Villa Pace

Villa Pace was the home of famed opera singer, Rosa Ponselle, who at one point, was married to the son of the Mayor of Baltimore City. Palmer & Lamdin designed the villa and the grounds to Miss Ponselle's specifications in 1940. 

Villa Pace is located on a 40-acre estate on the north side of the Green Spring Valley Road, just  north of Baltimore City. The house was designed in the style of an Italian villa, not Palmer & Lamdin's only house in this style. 

Miss Ponselle was a larger than life opera singer who traveled around the world singing in grand and great theatres. The HABS report says this: Villa Pace has been carefully constructed in the mold of an Italian Villa. Its cross-shape form and elaborate interior detailing are completely in keeping with the professional occupation of its owner, Rosa Ponselle, a world-renown opera star.

HABS continues: The seventeen-room house was built by Miss Ponselle and her former husband Carle A. Jackson in 1940. Designed by Palmer and Lambden,[sic] Baltimore architects, it carried a post-war price tag of $500,000. Villa Pace was named after an aria Miss Ponselle sang on the night of her debut with the famous Enrico Caruso at the Metropolitan Opera.

Later accounts of the house detail the fittings and furnishings, including centuries old tapestries and brocades; a life-size portrait of Miss Ponselle;

a red velvet couch and a turquoise leather sofa; a circular marble bathroom; all of the colors of the Madonna (blue, gold and white); and much, much more! Miss Ponselle seemed to be a diva in every sense of the word.

On Christmas Eve of 1979, much of the house was destroyed by fire and a long battle with the insurance companies ensued. While it only took eight months to for the original construction of Villa Pace, the renovations and restorations dragged on for several years. The piano alone cost more than $7,000 to restore. An article from 1982 details the restoration as the house was being prepared to be sold.

Miss Ponselle had thought the house would be preserved as a memorial to her musical career, but she didn't endow the project, so after several court battles, it all fell apart. 

The house has passed through several sets of private hands, and still sits high on a hill overlooking the Green Spring Valley. Sadly, the yew hedges along the road in front of the house have grown so high that you can no longer see Villa Pace from the road. You can find more information here, here and here.

Fayetteville Stable

Last month, I wrote about a house in Fayetteville, NC. The new owners had kindly sent me pictures and blueprints of the house, which had been owned by his great-grandparents. 

A few days ago, he sent me a picture his aunt had found of the stables at the house, which has now been converted into a guest house. 

The guest house is absolutely charming, with the dovecote tower on the roof and the wonderful metal casement windows, both signatures of Palmer & Lamdin.

It's such fun to see original pictures of P&L's work! Thanks for sharing, DB!

2211 South Road, Baltimore

Occasionally, I just enter Palmer & Lamdin into the Google, just to see if anything new pops up. And lo and behold, today I found something new: 2211 South Road, in the Mt. Washington section of Baltimore. 

This house is a little later than most of theirs, having been built in 1938. It's three bedrooms and one full bath, plus a two car garage. Apparently, it listed and sold almost simultaneously in 2013. 

The Late, Lamented Homewood Garage

Those of use who have lived in Baltimore for ages, might remember the beautiful (!) Homewood Garage, which was located on St. Paul Street, just above 33rd Street. It was originally built for the residents of the nearby Cambridge Apartments. Because of where it was located, it needed to be somewhat elegant, and P&L were just the firm to accomplish that. 

In 1926, plans were submitted to the city for a garage to serve the Cambridge Apartments which were on 34th Street between St. Paul and Charles Streets. 

Construction started a few months later, which was mentioned in the Baltimore Sun. (If you look at the article above, you'll notice that Lamdin's name is mis-spelled as Lambdin.)

In September of 1930, the garage was featured in the Architectural Forum as part of an article about garages. 

The Homewood Garage also featured in a specialist publication called "The Modern Garage" which looks like it was published to promote the D'Humy Motoramp Garage system. The first image is from that publication.

Sadly, the handsome Homewood Garage was torn down in 2003 to build the bland and boring "Charles Village Project." The garage and another building were torn down, and then the lot sat empty for a number of years. Hopkins has a history of tearing down buildings and then leaving the property as a vacant lot for ages (see: seven houses at the Wyman Park Dell to be demolished).

If anyone has images of the late Homewood Garage, please send them to me at pigtowndesign at juno dot com.

