4604 Kerneway (Updated Plus a PS)

Update: The house settled earlier this week and was purchased for $455k, which was $125k above the asking price. Hopefully, the new owners will respect the architecture of the house. 

This house at 4604 Kerneway was on the market for about a week, with more than 15 showings scheduled each day, a massively successful open house on Saturday, and then offers for the house due on Sunday evening! 

I'd like to think that the reason for this was that it was an unusual Palmer & Lamdin house, but in all actuality, it was the price: $325,000. That is a seriously low price for houses in this area, at this time of low interest rates, but the house needs a lot of work. The same owners have occupied it for more than 30 years, and it showed! 

Regardless of all of that, this house is really unusual, but wonderful.

To begin, the sort of U-shaped house looks like it's maybe one-and-a-half stories. The top of the front door reaches nearly to the roofline. 

What's hard to see in this image is that there are windows at ground level, partly obscured by the plantings. You enter the house into a hallway, and immediately to the right, behind a wall, is the staircase. Down about six steps and to the right and left, are the living room and the dining room, which leads back to a kitchen wing and then a small bedroom and bath. 

When you enter the living and dining rooms, there are windows at the front of the house with radiators beneath them. What you don't really realize from the interior is that the sill of the window is aligned with the ground, and the radiator is below grade. 

Since the property slopes towards the back, the rest of the house is at ground level. 

Luckily, the original plans came with the house, so we could look at them and see what Palmer & Lamdin intended. Sadly, they were in poor shape, and although there was a set of velums, there wasn't a place to unroll them that would allow clear photographs.

The living room had a beautiful fireplace at one end, which was a half of an octagon. As mentioned the front windows were sash style, and the rear windows were French doors, leading to a garden. 

The dining room is across the marble-floored hall from the living room, and it also has a fireplace. The original etched glass sconces are still in place, just one of the myriad details in this house.

Off of the dining room, there is a small room down a few steps and with a low-hanging light in the middle. Initially, I thought it was a billiards room, but then upon re-thinking it, it might be a card room. 

There is a great old pantry across from the kitchen and I sincerely hope that no-one rips it out. 

It has tons of space for china and linens and a great old porcelain sink with more shelves above it. Honestly, you could keep everything in the room, but just refresh it. Just beyond the kitchen, which needs to be redone, there is a small bed/bath suite. I am guessing this was originally for a cook. 

As you head upstairs, either through the back stairs or the main stairs in the front of the house, you come to a small overlook. 

And looking in the other direction, down the hallway to several bedrooms and ending at what looks like another servant's room. 

The main bedroom, with an en suite bathroom filled with original or early plumbing, has the same semi-octagonal end. It also features French doors in either side of the room. 

So, what looks like it might be the main floor with the big windows, from the outside, it's actually the floor with the bedrooms.

As I mentioned, the house is filled with details, including jib doors which hide closets, leaded glass with stars, interesting carvings, 

loads and loads of arched doors and windows (someone said too many!),

and the seriously beautiful front door. 

Almost all of the doors were about 1.5" to 2" thick! Really incredible. 

It is so lucky that the original blueprints are available and it was a lot of fun going over them with a friend. 

I still don't know the final offer amount for the house, but I will update this post once I learn. The house needs a lot of work, and it will be a treasure once it's finished. 

P.S. I recently heard that the house was sold to a man who bought it for his daughter who is attending Loyola College around the corner. This is in violation of the neighborhood covenants, which prohibit college students living in the neighborhood. When we drove by it the other week, it didn't look like any work had been done, and the shutters were still hanging off. This is a complete travesty, as you KNOW these college kids will not take care of the house.  

On the Market: 4401 Greenway

This wonderful Palmer & Lamdin has been on and off the market for the past 18 months or so, and it was sold late last year. It's on the market again, being flipped after a thorough renovation, which, thankfully, left many of the original interior details. 

The house was built in 1913 for Mr. & Mrs. Rowland Clapp, Esq. and the architect was Edward L. Palmer, as noted in an October 1913 squib in the Baltimore Sun. The house is in the brick colonial style. 

From the realtor's website:

Pinnacle of elegance supremely located in Guilford. Spectacular brand new renovation of this six bedroom, five full and one half bath magnificent brick colonial home with two car garage perfectly sited on a private corner lot on prestigious Greenway, close to Sherwood Gardens. 

