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Habitat: WC’s Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall Nominated for AIA Award

October 17, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall, home of Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society, is up for one of the prestigious Maryland Architecture Excellence in Design Awards this year.

The building commands a picturesque site on the Chester River. The river is physically and programmatically integrated in every aspect of its design. In addition to providing an idyllic setting, the river acts as a living laboratory that affords students with an immersive, hands-on experience in support of the building’s programs in environmental science and wetlands ecology.

A testament to Washington College’s waterfront renaissance, the net-positive building relies solely on renewable energy sources to operate pollutant-free year-round. Designed to meet the rigorous standards of the Living Building Challenge Petal Certification, Semans-Griswold is expected to produce 105 percent of its energy needs on-site utilizing rooftop photovoltaic panels and a ground-source heating and cooling system.

The design features clear visual and physical connections to the Chester River which reinforce the work done in the field and in the lab. Inspired by biophilic design, the building celebrates daylight with a rooftop clerestory and connections to the riverfront landscape with ample glazing. A welcoming wrap-around porch with warm wood finishes complements the scale of the building and its natural setting.

The building was designed by Ayers Saint Gross.

The winners will be announced later this year.

Photography provided by Maryland AIA Chapters

The Master of Wood – Vicco von Voss by Jenn Martella

August 13, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

During a tour of a home in Kent County that would be a Chestertown House of the Week, I admired the graceful stair to the second floor. The 2” diameter cap of curly cherry wood had a 45 degree turn from the upper landing to the straight run to the floor below. As it passed the last stair tread, the wood cap became a semicircle before it came to rest at the newel post. Very thin ½” vertical brass rod spindles reminded me of a string instrument and Goethe’s famous quote “Architecture is Frozen Music” came to my mind as I resisted the urge to gently strum the spindles. The owner proudly told me Vicco von Voss designed the stair hand rail and his first step was to ask her and her husband to cup their hands so he could take their measurements to determine the diameter that would be most comfortable for them. She demonstrated how her hand fit over the handrail like a hand in a glove. I was also awed by the superb craftsmanship of the handrail’s 45 degree turn with its outside mitered corner that was seamless.

Another House of the Week had stunning timber framing with column supports whose sleek forms of tree trunk and branches devoid of bark, sanded and stained once again bore Vicco von Voss’ signature. Clearly, it was time to meet the master. Before my appointment with Vicco von Voss, I visited his website to familiarize myself with his other work and I was fascinated by his creative range, sometimes using ordinary pieces of wood that became, in his talented hands, works of art. His portfolio includes millwork, sculpture, seating, sideboards, shelves and timber framing. One of the illustrations featured on his website is a commission for a shelf that started its life as a piece of curly maple, with a natural hole at one end. How to turn a flat piece of wood into a three-dimensional piece of sculpture? Vicco met the challenge and the knothole led to the evolution of the “L” shaped ribbon design. He cut many individual segments and joined them to form the curve for the transition from the top horizontal element to the falling vertical element. After successfully jointing all the individual pieces, the surfaces and edges were carefully carved and the result is a fluid effect, as if a breeze floated over a piece of fabric.

Vicco’s work is rooted in his belief that relationships are crucial. He has a Zen connection to trees as living things and his keen understanding of the unique inherent design possibilities for each piece of wood’s design flows through his collaboration with his clients. As a designer, his goal for each commission is to exceed his client’s expectations and to create a custom piece that is in harmony with their home environment.

To Vicco, each tree has its own story, just as each book in unique. The grain and color of a finished piece reflects the story of a particular tree that has been subject to the fickleness of weather, proximity of nearby trees, amount of sunlight, pests, etc. These factors all influence the grain patterns that are not apparent until the wood is cut. Vicco is a “Tree Listener” who respects the tree’s past life of its shape and branches as he gives it a new life as a functional object that will be treasured by its new custodians.