In the Wild: Fayetteville, NC

I was completely surprised to get an email from someone telling me that they'd just purchased a Palmer & Lamdin house in Fayetteville, NC! When I went back and looked at the project list from P&L and the successor firms, this house was not listed. But once I saw it, and the owner (DB) shared the blueprints, I knew it was authentic.

(Please excuse the hideously over HDR'd photos from the real estate listing)

Interestingly, the house had originally been built for DB's maternal great-grandfather. He had heard that there was some connection between this house and Biltmore, but it wasn't until his brother found the original blueprints, and DB did a little research, that he understood the connection. 

The house was designed in the few years when the firm was Palmer, Willis & Lamdin were working together. The partnership did not last long, and there is scant information about J. Swing Willis. 

There are many of PW&L's trademark features in this house, including a turret, casement windows, a façade that both advances and recedes, a loggia with a peaked wooden ceiling and much more. 

DB told me that he's going to be painting and updating the house to make it more comfortable with the original style. Additionally, he's going to be returning some of the home's original furnishings to where they belong. 

DB also thinks that there might be more information about the house in some family files. I will look forward to seeing them, and sharing them with you.

Here are some additional photographs of the house. 

Thanks so much to DB for his generosity in sharing his house and adding to the Palmer & Lamdin catalogue raissonné. 

On the Market: 4202 Greenway

Stunning all brick Edward L. Palmer design Georgian home, just steps from the splendid Sherwood Gardens! The beautiful bones of this Guilford gem have been seamlessly updated and expanded over time, including new HVAC, slate and copper roofs, plumbing and electrical systems.

Walk through the gracious foyer and admire the hardwood flooring with inlaid mahogany borders, double pocket doors and coved crown molding.

The formal living room and dining room, both with fireplaces, share these features.

An enclosed sunroom and pergola off the living room provide wonderful flow for entertainment, as well as relaxation.

A gourmet kitchen addition (2019) with large sun-drenched breakfast area showcases exposed brick, hardwood flooring, soapstone counters, custom cabinetry, a farmhouse sink and upscale stainless-steel appliances, with a welcoming adjoining covered porch.

The second and third floors boast seven bedrooms with gorgeous heart pine flooring, ample closet space and exquisite moldings.

Two bedrooms have been converted to an in-home office and a glorious walk-in closet. The three full baths have been entirely renovated.

Outdoor spaces, including brick patios and cook center, are designed to invite both intimate and large gatherings to enjoy the exquisite green-spaces, which include more formal gardens inside the brick walls and an inviting large private park-like yard beyond, something unexpected in the middle of the city.

This is a home built for families and comfortable living. The listing is here.

Update on Ken Oak Road

Sometimes, I get comments on posts that have been published ages ago, and they are frequently from someone who had lived, or lives in the house. It's always fun to get a first-hand perspective on living in a P&L house. 

Last week, I received a comment from someone who had lived in the house I wrote about on Ken Oak Road in Mt. Washington. The commenter said that he'd lived in the house from 1976 to 1990. 

He said his room was the one above the garage, formerly the maid's rooms. From the little piece of the plan he sent along, it looks like it was a little suite with an attached bath. 

Here's what else he had to say when I asked him how he'd found the P&L website: 

Reminiscing with my mom and doing a Google search on the architects. I was born in 1969 and we moved into Ken Oak February of 1976. It was off seeing the true front of the house on Cross Country Boulevard, yet have the Ken Oak Road address. The back yard used to be a flat area with a small sloping hill down to the sidewalk and bus stop. My parents added a pool and the fence summer of 1976. The shrubs offer a natural boundary by the bus stop and sidewalk. The fence was closer to the pool and pushed back to present day in 1982. 

The garage. I realize some people have a door with six or eight glass panels to let light in. My parents were fine with it staying solid wood. We found out in 1986 that every upstairs floor was hardwood covered with carpet. I had mine pulled up to enjoy that flooring the last few years. The front foyer bathroom also had a large wrap around mirror, so on the side panels you could see multiple reflections. 

My commenter was also kind enough the send me a 1980's photo of the kitchen. 

Sadly, it is in black and white, because the 1970's technicolor wallpaper must have been something!

Thanks so much to my commenter. Your comment and email were much appreciated!