The exceptional kitchen features exposed brick walls, a massive quartz waterfall island with breakfast bar, Matte black & copper smart appliances, a six burner gas stove, double ovens, and is open to the dining area as well as a sleek butlers' pantry with wet bar, beverage fridge and separate ice maker. The seamless renovation of the main level also includes a new mudroom, powder room and stylish second staircase. 

Graceful living spaces in the living room with a fireplace and adjacent family room with custom built- ins. The spectacular list of upgrades extend to the upper levels that feature a master suite with a truly decadent master bath , spacious his and her walk in closets, as well as additional en suite bedrooms with balcony access.

The breathtaking exterior is a retreat unto itself with a beautiful in-ground pool, patio, professionally landscaped and lighted grounds, and a two car detached garage with pull down studio/storage area. Ample storage in the lower level, two new zoned AC units, nest thermostats.

For information on this house, click here.  

5502 N. Charles Street: A Disaster in Real Time

My friend, the brilliant artist and architect, Jerome Gray, has a series of sketches he calls "dead building walking." And that's exactly what this formerly charming, Moderne house is currently experiencing.

This house is located on the corner of Charles Street and Northern Parkway. It's been on and off the market for ages. It seems to have recently been sold and there's some unfortunate work going on with the house. 

The listing says that the house was built in 1947, which would make it very late on the Palmer and Lamdin timeline. But there were enough elements in the house to make it an elegant little place. 

Let's start at the front. There was an elegant copper canopy over the front door.

Very graceful. Fits beautifully with the style of the house, doesn't it?

Recently, we noticed that there was some activity going on with the house. 

It was looking ominous. Sadly, this house sits just outside two neighborhoods with fairly strict covenants, so there are no design standards which are imposed on home owners.

As I was driving by the other day, I could see that more work had been done, but at the risk of crashing, I couldn't see what. Then a friend posted this:

As a reminder, we're in Maryland, not on the ranges of Montana. This is so inappropriate to the house. What was someone thinking??? What next, a split-rail fence?

Here's the other crime. Originally, there were steel corner windows which fit with the Moderne theme of the house. 

At some point, seemingly around 2015, they were changed to vinyl sash windows. Borderline criminal.

There are still ghosts of the original interior, including the staircase and arched doorways. 

But honestly, we're waiting with great trepidation as to what comes next. Transformation into a log cabin?

On the Market: 5601 Waycrest Lane

Waycrest Lane is one of those semi-hidden streets that you're not going to find unless you know exactly where it is, regardless of GPS. 

From the real estate listing:

Designed by noted Baltimore architects Palmer & Lamdin in the 1930s and later enhanced by landscape architectural design by Oehme, van Sweden, thoughtful details abound at this private Poplar Hill residence. 

From the brick herringbone patterned front walk to the renovated Delbert Adams cooks' kitchen to the large bluestone patio, 5601 Waycrest lends itself equally well to comfortable family living and elegant entertaining.

A neutral palette and wood floors throughout make inside as soothing as the concrete and stone falling water fountain does outside. The spacious living and dining rooms feature multi-paned bay windows and access to the stone floored screened porch.

In addition to a large primary bedroom with en suite bath, walk-in closets and access to a screened porch aerie, the second floor offers two or three additional bedrooms and two additional full baths.

The natural light filled third floor provides flexibility for additional bedroom, office or studio space. 25 new double-hung windows, ample closet space, built-in cabinetry, zoned air-conditioning and a two car garage with automatic opener help makes this special home easy to live in.

Rarely available and thoroughly captivating, this home will please the most discriminating buyers.

The listing is here.  

On the Market: 200 Tunbridge Road

From the realtor's listing: One of a kind Palmer & Lamdin stone colonial.

Newly-updated kitchen with high end stainless steel appliances and custom cabinetry. 

Updated bluestone patio with fenced yard. 

Four bedrooms and three full bathrooms on second floor, plus half bathroom on main floor. Many original details beautifully preserved. Dual zone forced AC system. Large living room with wood burning fireplace. 

Dining room with period fixtures and French doors to patio. 

Updated butler’s pantry off kitchen with den off kitchen that leads to patio. 

Two car detached stone garage with updated garage door. 

A beautiful home with many original details and many new updates that maintain the character, details and charm of the original home.

It's always great when a real estate listing includes house plans, like this one does. 