Vicco was born in Kiel, Germany and design permeates his DNA. One grandfather was a forester and woodcarver; another was an architect who had worked with Frank Lloyd Wright in post-war Germany. Vicco received a degree in Fine Art from Chestertown’s Washington College in 1991. During his college years, he was the Assistant Waterfront Director for the restoration and conservation of wooden boats. After graduation, Vicco returned to Germany for a three-year apprenticeship in carpentry in Hamburg, Germany, under the tutelage of Heinrich Meyerfeldt. His apprenticeship introduced him to contemporary furniture making that enabled him to combine traditional wood joinery methods with contemporary design as unique as the tree from which each design sprung. At the end of his apprenticeship, he graduated Summa cum Laude in Theoretical and Practical Exams.

In 1995, he returned to Chestertown and set up his own studio, Bolz Shop, for custom work. To date, his designs have been part of twenty-two exhibitions in the US and Germany and the subject of numerous local, regional and national publications. He is also in demand as a speaker to organizations and conferences.

On the day I visited Bolz Shop, I was fascinated to have the opportunity of seeing three commissions in various stages of completion. Each piece was crafted of a different wood that Vicco carefully chose for its function. The first was furniture for a dining room. Vicco chose black walnut with live edges for the undulating thick slabs that will be the benches, end chairs and tabletop. The tabletop will have a poured resin insert to infill the center opening. The second piece was a desk of curly maple with two curved file drawers at each end with the curved ends facing each other and the left one resting against a side panel. My favorite piece was a sensuous curvilinear bench of Osage Orange wood. Vicco selected this wood species for its flexibility of indoor or outdoor use. The elegance of the curvature is stabilized by the end panel of walnut that becomes a head rest just waiting for a modern day Madame Recamier to recline against.

Against one wall of the shop were 15 foot tall thick slabs of walnut that will soon become stair landings for the stacked wood treads awaiting their final position on a floating stair to be installed at a Chestertown restaurant. I was fascinated by the chalk marks on the works in progress so they become full scale models for fine tuning. Vicco also uses transparent tracing paper for making patterns just like a master tailor uses to cut fabric. This master wood artisan tests and refines the tracing paper pattern before he is satisfied he is ready to cut the wood.

Outside the Bolz Shop, stacks of wood await cutting and drying and a pile of waste wood will be used in the winter for fuel so nothing in the production process is wasted. The architecture of the Bolz Shop evokes the rural Eastern Shore vernacular with its center three story bay with clerestories along its long sides above one-story curved burgundy colored metal shed roofs. Vicco gave me a tour of Bolz Shop’s expansion that will contain a drive-through breezeway connecting the existing building to another building for dry storage and wood storage.

As I left the studio, I noticed a charming path with a portal of wood branches forming an arc. Next to the portal was a beehive on top of a tree trunk that had once been the home of the bees and they seemed quite content with their new home. Further along the path I glimpsed the residence that Vicco built for his family that will be a future Spy house of the Week. As an architect I am always fascinated by another creative person’s design process and as I left I reflected upon how lucky our area is to have this innovative and creative Master of Wood.

For more information about Vicco von Voss and Bolz Shop, visit their website www.viccovonvoss.com and prepare to be amazed by their extraordinary portfolio. To schedule an appointment for a custom piece, call 410-708-4698 or email vicco@viccovonvoss.com.

Planning Your Landscape Like a Pro (Part 2), by Meredith Watters

June 11, 2020 by Meredith Watters

“Planning Your Landscape Like a Pro (Part 1)” described how to begin the process of creating your own home landscape design, how to measure, document, and print a sketch of your land plat. Now comes the fun part — making design decisions to create a beautiful, well thought out garden plan!

First, take a good, analytical look at your house. Consider design features you already have, such as arches, columns, materials (such as brick, stone, wood), or perhaps the color scheme.

No Landscape

Bad Landscape

Good Landscape

Consider these elements when putting together your overall design.

