I am always fascinated by the provenance of our area’s historic houses.  The original part of this house was built about 1697 at the time of the marriage of Charles Blake to Henrietta Lloyd. That same year, Blake inherited over 1300 acres, named “Sayer’s Forest”. In 1803, the house and 323 acres of Sayer’s Forest was sold by Blake’s great grandson to William Bryan. The property later became known as “Old Bryan Farm” and in 1947, the house was moved to its current location.

The aerial of this approximately 11.3 acres property shows how private it is within its wooded setting and broad water views. Double gates between brick piers topped with the symbol of hospitality, the pineapple, define the approach of the gravel drive between the dense landscaping.  As the house becomes visible, the drive curves past to the detached garage. Brick sidewalks lead to both the front door of the main house and to the guest house.

Two trees tower over the front of the house behind a low white fence broken by the brick walkway to the front brick stoop detailed with double columns and a gable roof. The two-story main wing of the house is clad in white lap siding with a center door and brick chimneys at each end wall. The linear plan of the house steps back and telescopes down to a one and a half story brick wing containing a front porch, second entry, pantry and dining room.  The last part of the telescope form ends in a brick gable with shed roof extensions at the front and rear of the house clad in white lap siding that contains the kitchen. The effect of the white massing, deep green shutters with touches of red brick against its background of mature trees is very striking.

All of the rooms on the first floor are one-room deep for views of the landscape and water. The front door opens into the living room with beautiful paneled side walls probably crafted by a ship’s carpenter and windows at the front, rear and of the room. The end wall is detailed with a deep alcove and window above, the fireplace and a short run of wood stairs leading to a partial height door in the wall that leads to another run of steps up to the master bedroom. Next to the living room is a library with floor to ceiling millwork and a fireplace. Not surprisingly, my favorite room is once again this splendid sunroom spanning across the living room and library.  Sitting and dining areas at each end are surrounded by floor to ceiling wrap-around glass from long windows and French doors with transoms above under the wood slat ceiling above the Mexican tile floor. The French doors lead to a stone patio with benches at the end for contemplating the landscape and the water.  

The open doorway next to the library fireplace leads to the dining room with its light colored paneling and accents of white in the trim and chair rail.   The table and Windsor chairs are centered under the hurricane lamp style pendant and the two rear windows offer views of the landscape and water.  Off the dining room is the pantry area that leads to the kitchen. I loved the kitchen with its bow-shaped ceiling clad in wood, Mexican tile floor, light colored cabinets and stainless steel cabinets. It would be very easy for this cook to be inspired by the windows on three sides of the room for sunlight throughout the day, water views from the triple windows over the kitchen sink and the box bay window above the range overlooking the garden.  

The second floor of the two-story wing has two bedrooms between the bathroom and each spacious bedroom has a fireplace. Serene wall colors, white trim and chair rail and beautiful wood floors create restful retreats. The delightful third bedroom is tucked under the roof with both a side window and a dormer window. The separate guest house has two other bedrooms as well as a game room for billiards and a sunroom with sliding doors.  

After a career in agricultural horticulture, the current owner planted and maintained hundreds of trees to enhance the landscape that includes a kitchen garden with lattice fencing and brick walks emanating from the water feature, a stone waterside terrace under the shade of a majestic tree with teak table and chairs for six and a waterside pool.  I especially liked the brick walkway between the house and the pool that passes under an arbor with a curved center portion.  Flanking the walkway are dense shrubbery to focus your view on the pool beyond. 

Wonderful waterfront site enhanced with hardscape, landscape and pier; Colonial architecture nestled under the mature trees on a point of land offering total privacy yet close to Town-an idyllic setting. Bravo to the owner for his endeavors to enhance this remarkable property with his landscape design!

For more information about this property contact Chris McClary with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-275-2118 (o), 410-708-2614 (c) or mcclary21@hotmail.com, For more pictures and pricing, visit https://show.tours/DiqLGCFMYfqYuatGqkfu,  “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.

Please support the Spy’s House of the Week project by making a donation here.

