In her book, ”Historic St. Michaels, An Architectural History”, author Elizabeth Hughes documents fourteen  of the houses on Water Street as worthy of mention, including this distinctive house at number 412, the Walter A. Fairbanks House.  This house incorporates many details of the Victorian style such as its asymmetrical “L” shape, the turned post porch columns, fretwork and single -story bay window. Remarkably, the only design changes to the front elevation visible from Water Street are the addition of two dormers on the roof and the replacement of an attic vent with a decorative window. Current day buyers would appreciate the luxury of the two-car garage, a treasured amenity in the Historic District, especially during the summer tourist season.

The floor plan works very well-the entrance hall is between the front sitting room and the family room.  The dining room is connected to the living room making great spaces for relaxing with family or entertaining friends.  The vista from the entrance hall is through the wrap-around windows at the breakfast room to the screened porch and the rear yard. The kitchen, laundry room and pergola covered walkway to the two-car garage completes the ground floor.

The full front deep screened porch with its Victorian fretwork detailing is a great place for relaxing. The wood slat ceiling and wood floors add warmth and charm. I loved the living room with its bay window and furniture grouped around the fireplace. Windows on each side bring additional daylight. The focal point of the family room is the fireplace with millwork on either side for books and family memorabilia. The double circular mirrors echo the abstract art with circular elements. The dining room with another fireplace and its contemporary furnishings and more abstract art continues the interior design scheme. I loved the sleek galley kitchen with its cozy breakfast space surrounded by windows for views to the rear yard. Direct access to the screened porch creates another warm weather living/dining room.

The second floor bedrooms were quite spacious and I think the rear bedroom and  the rear dressing room that connects to one of the bathrooms creates a wonderful suite. The dressing room also has its own stair down to the kitchen area. The attic with its windows on three sides is a blank canvas for myriad uses.

A wonderfully preserved piece of St. Michaels’ architectural history with the best of Victorian details, great updates for today’s lifestyle, wonderful floor plan with appealing vistas, high ceilings with many tall windows for daylight and the bonus of a two-car garage in the heart of the Historic District- how could one resist?

For more information about this property, contact Cornelia Heckenbach at Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., 410-745-0283 (o), 410-310-1229 (c) or info@corneliaheckenbach.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.

Being a history buff, I especially enjoy writing about houses with an interesting past. The Sellers told me they learned at their closing of their property that it had been christened “Traders’ Point” since traders traveled up Broad Creek to unload their shipments in earlier days.  Its most recent history is even more interesting since the Sellers also learned “Traders Point” had been a rental house and that James Michener stayed there while he was working on his master work “Chesapeake,”required reading for Eastern Shore residents.

On the day I visited, I drove down a gravel road that meandered through the woods with my windows down to enjoy the sounds of nature.  Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees and serene vistas changed from water, meadows and woodland around every turn. By the time I arrived at the house, all the day’s stress had dissipated and I was immediately captivated by the property.  I walked around the house and the panoramic views of the shoreline with very little trees to obstruct the water views was a very pleasant surprise.

The one and a half story house, detached large shed and detached garage are located very close to the water, a sought after siting that is no longer possible today with the Critical Area requirements. The Cape Cod Cottage style architecture tied the three buildings together in a very appealing composition. I especially liked the two elevations that faced the water-the side elevation had a center brick chimney flanked by pairs of French doors on each side and an octagonal accent window on the second floor. The long side has a shed roof that extends from the main roof to create an offset bay from the living room to the dining room that breaks up the large open plan and creates a covered porch off the dining room and rooftop deck above.

The entry door opens to a large room defined by the kitchen, sitting and dining areas.  Even though the day was overcast, the rooms had daylight from windows on multiple walls. I especially liked the sitting and dining areas with the color palette of slate blue and cream of the rugs, upholstered furnishings grouped around the fireplace and the accessories.  Older wood distressed finish pieces like the cupboard in the kitchen with a colorful collection of fish and crab ceramic pieces and the storage bench at the door were delightful accents and gave the house great personality.

