This stately manor home sits on a slight rise with lawns that slope gently to the 1000 feet of white sandy beach along the Upper Chesapeake Bay. Seen from the water, the front elevation captures your eye with its classic five-bay two-story house with a full height portico supported by two pairs of Doric columns below a pediment articulated with dentil molding and an accent triple window in the gable wall. The brick façade has been painted a light color and the large windows have masonry sills and flared headers with dark colored shutters for contrast. Between the pilasters at the front wall opposite the portico’s columns is the second floor balcony overlooking the parterre of brick paths and landscaping ending in a reflecting pool to the lawn and shoreline of the Upper Bay.

The original part of the house is rectangular in form with side gables and a slight two-story rear wing that projects from the house to end in another a gable wall. I appreciated how the additions to this house respected the original house’s footprint and form by telescoping back from the rear gable wall in three distinct one and half story bays with other one-story projections to break down the massing. These additions update the house with spaces for today’s family living.

The front door opens to reveal a center hall plan with a spacious entrance hall. The beautifully detailed “U” shaped staircase has stained treads with white risers, a darker stain on the newel posts and cap rail for contrast with the stair stringer that becomes a white wainscot below striped wallpaper. The living room and the library are across the hall from each other and span the depth of the original part of the house with windows and seats below at the front and rear walls. Both rooms are beautifully detailed with a triple height two-toned grid of paneled walls in soft mocha shades with the panels outlined in white for contrast. The furnishings are anchored by large Oriental rugs in a predominant colors of red and blue and I admired how in the living room the blue accent is carried through in the abstract painting over one sofa, the painting over the mantel of a ship at sea and the surround of the firebox. As a bibliophile, I loved the library’s focal points of the floor to ceiling paneled fireplace surround opposite an exquisite armoire. The full height built-in millwork around the room would encourage one to linger and read by the fire.

Off the living room, steps lead down to an informal mini-library which is the transition from the original part of the house to the addition. Built-in bookcases, a fireplace and leather recliners encourage relaxing by the fire. An exterior door leads to the sunroom and I loved this space’s brick herringbone patterned floor, sloped white bead board ceiling and the deep blue rattan furnishings with floral cushions on a cream background. This room also connects to the spacious dining room with windows at the front and back walls. The Oriental rug fills the room with a wainscot breaking the paneled walls into a vertical and horizontal grid with deep red wall panels outlined in creamy white. The valances and full height drapery and the beautiful Chippendale furnishings create an elegant ambiance for memorable celebrations.

Next to the dining room is the hub of the house with an open plan family room, kitchen and breakfast room that spans the full depth of this wing. The family room’s brick chimney pierces the pitched ceiling with insets of half-moon dormer windows on the side roofs. The tall windows with transoms at each corner of the space stretch to just under the springline of the pitched ceiling for abundant sunlight. The spacious galley kitchen with a center island has wide cased openings to both the family room and the breakfast room. I loved the wrap-around windows of the breakfast room and the round tabletop of glass with Windsor chairs for informal meals. The last bay of the telescoping additions contains another sitting room, laundry and bath with an exterior door to a deck.

The bedrooms are located on the second floor with two sumptuous primary bedroom suites in the original part of the house. The “blue” bedroom has a full height paneled wall around the fireplace that blends into the paneled wainscot with a deep blue wall above. The canopy of the bed and the bedlinens are blue brocade. I would choose the other primary bedroom with its warm apricot walls, white chair rail, white quilted coverlet with a scalloped edge and the subtly patterned canopy and drapery. The guest rooms are tucked under the pitched ceilings and knee walls of the ceiling for delightful interior architecture.

Guests would be tempted to prolong their stay after they discovered the pool/ recreational area. As an architect, I was enthralled by the pool enclosure with its two-bay steel roof structure of joined arches of glass meeting the tall glass walls-it must feel like swimming in a crystal palace! The pool area is attached to the original barn that is now a sauna, fitness room and recreation room. The remainder of the barn has four horse stalls to complete the options for daily exercise.

One of a kind property with views of the Upper Chesapeake Bay, surrounded by undeveloped and preserved farmland, Classical Revival architecture with additions that respect the original house and provide spaces for today’s lifestyle and an amazing pool-recreation building, formal and informal landscaping-truly a treasure!

For more information about this property, contact Select Land and Homes Inc. agents William “Billy” Norris at 410-810-3900 (o), 410-708-0956 (c) and bnorrisselect@gmail.com or Miles Norris at 410-810-3900 (o), 410-708-5423 (c) or mnorrisselect@gmail.com. For a virtual tour, visit www.handypointmd.com. For more pictures and pricing, visit www.selectlandandhomes.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.