Form: mostly refers to the architecture, which can be seen as a sense of bulk, expanse, emptiness, height, breadth, straight/curvy, or geometric shapes. Questions you should ask:

–Do I need to add a sense of height (such as for ranch style architecture)? Include including vertical elements?

–Do I need to reduce height? Use weeping plants or distracting the eye with a great deal of interest on the ground plane.

Color: expressed through plant leaves, flowers, fruit, stems/bark, or even furniture, colors of stone, brick, paint, pottery.

–Use three colors max (not including green). Yellow or light green plants can make plants look sick; dark green is somber and heavy; bright blue can distract; warm colors (red, yellow, orange) advance toward you; cool colors (blue and pastels) recede; white is neutral.

–Choose your color palette by referring to a color wheel. On it, find the color you love and what works well with your house color, and then choose the complementary color on the opposite side of the wheel.

–Use brightly colored plants in limited quantities.

Texture: found in plant material (fine textures recede and coarse texture enlarges space and makes for a good accent). Also found in hardscape, which can be soft textures and therefore recedes, or bold (like the use of boulders), which are focal points.

Line: the easiest element to use. Lines draws the eye. Curvy lines show movement and relax the viewer, and slows the pace. Straight lines establish formality and purpose.

The following Design Elements will also provide a sense of order, structure, and unity for planning your landscape.

Simplicity: achieved through repetition, massing, line, materials, color. Limit the different types of plants or their colors. Limit the different kinds of surface or structural materials.

Balance: symmetrical creates formality, asymmetrical creates informality – what’s your preference?

Variety: too much is confusing, and monotone is too boring.

Dominance: be careful not to create too much dominance of one element such as too many accent pieces, repetition of over-powering types of plant shapes, color, etc. A special specimen or accent plant can provide strong interest, so be careful not to overuse it.

Scale/Proportion: a height-to-width proportion of 2:1 yields a nice personal scale, 3:1 is an excellent social or larger setting. If a house is two stories tall plus roof (30’high overall) and has a very dominant physical presence, I would suggest your landscaping beds should be at least 15’ deep(wide), i.e., out, from the house foundation. Within the 15’ setting, sidewalks or patios should be included in the landscaping when analyzing the scale/proportion. If you had only a 6’ wide plant bed along the tall house foundation, the house doesn’t feel “grounded or well-blended” into the landscape.

Repetition: accomplished through repeating curves, angles, shrubs, ground covers, color, hardscape material can all create unity.

A few more suggestions:

–Try using your garden hose to outline a new bed design. Put your patio furniture (tables and chairs) in the space where you think you want a new patio.

–The more the plant beds are covered with spreading ground covers, perennials, and shrubs, the fewer weeds because sunlight, critical to survival, is blocked.

–Don’t plant tall shrubs just 2’ away from the house foundation. Doing so will create problems for cleaning windows, painting the house, blocking crawl space air vents. Research the ultimate size of all your plant purchases. Just because they are 1’ high now, doesn’t mean that they won’t grow to 10’wide x 10’ tall.

–Pop the plants out of their container and see if it is root bound in the pot before purchasing. Roots growing in circles in the pot is a long-term problem for some woody shrubs, and especially trees.

–When deciding on how many plants to use, try to use groupings of 3, 5, or 7. Consider staggering them in a zig-zag fashion, instead of planting in a row. After all, if one dies years later, what are you going to do with an empty hole?

Of course, there are many other environmental considerations to make, such as water drainage, presence of pesky rabbits or deer, soil quality, etc. Look for previous Spy articles that I wrote about soil quality (Spy Gardening: Let’s Talk Dirt) and how to prune plants (Spy Gardening: Winter’s False Start (to Springtime)).

If you have any questions, please call me to discuss your situation.

Meredith Watters, Watterscape Designs, received her Masters in Landscape Architecture in 1985. In her consulting and design of residential landscapes, she maintains a strong focus on ecologically sensitive and creative outdoor solutions.