The rest of the main floor contains a corner bedroom with double windows on two sides and a bath. The stairs to the second floor has built-in shelves with interesting collectables including wood figurines of Tweedledum and Tweedledee and several birdhouses. The second floor has a large bedroom with sloped ceilings, the octagonal accent window and French doors to a rooftop deck. Another bedroom and bath completes the floor plan.

This house works so well for a family with master suites on both floors but also has great potential for modifications.  If one wanted a larger main floor bedroom, the rear wall could be extended with wrap-around windows for a panoramic view of the landscape and water. The shed could become a screened pavilion for warm weather crab feasts or could be finished for all-season use by adding rows of windows that would increase its vistas to the water.  It could even be moved back to conform to Critical Area setbacks and connected to the main house.

Fantastic site, seventeen acres of privacy, two-thousand feet of water frontage on Broad Creek, a charming cottage that could easily be expanded, a large shed that has rough-in electrical and plumbing ready for its transformation, proximity to St. Michaels restaurants-what more does one need?  I’m buying my lottery ticket this week!

For more information about this property, contact Cliff Meredith with Meredith Fine Properties at 410-822-6272 (o) 410-924-0082 (c), or mre@goeaston.net, “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.

For the first time in forty-five years, this twenty-acre property is now for sale. Located between St. Michaels and Easton near Oak Creek Bridge, this unique property has a main house, large barn containing an office, two apartments and a loft entertainment room, Pole Barn and other outbuildings that offer myriad uses from a family compound to a mini-farm. The main house is surrounded by mature trees, landscaped areas, a pond with a bridge and nearby gazebo. The fork of the gravel drive leads to the barns and the other fork becomes a circular drive for the house. The wrap-around porch has a pitched gable to mark the entry flanked by brick steps. On the day visited, loquacious ducks were clearly enjoying a late afternoon swim in the pond. I sat in the gazebo nearby and enjoyed the serene sounds of nature.

I loved the geometry of the original house’s front to rear gable with shorter gables at each side. The wrap-around porch spanned between the two side gable wings to tie the composition together. Subsequent additions altered the original geometry by adding a family room and a ground floor master suite. The beautiful Georgia pine stained hardwood floors, the wood balustrade with its stained newel post and white balusters, window and door moldings are a few of the original details that remain. The exterior wall of the charming dining room is a full bay with long windows and a door to the porch. The second floor contains two other bedrooms and one bath.

The immense open plan loft of the barn is a delightful surprise with its exposed gambrel roof framing, high ceilings, Georgia pine floors and is the perfect space for a family reunion or other celebrations. Two billiard tables still leave plenty of room for the bar and seating ready for entertaining.

It is not unusual for a potential buyer to write a letter to the sellers in the hope their letter would sway the sellers if multiple offers were made. I was quite touched by the remarks of the sellers of this property who wanted to share their love for the property’s space, privacy, convenience and quiet that meant so much to them for almost half a century. Their description of sharing their property with wildlife from birds who daily feasted at several feeders to nocturnal owls to deer and foxes sprinting across the fields to the surrounding woods should entice another family to call this unique property home.

For more information about this property, contact jay Frost at Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., 410-745-0283 (v), 410-310-7623 (c) or jay.frost@lnf.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.

When prospective buyers drove up to this property, their two-year old exclaimed with glee “why, it’s a teeny house”! It was love at first sight for all and of course they christened their new home “Teeny House”. The house was a small hunting cottage so the couple hired an architect to create a weekend/summer cottage for them. The architect kept the lodge feeling and created a cottage loaded with charm.  The sloped entry hall that extends from the front door to rear windows overlooking the water connects the two story wing of living room and bedroom with other bedrooms above to the one-story wing of the dining, kitchen and den areas.

The hall is lit by skylights and separates the living room from the dining room. The living room has a wood stove between pairs of double windows with bookcases below. The rear wall facing the water is all glass for maximum views to Caulk Cove through French doors, full glass sidelights and transoms above.  The French doors lead to a porch covered by second floor deck. The wood ceiling is a continuous plane from the living room to the porch ceiling to connect the indoors and outdoors. Accent walls of wood, light from the hall skylights, upholstered furnishings and quirky accent pieces like the twig rocker and vistas to the French doors and windows of the dining room make this a light and cozy space.  