Last year as I drove through Rock Hall on my trips to meet with an architectural client outside of town this house always caught my eye.  I admired the stately American Four-Square style house with its distinguishing characteristics of symmetry, center door surrounded by windows aligned horizontally and horizontally on both floors, hipped roof with a center two-window unit dormer and articulated cornice with eave brackets. At some time, the house was added on at the rear to create its current “L” shape footprint. Another addition was the one-story sunroom that wraps around the rear addition. The masonry façade of rose red brick laid in a running bond pattern, white stone window headers and sills and the front porch with its pitched roof creates great curb appeal.  You can see shadows of former shutters at the sides of the windows and adding them back would add even more architectural character.

The side driveway leads to a garage behind the house. The depth of this outbuilding creates room for a range of uses including a home office, studio, apartment or storage.  The lot can be accessed both from Main Street and from an easement off Liberty Street at the rear of the property.  Although on the day I visited the landscape was dormant, the mature Magnolia, other mature trees and crape myrtles holds “promise of flowers that bloom in the spring-tra la”!  The hedgerow at the front sidewalk is broken by an arbor with a gate leading to the brick edged sidewalk to the steps at the front porch.  

The front door opens to a hall by the stairs with its original stained wood balustrade leading up to the unique double winder landing to each side of the second floor. To the left of the entry is a parlor and to the right is a double parlor divided by a wide elliptical arched doorway on axis with the fireplace at the rear wall.  The original fireplace is detailed with corbeled brick that steps up to the mantel for a delightful focal point from both rooms. The front parlor is furnished as a sitting room and the rear parlor as the dining room.  The other front parlor is currently used as a bedroom. 

The original center hall plan now ends at a full bath opposite the front door. The bath had been added in a previous renovation but there are options to restore the original circulation pattern. One option is to modify the laundry/utility room behind the kitchen to include a full bath. Between the dining room and the laundry is the kitchen with another original winder stair leading to the second floor rear bedroom. Across the kitchen is the sunroom with wonderful diagonal views of the landscape from the wall of windows that wraps around the corner and sliding doors that open onto the brick terrace.  

The “L” shaped second floor contains three bedrooms and one bath.  In the middle of the bedrooms at each front corner of the house is a smaller room that could be a second bath or walk-in closet.  The existing bath off the rear hall is centrally located to the bedrooms and has been renovated and detailed with a tile wainscot and top border that repeats above the shower wall. The wood floors and wood lavatory cabinet are a pleasant contrast to the white fixtures with sunlight from the large window. The third bedroom is located at the rear of the addition so its three exterior walls have a window on each side wall for sunlight throughout the day.  This could also be a great master bedroom since the adjacent hall bath and walk-in closet would create a master suite with the second stair next to this room providing easy access to the kitchen for popcorn or other snacks! Bird’s eye views of the landscaping below would make this a delightful space.  

Great opportunity to live in Town and work from home that could enhanced by more landscaping to create a private oasis in the heart of Rock Hall! The possibility of renovating the outbuilding to become a seasonal rental is a plus.

For more information about this property, contact Cindy Genther with Rock Hall Properties Real Estate at 410-639-4003 (o), 443-480-1953 (c) or cindy@rockhallproperties.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.rockhallproperties.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.

Please support the Spy’s House of the Week project by making a donation here.

 

 

 

 

This charming house that was built in the 1920’s telescopes down from two to one stories and is conveniently located in a small village just off 213 in Kent County. The front elevation is detailed with pairs of double articulated brackets at the top of the corner boards, along the wide cornice outlining the front gable wall and as a column “capital” for the posts along the front porch. These details give the two-bay two and half story house clad in light gray siding with crisp white trim a simple elegance. I was immediately drawn to the full front porch with the entry door at the side in an accent color of mint green with multi-colored glass bands above and below the glass pane of the half French door. With a porch swing and a chairs across from the wooden bench, you can expand your living space for relaxing to the sights and sounds of nature.

The front door opens into an alcove created by the stair to the left with a stained wood newel post, balustrade and slate blue treads and risers. The slate blue trim color continues through to the living and dining rooms along with the beautiful cherry floors.. The living room has stained built-in millwork and the chair in the corner by the window creates an inviting spot for reading a good book. The long 2/2 windows on two sides of the room bring sunlight within along with the filtered light from the front door. Two arched openings lead to the dining area with its walls of soft butter yellow with the slate blue trim. The stairs create an alcove with myriad uses below the window at the front of the house and the side wall’s two long windows bring in additional sunlight.