House of the Week: The Charles W. Willey House (The Leonard House)

May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

The Charles W. Willey House was built one year before the Civil War began and remained in the Willey family until the turn of the century. Since 1959, it is also been known as the Leonard House for the owners who built a single story kitchen wing at the rear that was later expanded to add bedrooms on the second floor. Like many of its nineteenth century neighbors along this section of E. Chestnut St., the house steps down to create a street façade of two sections, each having two bays with a brick foundation, lap siding and 6/6 windows with shutters. The front door section of the house is a full two-story and the other section has short windows to accommodate the reduction in height. The brick stoop at the front door is covered by a gable roof with inset shake siding and the four-panel red front door has a transom above. The light grey lap siding, white windows and trim along with black shutters and the red accent of the front door create a pleasing traditional color palette.

When New Road was built the property became a corner lot and luckily the two gigantic Magnolia trees in the rear yard were saved. One tree is located at the rear corner of the fenced back yard that backs up to the alley and the other tree is closer to the house. When the rear kitchen/family room addition was built, the deck carefully enclosed the tree that now provides shade for the deck. Mature trees, lawn and plantings along the fences create a wonderful outdoor room for family play and relaxation.

The front door opens into the living room and the walls surrounding the center chimney for the two-sided gas fireplace have been modified to create two doorways between the living and dining rooms for a better flow and additional daylight between rooms. The chimney side wall has a bookcase insert for books or serving pieces. I liked the contrast of the stained hand hewn ceiling joists with the beautiful hardwood floors in the dining room and the French doors in the living room that lead to the deck and views of the landscape beyond.

The open plan kitchen-family room is located in the addition at the rear of the house. The “U” shaped kitchen has room for a center island and barstools. The window over the kitchen sink and windows along the hall to the family room provide sunlight throughout the day. A door to the side deck provides easy access for al-fresco meals under the Magnolia tree. The tile kitchen countertop could be replaced with a solid surface material and the tiled partial height wall between the two rooms could then be removed to create a more open connection between the kitchen and family rooms. The family room is a very pleasant and private space with millwork for books and TV between the sliding French doors to the side deck. The sliding French doors at the rear corner add diagonal views of the landscape. Additional millwork along the rear wall is ready to be filled with books, family photographs and memorabilia.

The second floor bedrooms have sloped ceilings to add volume to the spaces. The front bedroom’s windows are located in the knee wall that rises to meet the sloped ceiling to create a charming space for a child’s room or office.

Great starter or retirement home in the heart of St. Michaels’ Historic District and close to the shops, restaurants, Marina and Muskrat Park!

For more information about this property, contact Leslie Stevenson, GRI, at Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., 410-745-0283 (v), 410-253-7293 (c) or Leslie.Stevenson@longandfoster.com. For more photographs and pricing visit www.OwnAMarylandHome.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.

House of the Week: “Shotgun” Style

May 19, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

The one-room wide gable front houses that were nicknamed “shotgun” houses were the predominant architectural style in many Southern urban neighborhoods from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. The style’s nickname came from the observation that a bullet fired through the front door would go right out the back door without hitting a wall. The form was a perfect fit for narrow urban lots; but this shotgun house is unusual in its Historic District setting for the wide fully fenced side and rear yards perfect for children and pets at play. Guest parking and a garage are conveniently located off the rear alley.

The two-bay wide house is separated from the sidewalk by a planting area and the inviting full-front porch keeps one in touch with neighbors out for a stroll. The gable front façade with its symmetrical arrangement of windows, side front door with half-glass sidelights and a full transom above, white trim, earth toned lap siding, shutters and fencing all contribute to this well maintained house’s curb appeal.

The vista from the front door opens into the living room, dining room, kitchen and mud room/laundry. Only the width of the fireplace chimney separates the living and dining rooms and a two-sided gas fireplace could be installed for both rooms for additional charm. The spacious dining room easily accommodates seating for a family meal to larger gatherings or holiday celebrations. The open railing at the stair and the front and side windows of the living and dining rooms make these spaces sunny throughout the day.

