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, and 2 half baths, this residence offers the perfect balance of comfort and functionality. The home has undergone incredible renovations, with every bathroom beautifully redone,

a stunning primary closet, and thoughtfully redesigned main living areas. These enhancements seamlessly combine historic charm with contemporary style.

Step outside to experience a tranquil setting perfect for entertaining, where you can dine al fresco under the stone loggia while listening to the majestic bells of the Cathedral in the distance. [If by distance, you mean directly across the street!]

The outdoor space, combined with the home’s graceful interior, creates a harmonious atmosphere for both relaxation and entertaining. Modern conveniences abound, including an attached garage accessible from the interior, a large driveway, a practical mudroom, two laundry rooms, and a finished basement.

This residence not only preserves the character of its original design but also caters to today’s needs, making it an extraordinary home for those who appreciate both history and modern luxury.

The listing is here.

On the Market: Seven Charlcote Place

Hot House: Elegant Palmer & Lamdin House in Baltimore’s Premiere Location! 3 Beds/4 Baths. 4,538 Square Feet. 7 Charlcote Place, Guilford, Baltimore. $1,050,000

What: Charlcote Place in Guilford is one of Baltimore’s most elegant roads. It circles around the spectacular John Russell Pope-designed Charlcote House and several others. Several of the other houses surrounding that were designed by my favorites from the Dead Architects Society, Palmer & Lamdin. Some of their distinctive characteristics include elaborate chimneys, a flare at the edge of the roof, and quirky details. Number seven Charlcote is one of three houses, other than Charlcote House on the inside of the circle.

As you approach No. 7, you see the P&L details – the flared rooflines, diamond-stack chimneys, the Tudor-style front door and the interesting brickwork. When you enter, you are greeted by what are most probably the home’s original hardwood floors. A wood-paneled office is to the left, and the living room is to the right.

Both the dining room and living room have fireplaces, with the living room’s being a beautiful Jacobean style stunner with barley-twist columns. The living room also has access, through French doors, to the patio and the sunroom.

The kitchen has recently been updated with high-end chef’s appliances. It is filled with light with windows on three sides, and French doors leading to a patio with a retractable awning. There is also a back staircase leading from the kitchen to the basement, where you will find plenty of storage.

The second floor has a primary bedroom suite with a sitting room and en-suite bath. Two additional bedrooms, and their adjoining baths complete the second floor. One of the bathrooms has the original pink tiles, toilet, tub, and sink.

Outside, there is a flagstone patio with a wood pergola and a long driveway to a brick garage. Mature plantings in the yard are surrounded by a brick wall in some places, which is the divider between this house and Charlcote House.

Where: Charlcote Place is one of the most beautiful blocks in Guilford. As mentioned, this house backs up to the impressive Charlcote House. It has its own parking along a driveway, plus a garage. Charlcote is just off Greenway, a few blocks from Charles Street. It’s a straight shot to downtown, in fact, you can see the Washington Monument from the front of the circle.

Final Appraisal: If you’re looking for an impressive Guilford house, but don’t need six or eight bedrooms, this might be the house for you! The listing for the house is here.

All photographs from the listing.

Palmer & Lamdin, The Canine Edition

I was looking to see if any Palmer & Lamdin houses had recently been listed and came across this image on Instagram. 

It is a local landscape architect, Bob Jackson, who has apparently named his two dogs, Palmer and Lamdin. 

Well played, Bob!

RPEMS Lecture

When my old friend, Tom Gamper asked me to present a lecture on Roland Park School, he was asking me in the context of my work with the Dead Architects Society and the architects, Palmer & Lamdin, who designed the school.

Today, I will be talking about the history of the school and how it came to be, but I will be mostly talking about the school’s unique architecture.

By the 1920's, the oldest parts of Roland Park were more than 30 years old, and it was beginning to become a settled neighborhood, not just a summer enclave. So, it needed a school which all the local children could attend. 

There was a small school, known as Todd’s Academy, with an enrollment of 112 children, on the corner of Roland Avenue and St. John’s Road. But there was not enough room to expand to accommodate the children who now were living in the area.

At this time, Baltimore was embarking on an ambitious plan, building schools in many of Baltimore's neighborhoods using the services of some of the city's best architects. And certainly, schools of that era reflect the classical architecture which was the watchword. 

Oldies like me still refer to the school as Roland Park Public School to delineate it from Roland Park Country Day School, located directly across the street since the late 1970s.

The plan was to build a new school with 16 classrooms, and the enrollment was projected to be about 700 students, which equaled more than 40 children per classroom. The land for the school had been acquired by the City through eminent domain from property owned by the Gilman School. 

The City’s allocation for the project was $430,000, which is about $48.6 million today. This included the design/build for the building and playgrounds, paving and plantings.

It originally did not include an auditorium/gymnasium because funds had not yet been allocated,but an auditorium does appear on the architects’ 1925 plans.

As mentioned, Baltimore City tapped the architects Palmer & Lamdin to design the school. Edward Palmer had been the “house architect” for the Roland Park Company and later designed many of the most interesting houses in Homeland and Guilford. Additionally, Palmer & Lamdin worked on sections of Bryn Mawr and Friends Schools.