Kent Street and Mt. Vernon Ave. have been fertile grounds for me in making my selections for House of the Week. This quiet neighborhood is ideally located close to both Chestertown’s Historic District, walking trail and waterfront and to the amenities Washington College offers. H.H Garnett Elementary School and the Kent County Public Library are also close by.  Walking around this house’s back yard, it is hard to imagine you are in a city neighborhood. The professionally landscaped verdant oasis offers sun and shade with an expansive lawn for play and relaxation, surrounded by a white fence bordered with mature trees and shrubbery. Hardscaping between the side porch off the kitchen and the small outbuilding for lawn and garden storage ends at the edge of the planting area behind the house to the lawn.  Beyond the rear fence is an endless vista of green from the trees in the rear yards of Mt. Vernon Ave. 

The house is faced with rusticated concrete block, a handmade product that became popular in the late 19th century for its rough surface with a carved bevel detail that was a much less expensive option than stone blocks. Its popularity led to the product being specified for the Sears kit homes. I love the texture of this product and the color reminded me of the brownstones along the side streets between New York City’s avenues. The five bay house is symmetrically arranged around the center door that has full-height vented shutters for ventilation and privacy and the shutters for the windows are painted a darker shade than the rusticated concrete block for contrast.

The front door opens to the stairs with an open railing toward the living room side. Both the living room and the dining room opposite the stairs have long windows for sunlight and the living room has an additional double unit window on the side wall. Wood floors, light colored walls to reflect the sunlight and the historic light olive green trim and molding color set the stage for the living room’s appealing eclectic look with the antique settee opposite two armchairs with an ottoman below the front windows. The dining room is furnished with a built-in cabinet with a Chippendale top, a period light fixture over the dining table and chairs and the icebox at the end of the room has another life as a sideboard.

The spacious kitchen is conveniently located between the side porch and the powder/laundry room and has another dining area centered on the “L” shaped arrangement of white cabinets and dark blue countertops with white appliances.  This room has clever details of the painted tile backsplash with motifs of water, small rocky islands and vegetation that gives the backsplash color and perspective and the charming black iron fork and spoon cabinet pulls stand out against the white cabinet doors.  I would be tempted to remove  the soffit above the upper cabinets and install glass-fronted cabinets for storage of special occasion items that would also emphasize the volume of the space. Behind the rear wall of the kitchen is the furnace room with an exterior door. Rearranging the equipment might make it possible to create a smaller equipment room to allow for the porch to expand around the kitchen. Additional windows would then overlook the rear yard. 

Climbing the stairs, your eye is immediately drawn to the delightful full wall mural whose subject is a historic scene of farms and water dotted with sailboats with a distant horizon of water framed by rocky cliffs.  The primary bedroom is located at one front corner and I loved its interior design of brown walls, white trim, white plantation shutters, antique bed with a low headboard that is perfectly scaled to the space and the white coverlet with accent pillows and a throw at the foot of the bed in a striped pattern. Another bedroom is located at the opposite front corner of the house and is furnished with an antique daybed with white bed linens and an intriguing canvas rug with cursive script that appears to be in French.

Opposite the stair landing is a space furnished as an office that I coveted for its size that is much greater than mine and for its Stickley style table lamp. The door at the rear of the room leads to the bathroom and I loved the dressing table with its triple mirror that is now a stylish cabinet for the vessel bowl lavatory. 

One of my favorite neighborhoods, great cottage feel with the rusticated concrete block and clever artistic details that add to its charm. Add the bonus of an expansive back yard with its endless horizon of green and a covered porch for possible expansion to a wrap-around porch to better enjoy the verdant oasis. 

 For more information about this property, contact Richard Budden at Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company, 410-778-0330 (o), 443-480-1181 (c) or rbudden@easternshoremdre.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.

It is always a pleasure to return to Beach Road in Rock Hall because how many houses have the Chesapeake Bay as an extension of their back yard?  The Craftsman style house has charming cottage style details including the steeply pitched roofline created by the main side gable roof intersecting with the front dual shorter gables that break to create a flat eave over the second floor center window flanked by two double unit windows. At the main level, the center foyer is recessed between the garage and the guest bedroom with a shed roof projecting from the front of the house and a gable roof projecting further out  to create a porch for the front door. 

Both the main and second floor plans are compact with minimum hallways that maximizes the spaces. The front door opens to a short stair hall that frames a clear vista through  the French doors at the rear wall to the endless horizon of the Bay.  Above the second floor stair landing is a large half-moon window that both filters light onto the landing and becomes an accent window for the primary bedroom. Behind the garage is a spacious laundry/mud room that opens to the kitchen and has an exterior door. The stair hall ends at the dining room as part of the open plan living-family-dining and kitchen with offsets to define each area. 