Here is the link to the house. 

Gibson Island

From the earliest days of their partnership, P&L had an affiliation with Gibson Island, a small community located between Baltimore and Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay. The landscaping plan was devised by the Olmsted Brothers Corporation.

The first mention of GI in the catalogue raisonné at the University of Baltimore is a notation of Palmer designing his own house on the island. This is followed by the Donald Sherwood House, the Paul Patterson House and the Symington House. Additionally, there is a house for Mrs. M.M. Anderson. 

In April of 1930, there is a mention in the Baltimore Sun that ELP had sold his house on Skippers Row, on Harbor Water Road, overlooking the inner harbor.

It contained 10 rooms, and two baths and sits on a lot of 129 by 212 feet. “Mr. Palmer, according to the announcement, has purchased a site on the island for the erection of a larger house during 1931.”

I had a chance to visit GI a few weeks ago on a beautiful summer day, just after a big storm blew through. 

My friend, who is a member of Gibson Island, and I drove around trying to figure out which houses were designed by P&L. Because we've had so much rain this summer, everything was lush and green, so it wasn't very easy to see the houses. And because GI is such a private place, the houses are set back from the road. 

The house below, located next to the GI Clubhouse, is the Donald Sherwood House, as mentioned above, which looks east over the Chesapeake Bay. In the third picture, I tried to take a picture of the weather vane from the second picture, but because of the greenery, you can't see it.

Just north of this house is St. Christopher's By-the-Sea, the non-denominational chapel on the island. I've been to several small (because the chapel is small) weddings there, and it's completely charming. 

Gibson Island sometimes has real estate open days, so keep your eyes open for that. Otherwise, the island is private and your name must be on a list in order to visit. 

I left the island to drive back to Baltimore just as the sun was setting over the harbor. 

We are so fortunate to have places like this in our backyard. 

On the Market: 6 Englewood Road

No. 6 Englewood Road: Semi-Detached Palmer & Lamdin House on a Private Park in Roland Park; Five Bedrooms/Four Baths; $749,000

Hot House: If you know early 20^th century residential architecture in Baltimore, then you understand the special place that Palmer & Lamdin have in shaping the look of Roland Park, Homeland, Guilford and Original Northwood. Their houses are searched out and treasured by architectural aficionados for their thoughtful details and signature touches.

What: This semi-detached house on Englewood Road, just a block off of Falls Road, and a few blocks south of Northern Parkway, is one of an enclave of houses that back up to a private park available only to the residents. If you understand the architectural vernacular of English garden cities, this group of houses is a perfect example, and they look as if they belong in England, too.

No. 6 Englewood Road is filled with light and space. The updated kitchen, featuring Kitchenaid Architecture Series appliances, will be the heart of the house, especially since it also contains a wet bar with a live-edge counter and a wine refrigerator. 

There is a dining room off of the kitchen which could be either casual or formal, depending on your décor. And the living room features a classic wood-burning fireplace for those cozy evenings at home. A sunny sunroom provides a quiet spot for reading, playing board games or watching television.

There are three bedrooms on the second floor, and in a stroke of genius, the laundry room is also located there, which saves “loads” of time! The largest bedroom has an adjacent bath, and a walk-in closet. The other two bedrooms share a bath. The third floor has space for another bedroom, plus another room which could be used as a bedroom, home office or playroom. And there is another bathroom up there as well.

However, it’s the outside space that makes this house special. In addition to a good-sized landscaped fenced-in back yard, the house backs up onto a private park, owned in common with the surrounding houses, and accessible only by them. Old growth trees provide loads of ambience and shade during our hot Baltimore summers. 

Where: No. 6 Englewood Road is on the northwest edge of Roland Park. It’s less than three minutes (depending on the traffic lights) to the Jones Falls Expressway. The shops and library on Roland Park are just a few minutes’ drive, or a 20-minute walk. There are numerous public and private schools within a mile and a half. There are communal events held for the neighbors in the private park.

Final Appraisal: Palmer & Lamdin were the premiere architects of Roland Park, Homeland and Guilford. Their residential work has stood the test of time for more than 100 years, and their houses are highly prized by their owners. This house has been somewhat updated, but the original charm still shines through. The house will officially be on the market on October 3, 2020. The listing is here. 

Originally printed in Baltimore Fishbowl, Sept. 21, 2020