Many of Palmer & Lamdin’s influences were inspired by their European travels. English, and specifically Cotswolds-style architecture was a particular favorite, followed by the chalets of Switzerland, and architecture from the Normandy region of France. They did design an Italian monastery in Howard County in 1926, therefore, an Italian-style school building was not much of a stretch.

The school is modeled on a classic Italianate design, unlike anything else in Roland Park.

To emphasize its importance, the school was built on a small rise on the main street through Roland Park.

Key visual components of the Italianate style include:

1. Low-pitched or flat roofs, barely discernable from the ground.
2. Arched windows
3. Tall first floor windows
4. Campanile or bell towers
5. Small “Juliette-style” balconies
6. Terracotta “Barrel-style” tiled roofs
7. Loggias

About 15% of Italianate buildings in the United States include a tower, which, at Roland Park, was an early ventilation system.

In the original blueprints, which I was able to photograph at the University of Baltimore’s architectural archives, you can see that the building’s design didn’t vary too much from the architects’ plans and elevations.

The windows still retain their iron-work grids, and the brick columns between the windows have been rendered in a demi-hexagonal shape,

a detail which would go un-noticed unless you were really looking, but which adds to the grace of the building.

The brickwork at the top of the campanile is very unusual with two courses of bricks above the loggia. The inner course is a regular rounded keystone arch, while the outer one looks more gothic in style.

The decorative stone on the sides of some of the windows still remain. As does the design for the small balcony above the front door.

This 1962 photograph of a class at the Junior High School still shows some of the original details, including a “casualty clearing station” sign for civil defense. This was at the height of the Cold War and the school would have been used as a nuclear fallout shelter which would have been in the basement of the building.

Additionally, you can just see the bottoms of two lights on either side of the front door.

They’ve long been removed, but the design for the two light fixtures was discovered on the original blueprints and the lamp was the only detail rendered in color on dozens of pages. They are a fairly common style of lamp in the 1920’s.

The initial specifications for the building were to have had imitation stone trim, but there was a great deal of push-back for this, as it didn’t have the look or long wear of natural stone.

Letters to the editor of the Sun went back and forth, pro and con, and eventually the faux-stone people won the battle.

Under threat of arrest, the City’s building inspector had refused to issue a permit for the foundation and groundwork of the new school. The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 was still fresh in people’s minds, and the codes called for fire-safe cinderblock in the foundation. After several months, the issue was resolved, no one was arrested, and the construction could finally begin.

By December of 1926, newspaper stories were reporting that the new Roland Park School was already crowded. By 1928, a proposal for an addition was put out for bid and once again, Palmer & Lamdin won the job.

The addition would be added onto the north side of the building, backing up to the property owned by Gilman School. The capacity went from 850 to nearly 1,400 students. 

But nothing’s ever easy. In the spring of 1929, serious cracks were discovered in the wall of the gymnasium, then only three years old. It was closed to students immediately. The vertical cracks went along the structural piers which helped support the upper floor. It was said that the cracks had been visible for about three years, but that they hadn’t worried anyone, and they had just been plastered over!

The inspectors had opened the wall, but when the city’s crew came to take documentary photographs, the wall had been plastered and painted over to disguise where the cracks were. The wall was finally torn out so that steel girders could be installed, and it was found that there was no mortar between the bricks!!!

Additionally, surprise! there were issues with the cast stone that had been used, chunks of it were dropping off, and they crumbled at a touch.

In the early 1980s, rumblings began with a rumor that the Roland Park Public School would be torn down, and an entirely new building would be constructed. A distant second-place option was to renovate the school and install all new utilities.

Of course, a mighty uproar ensued, but the school was enlarged and renovated as we see it today.

Here are some interesting facts I discovered when I was researching this lecture:

• Between 1929 and 1931, the name of the street just to the south of the school was changed from Linden Avenue to Deepdene Road.
• Roland Park School was once home to one of public baths scattered around the city and funded by William Walters of Walters Art Museum fame. I found a small clip in a 1931 article in the Baltimore Sun which mentioned that the public baths located at Roland Park School had the fewest users of any other public bath in the city. Towels and soap were available for five cents per person.

It is down to the skill of the architects, Palmer & Lamdin, and the wisdom of those who followed, that the building that is Roland Park School is still intact, and retains most of its original classic Italianate design on its one-hundredth anniversary.

My sources for this lecture were:

• Maryland Historic Trust’s document: Baltimore City Schools Architecture, 1889 to 1941
• Newspapers.com
• Palmer & Lamdin.com
• Palmer & Lamdin and the Successor Firms’ Catalogue Raisonné
• Medusa: Maryland’s Cultural Resource Information System
• The University of Baltimore’s Architectural Archives.

A special thanks goes to RPEMS alumni, Anson Stine, who helped with the drone footage.

Thank you for including me in this special event. 

RPEMS Blueprints

I am giving a lecture about the 100th anniversary of the building of Roland Park School (now Roland Park Elementary/Middle School) and its 100th Anniversary.

Luckily, I knew that the University of Baltimore held some of the Palmer & Lamdin archives, so I checked to see whether they had some for RPEMS. They did!!!

Here are some of the best ones.

Honestly, you would not believe how excited I was to see these! I added them to my talk, and they will really make the lecture a lot better!