4407 Bedford Place

Bedford Place is one of those tricky roads in Guilford. You think you know where it is, but you actually don't. Guilford's system of one-way streets and dead ends don't help.

From the real estate website: Spotless condition - uniquely designed home by Palmer-Lamdin. 

This home has all of the possible charm one could want in a city home: beautiful stonework, carved doors,

canopy arches, hand-wrought iron fixtures. Living room with large fireplace; living room, den, family room with French doors to a private garden.

Gated driveway.

Gourmet kitchen. Separate teen's suite/maid's room. Whole house generator.

The house sold in January of 2017 for $639,000. 

On The Market: 217 Paddington Road

There are a series of houses along Paddington Road that are perfect examples of Palmer & Lamdin's work. Paddington Court, which I wrote about here, has several, and bracketing the entrance to the court is this house, 217 Paddington. 

217 is a rough stone house, in the English cottage tradition,

with lots of details, including beautiful millwork and built-in bookshelves. The dining room has exposed stone walls, making it less formal than others in P&L houses.

The living room has French doors and a big fireplace.

This house has two patios, one on the south side and one on the east side, so you can soak in or avoid the sun, as you so choose.

Homeland, where the house is located, is filled with trees which were planted around the time this house was built in 1928, so there's plenty of shade. 

Because parking on Paddington Road is at a premium, there is a garage and driveway for your cars. 

The house is new to the market, and is listed at $875,000. The listing is here. 

On the Market: 119 St. Dunstan's Road

Homeland is full of houses designed by Palmer & Lamdin in the 1920's and they fully reflect the design sense and craftsmanship of the time. They have held their classic good looks for almost a century now. 

As I drove up St. Dunstan's a few weeks ago, my head snapped around and I felt sure that this was a P&L house. I checked my handy-dandy catalogue raissoné and sure enough, there it was: 119 St. Dunstan's Road. There is so much charming detail on this house that it's easy to miss some of it. From the front entrance with its stone- and brick-work, 

to the elegant front hall and the detail along the stairs, 

to the basement "rumpus room" and it's beautiful wood doors,

to the wood-beamed study, lined with books, 

you can see P&L's imprimatur all over the house. 

The rear of the house is pretty interesting, too. They've added a pool, which doesn't overwhelm the grounds, 

but still leaves room for a nice stone wall and some lawn. 

I can't quite figure out whether the sunroom would have been original, or closed in later on. 

The house has five bedrooms, four and a half baths, and a two car garage, and is on the market for $925,000. The listing is here. 

Roland Park Apartments: A Baltimore Classic

When I was a child, one of my great aunties lived in an apartment which had a courtyard with a pond with huge goldfish. It was the Roland Park Apartments (RPA), which was designed by Palmer & Lamdin in about 1925. 

RPA was modeled in the fashion of a French renaissance chateau, representing early 20th century beaux arts architecture. 

The building is filled with gorgeous little (and big) details from the moment you enter through the front path,

with gardens on both sides and a lovely fountain. 

You enter the passageway, which is home to the manager's office and the post boxes, has two beautiful lanterns. 

The apartments (now condos) are housed in five connected five-story buildings, each with private elevators. There are 20 individual floor plans, each with unique architectural designs and decorative charms. Many of the apartments have sun porches and working fireplaces.

Most also have nine-foot ceilings with crown molding. The original details remain intact nearly 100 years later. 

In addition to the apartments, there is a huge car barn, that designed by Wyatt & Nolting in 1903, and served as the stables for the neighborhood.

As a child, I remember riding my bike through the car barn (before there were electronic doors) and imagining what it was like when it was stables. 

Between the main buildings and the garage is the original smokestack from the early heating system for the building. It's interesting to see this still here.

One of the main attractions of this building are the gardens which surround it. They are beautifully maintained and lush, even after no rain for nearly a month. 

The pond, which is the centerpiece of the courtyard, is so charming. You can also see Palmer's trademark swooped roofline in this image. Almost all of the apartments have a view of the courtyard, or they look out over the Baltimore Country Club and the Jones Falls Valley. 

As I mentioned, this place is filled with Palmer's signature details, like the roofline... But also the mix of stucco and brick, 

with an emphasis on a variety of bricks and brickwork styles.

There are also the signature nooks and crannies on the property. 

  

The signature downspouts are also evident here. 

Because there are five buildings, the entrances to each one echoes the design of the building and gives the illusion of the place being smaller and more private than it actually is. 

These historic photos indicate that the brick might have originally been painted the same color as the stucco!

Several months ago, there was a small piece in the New York Times' real estate section about one of the apartments currently on the market. You can read it, and see interior images here. You can also read about the building and its history here. 

St. Paul Court Apartments

As you zoom south on St. Paul Street, you might not notice the St. Paul Court Apartments, just south of 33rd Street on the right. It's a five-story building surrounding a center court with green lawn and fountains. And, it's a P&L building!

The planning began in 1924, with an announcement of the impending building in the Sun. 

Most of the apartments are one bedroom and one bathroom, with a living area and kitchen. Others are two bedrooms, with living area and walk-in closets. 

It was well-located between downtown and the inner suburbs, and on a main bus line, convenient for getting to your downtown office. As time went on, they became the place to have a pied-a-terre if you had a country house, or lived someplace else during the winters or summers. 

In 1924, the building changed hands. 

The courtyard, which is mentioned above, and in the name of the building, provides a nice space for outside living. 

It's now occupied mainly by students at Johns Hopkins, which is a block or two away. It has laundry and other services on the premise, so that's a convenience, as are the shops across the street. 

On the Market: 1103 Harriton Road

Harriton Road is one of those streets in Baltimore that's completely hidden away, but once you find it, you will be completely charmed. 

This house has many of the Palmer & Lamdin trademarks: the mixed materials, including stone and cedar shingles, unusual doorways, lattice work, arched entryways and much more. 

The house, which was built in 1930, has five bedrooms and four and a half baths. It is situated in a green valley, surrounded by old growth trees and beautiful gardens.

As I mentioned, it's very private, with only one way in and out, but at the same time, it's very convenient to the local Whole Foods and Starbucks!

To be honest, I'd pull back the bright green to something a little more subtle, and maybe add more of the lattice-work on either side of the door, but that's about it.

You can find more information about this delightful and classic Palmer & Lamdin here.