Columns slightly offset from the front and rear walls define the dining area between the living room and the kitchen.  The rear wall of the dining room is totally transparent with its pair of French doors with full height sidelights that access the covered porch.  I love to cook and I prefer minimal upper cabinets so when I saw the wall of windows with transoms above the rear length of counter space I was hooked.  Around the corner is a double unit window over the kitchen sink providing the cook with Bay views that makes the space feel like a sunroom with another French door to the covered porch.  The spacious “C” shape layout with a high ceiling, center island, wood floors, light cabinets contrasting with darker granite countertops and white appliances would inspire any cook. When you turn and look toward the living room fireplace, the dramatic ceiling treatment is fully appreciated.  The dropped beam over the dining room columns becomes part of a grid of a coffered ceiling  over the  kitchen-dining-living area.  I loved how the uppermost ceiling of the coffers was painted a warm cocoa that both complemented the warm wood floors and accentuates the white beams.  On the kitchen side, a geometric wallpaper adds texture to the walls above the upper cabinets that is a backdrop for the Owners’ collectibles. 

The living-family room was my favorite space with a fireplace faced with large random cut stone whose color complemented the mocha of the ceiling coffers. One seating area is grouped around the fireplace and the other seating area faces the rear wall with wrap-around windows.  Ducks are perched in each transom window for a playful decorating touch. The space feels like another sunroom and the oversize rattan chairs with plush cushions are the perfect way to watch sunsets over the Bay. On the other side of the living room is a TV area with triple windows at the side wall and a mix of rattan and upholstered seating.  An armoire contains the TV so when it is not in use the space becomes part of the entertaining area. 

The sumptuous second floor primary bedroom suite spans the entire rear wall and connects to the deck. The primary bedroom has a gambrel ceiling of wood stained to match the walls that adds texture. Opposite the half-moon window over the bed, the rear wall is a box bay with the center portion infilled with a pair of French doors, full height sidelights, four square transoms, topped with an arched transom tucked under the flat portion of the gambrel roof. The cozy sitting area with side windows centered on the wide doorway to the bedroom also has a pair of French doors to the deck. The four piece primary bathroom completes the suite with the tub below the rear windows for Bay views. 

The other two bedrooms area are located at the front corners of the house and one bedroom has a nautical theme with deep blue bed skirts bordered in white, blue and white striped coverlets with red piping and blue, red and white pillows.  

Great design in an irresistible Chesapeake Bay location, Bay views from all the main rooms, outdoor rooms of the rear covered porch, Bayside terrace, upper deck and dock for watching the sparking Bay or waiting for the sun to set.

 

For more information about this property contact  Lynn Hilfiker with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-639-2118 (o), 443-480-1163 (c)  or lynnhilfiker@gmail.com. For more photographs and pricing visit www.rockhallrealestate.com , “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.

Chester River Landing was developed as a “green” waterfront community along the Chester River with close proximity to Chestertown’s Historic District.  The forty-nine homes are a mix of townhomes, condominiums and single family residences. In addition to the views of the Chester River, the numerous amenities include a private marina, kayak launch, outdoor swimming pool with bath house, shoreline walking paths and landscaped park areas. This townhome is located at the end of a block of attached residences and has a one-car detached garage.  The brick driveway connects to the development’s brick sidewalks and a half-flight of steps lead up to the house’s front porch.  The brick façades of the front and side of the house are articulated with details of quoins, double headers and the water table band. At the third floor, arched dormers are inserted into the mansard roof and the main floor’s high ceiling allow transoms over the windows.   At the rear of the house, the brick wraps around to meet a bay projection that is clad in lap siding. Corner porches on both the main and second floors provide wonderful diagonal views of the landscape and water.  

When I opened the front door, I immediately realized these homeowners had added significant upgrades. The vista to the left of the foyer is to the inviting corner library with its  interior wall of built-in millwork flanking a gas fireplace. The side window is a benefit of having an end unit and the front window is also flanked by built-in millwork. Being a bibliophile, I could easily imagine curling up with a good book by the fire. 

The long vista from the front door offers hints of the open plan layout and ends in a wall of windows with water views.  Past the foyer are the stairs and an elevator, the only one in the development, that provides easy access to all three floors.  The dining room has double windows at the side wall and the elegant furnishings are the perfect setting for a dinner party.  The charming large painting over the sideboard adds perspective to the interior wall.  