Two stained pocket doors lead to the “L” shaped kitchen with a large wooden butcher block island, lightly stained cabinets, white tile backsplash and the combination of white and stainless steel appliances. The corner wall’s wood wainscot surrounds a cozy breakfast area. The recessed lighting adds ambient light but a high window above the wainscot would be the perfect touch for this space. Behind the breakfast area is a short hall with an exterior door past the laundry.

The end of the telescope is a delightful master bedroom with a fireplace, windows on the three exterior walls including windows enveloped by built-in millwork and a French door flanked by windows to a private deck. It location at the back of the house and the wide plank pine flooring and warm sage green walls make this a restful retreat. The second floor bedroom is a study in white with painted wood flooring, white walls and trim. I appreciated the accent of stained wood window at the window sills, stained wood medallions at the top corner trim and stained wood doors. My favorite room was the unfinished third floor open space with knee walls and sloped ceilings meeting the underside of the collar beam above. Light from the single accent window with arched trim at the front of the house and the single windows on either side of a brick chimney and the open space is a blank canvas for myriad uses-playroom, TV room, office, home schooling in this time of Covid-possibilities limited only by your imagination!

The deep back yard is partially fenced and there is an original small outbuilding for lawn and garden equipment storage with a lean-to area for dry storage. Charming property with the Eastern Shore vernacular style!

For more information about this property, contact John Carroll with Village Real Estate Company LLC at 410-648-6844 (o), 410-708-0247 (c) or john@villageagents.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.villageagents.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

 

For more information about this property, contact Brett Schrader with Taylor Properties at 800-913-4426 (o), 410-490-6075 (c) or brettschrader6@gmail.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.easternshorerealestate.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.

 

This house was designed by its first owner/architect for his own residence.  I appreciated how he was inspired by the rural vernacular of farmhouses but his contemporary interpretation of exterior forms of gables and simple window openings without shutters give this house great style.  The front of the house is a single gable form with a hipped roof porch over two of the four bays of the façade and a double window at the side of the front door.   The white lap siding accentuates the simple form and the rhythm of the four second floor windows below the single attic window centered in the gable create a simple and elegant white composition surrounded by the green of the mature landscape. 

From the rear, three gable forms step down.  The middle full width gable form slopes down against the full front gable to create a story and a half space at the first floor and the smaller end two-story gable wing at the side creates a dining area below the second floor master bedroom. The deck spans the full width of the house with peaceful views of the lawn framed by mature landscaping with views through the trees to the fields beyond.  A previous owner added a “hyphen” to the original house containing a bar area between the  kitchen and a garage addition with an exterior door and stone steps leading to the terrace and lawn below.

Throughout the main floor, white walls and ceilings and the hardwood floors connect the living spaces in a continuous flow.  The front door opens to a cross vista to the library at the front corner of the house and a long vista to the living room and deck at the rear. On the other side of the entry are the stairs to the second floor, open area kitchen and dining area to the deck. The library with its two walls of floor to ceiling millwork of base cabinets and bookshelves above, the two windows and the wide wall opening to the living room creates a cozy space for reading or watching TV. My favorite space is the living room with its pitched ceiling open to the second floor and the unique detail of transoms that step up in height over the rear wall of French doors and full height windows.  

I also liked the open plan kitchen-dining area with the dining space centered on the rear wrap-around windows to the deck.  Once again, the current owners’  great interior design style offers further appeal with another focal point being a glass fronted hutch on axis with the wide wall opening to the living room.  The kitchen’s upper cabinets extend to the ceiling and the dark green countertops and the green and white checkerboard flooring is quite appealing.  The white cabinets with the upper cabinets extending to the ceiling and white appliances keep the space light and airy. 

The second floor hall overlooks the living room below and the two bedrooms are situated for maximum privacy with the guest bedroom at the front and the master bedroom at the rear corner.  Both bedrooms have windows on two sides for sunlight throughout the day.

Private location at the end of a cul-de-sac, great blend of farmhouse/contemporary style, wonderful interior architecture with a compact floor plan that flows very well.  The mature landscaping and the outdoor “rooms” of deck and terrace offer serene views of the mature landscaping and garden areas.  The owners’ interior design style greatly enhance this house’s appeal-Bravo!

 

For more information about this property, contact  Peter Heller with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-708-3301 (c) or pheller@cbchesapeake.com. For more pictures and pricing, visit www.coldwellbanker.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Photography by Patty Hill, www.pattyhillphotography.com, (410) 441-4719

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.