The dining room extends beyond the rear wall of the house so it has windows on three sides and a chamfered ceiling creates a great space for lingering over meals. The French doors to the side patio and the island with bar stools separates the dining area from the spacious kitchen with its white cabinets, quartz counters, tiled backsplash, stainless steel counters and wood floors. Behind the kitchen is a cozy den for watching TV.

The front elevation’s distinctive triangular bay window detail of three stacked ventilated window units on either side of the triangle’s point is the focal point of two bedrooms, one on each floor. The windows are full height and with the double window unit at the side wall brings more light into the spaces. Each bedroom has a closet and a cabinet door above for seasonal storage. One bedroom has soft sage green walls and the other has butter yellow walls with white bed linens and wood furnishings to complete the restful look. My favorite bedroom was the master bedroom at the rear of the house. Pitched ceilings, butter yellow walls, a wall of French doors with full glass sidelights leading to the covered deck and side windows create a serene space.

The 12 acre site includes a the three-car garage has space for a workshop on the ground floor and the upper floor is currently furnished as an open plan guest suite containing sleeping areas, sitting areas and a kitchenette. There are myriad outdoor opportunities to enjoy the water views and sunsets from the covered decks at the living room, master bedroom, deck next to the kitchen with a umbrella covered table and chairs for al fresco dining, stone paved terrace with a glider and two chairs and the stone terrace next to the living room deck with a high top table and chairs.

I can well imagine how delighted that two-year old was when he explored his house for the first time since I fell under the spell of this charming cottage too.  Where else can you relax on a bench and contemplate nature in the company of a giant frog?

For more information about this property, contact Tom Crouch with Benson and Mangold Real Estate at 410-745-0720 (o), 410-310-8916 (c) or tcrouch@bensonandmangold.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.

The Charles H. Mansfield house, circa 1875, is a classic two-story side entry-parlor Victorian that is one of the most popular styles found throughout St. Michaels’ Historic District. In the late 90’s, the original rear wing was expanded and an addition built along the Chew St side. The addition is connected by a one-story hyphen and the end wing has a gable facing the street to break down the massing and to minimize its impact on the original historic structure. The other side of the addition faces the side yard that is surrounded by a privacy fence. This house is a landmark during the holiday season and I enjoy driving past the huge holly tree at the corner of the house that is illuminated by strings of colorful lights.

The Mansfields would recognize many period details that have been carefully maintained such as the turn doorbell at the side door, the ornamental escutcheon plates on the original doors, the high ceilings, built-ins, beautiful hardwood floors, stairs with winders, interior transoms above doorways and stained glass accents.  The full front porch with its fretwork on each side of turned columns and decorative railing has also been preserved to maintain the historic streetscape. The porch has maximum seating space since the entry door is at the side, offering front row seats to all the holiday parades throughout the year.

Most of the rooms have large windows on at least two sides for daylight throughout the day and even on the overcast day when I visited, the rooms were bright. The house flows well from the front living room to the dining room, kitchen and sunroom. The sunroom and the rear spacious master suite are part of the addition and overlook the private enclosed outdoor room containing hardscape and planting beds. The master suite’s high pitched ceilings add character to the space and stained glass panels allow light to filter in while maintaining privacy. The addition also enlarged the dining room with its original fireplace and a large pantry. I could well imagine having cocktails on the terrace and then moving into the spacious dining room that could seat ten to twelve for  dinner.

The second floor layout creates private suites separated by the stairs. The two front rooms could be a bedroom and sitting room or the smaller of the front rooms could be a nursery or study.  The rear suite is a spacious second master with generous closet space and a dressing area.

A historic house with modern amenities, additions that greatly increased the livable area, private outdoor space and across the street from Gina’s Restaurant and the Mill shops-great property!

For more information about this property, contact Kate Koeppen with Chesapeake Bay Real Estate Plus, LLC,  at 410-745-6702 (o), 410-829-0705 (c) or katekoeppen@lovsmre.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.