The living room is beautifully detailed with a dropped soffit below a coffered ceiling centered over the fireplace and the windows with transoms above are proportioned well for the high ceiling.  Wainscoting wraps around the dining-living-breakfast area at the different window sill heights and the Plantation shutters on the side windows control the sunlight and privacy. The living room’s rear window has a center picture window with side units overlooking the porch and the breakfast area with its four long windows fills the space so it feels like a sunroom with its French door to the porch.  Another painting of an oversized flower in bloom adds perspective to the breakfast area side wall.  The kitchen has a wide wall opening to the dining room and I loved the details of the soffit with recessed lighting whose vertical surface becomes a backdrop for colorful art and the high upper cabinets facing the breakfast room that give the cook water views.  These upper cabinets have glass fronted doors on both sides so glassware can be easily accessed from both the kitchen and breakfast area.

The second floor primary suite is stacked over the geometry of the living and breakfast rooms below. Sleeping and sitting areas with a fireplace centered on the bed and the corner porch off the sitting area create a serene sanctuary. The remainder of the floor contains another bedroom and bath. At the front of the third floor are two offices created from the original bedroom.  The bath connects one of the bedrooms to the third floor family room which was a delightful surprise of colorful art, sculpture, ceramics, rugs and wall hangings.  The table and chairs in the nook at the rear wall is the perfect spot for Scrabble players like me. The TV and mini-kitchen complete this perfect space for relaxation.

One doesn’t often find such high quality upgrades as this home has and kudos to the Owners for their distinctive interior architectural details and their stylish interiors.  Add the outdoor rooms of the two porches high above the water below for bird’s eye panoramic views, your own boat slip with 20 ft water depth, the community amenities, the small neighborhood feel  and you have a restful retreat! 

For more information about this property, contact Mary Fielding with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-708-4852 (c) , or mfielding@cbchesapeake.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit https://www.coldwellbanker.com/coldwell-banker-chesapeake-real-estate-company-2228c/chestertown-office-76035d, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

 Photography by Janelle Stroop, Thru the Lens Photography, 845-744-2758

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.

Last year I featured a contemporary house on this property that featured wood detailing by the artisan Vicco von Voss.  I noticed this older house nearby and I recently paid a visit to learn more about it. The house is part of “Langford Creek Farm”, consisting of thirteen contiguous parcels on approximately 790 +/- acres, 150 of which are tillable. 66% of the acreage has been preserved as mature forest, some of which contains the oldest second growth forest on the Eastern Shore. Over four miles of shoreline facing west provides breathtaking sunsets for an early evening stroll after a day enjoying the extensive biking and walking trails. There are a range of buildings that have been subtly inserted upon onto this pristine nature sanctuary including a log cabin, two large barns and the historic farm house that caught my eye last year.

As I drove down the gravel drive, the classic “L” footprint of the beautifully maintained farmhouse soon came into view, set onto a slight knoll overlooking Langford Creek and a pond. I admired the symmetry of the house’s front elevation with its five-bay arrangement, the entry door in the center bay, the three bay front porch and the three dormer windows in the roof. The warm light yellow lap siding and white trim create a classic look and the front and side porches provide views of the pastoral landscape and water. The rafters of the front porch are painted white to accent the decking of classic light blue. 

The front door opens into an open plan living-dining area with fireplaces at each end. The chimneys project slightly into the room and the white plaster surround of the firebox is set against the pine paneled walls.  With windows on three walls of the house, sunlight streams in throughout the day onto the beautiful wide plank wood floors and the hand hewn exposed framing.  The entry porch off the rear wing of the ‘L” opens into another open plan area with the galley kitchen overlooking a space set up as another dining area. French doors open onto the side shed roofed porch with a teak dining set and grille ready for outdoor entertaining overlooking the pond. If one wanted a main floor bedroom suite, this could easily be added behind this area  with exterior doors opening from the bedroom to the porch.

Stairs are one of my favorite architectural elements and this stair has an unusual flow.  You can access it from the kitchen-dining area or the living-dining area and winders then take you around and up to the second floor bedrooms and baths.

This house has most recently been used as a hunting lodge but could easily revert to a single family residence.  You could also add on to the log cabin on the site for a blend of old and new. If historic houses are not your style, the acreage for this parcel has opportunities for a second waterfront home site.  Development of three or four other waterfront homesites on the northern area of the property offer income potential as well. 

Rare large parcel, pristine nature sanctuary to explore by boat, bike or walks in total privacy, variety of housing opportunities-Langford Farm is one of a kind!

For more information about this property, contact Trey Rider with TTR Sotheby’s International Realty at 410-673-3344 (o),443-786-0235 (c) or trey@treyrider.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit https://www.ttrsir.com/eng/sales/detail/279-l-85898-zce69d/6270-broad-neck-rd-chestertown-md-21620 or www.treyrider.com ,“Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.