The kitchen has extra room for bar seating and a breakfast area and the exterior door provides easy access to the brick terrace for outdoor meals. The rear mudroom/laundry also has a door to the rear yard for easy clean up after an afternoon of gardening or play. A side addition to the kitchen could easily create an open plan kitchen-family/sunroom set into the landscape.

The second floor also flows well from a spacious front bedroom, middle bedroom that is currently used as an office and the hall bath and master bedroom at the rear. One could also build over the main floor mudroom/laundry to expand the master bedroom into a spacious master suite with its own bath.

Quiet and charming one-way street just steps away from the Rails to Trails and close to Easton’s shops, galleries and restaurants. Oversized lot with side and rear fenced yards, historic charm with room for expansion with minimal impact to the generous open space. Outdoor rooms of the front porch and brick terrace in the year yard to expand your living space- all combine to create this property’s great appeal!

For more information about this property, contact Meg Moran, GRI, with Long and Foster Real Estate-Christies International Real Estate at 410-770-3600 (o), 410-310-2209 (c), or megmoran007@gmail.com. For more photographs and pricing visit here “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

House of the Week: Majestic Modernism

May 12, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

The aerial shot of this house illustrates its “L” shape that is the perfect solution to break down a linear plan that also fully maximizes panoramic views from its site on a waterfront point. The exterior materials of the house were carefully selected for minimum maintenance; walls of zinc and Ipe wood are scratch, abrasion and weather resistant and the juxtaposition of their different textures of vertical vs. horizontal panels is a wonderful play of materials and shapes. The massing with its interlocking offset rectangular forms seamlessly fit together like pieces of a 3-D puzzle that step up from the entry level, increasing in height to the main living areas with transoms above walls of windows for greater ceiling height and finally to the two-story wing. At night, the transparency of the backlit walls of windows along the water takes center stage and moonlight spills onto the recessed entry terrace courtyard set back from the front exterior wall with a pitched glass roof that becomes a skylight over the door.

The front door opens onto a hall with a vista to the landscape and water beyond with cross vistas to a window at one end and a wall with art on the other end. The floor plan is zoned extremely well for function and privacy with the master suite next to the entry and the open plan living, dining, study, breakfast area and screened porch defined by a perimeter wall of windows and unobtrusive interior wall planes. The kitchen is open to the living areas and as cook, I loved this space with its two story ceiling capped with skylights, water views through the informal dining/family room and the white cabinets accentuated by bright red walls. Behind the kitchen are the stairs with an artisan stainless steel sinuous handrail, laundry and garage. Above the kitchen wing are five en-suite bedrooms.

The open plan living areas are quite conducive to entertaining or relaxing with family. The informal dining area is across the main hall from the kitchen and next to the family room with a wall for the TV. On the other side of the informal dining area is a study with a raised fireplace set into the wall, built-in millwork and wrap-around windows for views of the landscape and water. At the end of this wing is the formal dining area surrounded by full height windows on three sides and the screened porch near the pool terrace.

The master bedroom also has full height wrap-around windows and sliding doors for panoramic water views and perimeter soffits below a higher ceiling plane. The master bath is simply sumptuous with a free-standing tub nestled into a niche surrounded by partial walls with windows above, dual lavatories opposite each other whose mirrors visually expand the space, a large shower with a pebble style floor, glass door and window and a French door to access the landscape and pool.

The second floor bedroom suites share the same interior architectural details such as minimal trim, large picture windows above lower window units and some rooms have an additional accent window. Discreet shades disappear above the window header for unimpeded views to the landscape. All the baths have white cabinetry but different wall colors with art and accessories selected to complement the wall color.

The design team of award-winning Philadelphia Architect David Amburn and Oehme van Sweden of the internationally known landscape firm of OvS of Washington, DC, are both known for their harmonious blend of architecture and landscape. I loved the exterior interlocking gray forms, the serene white and gray interior palette enhanced by accents of color in the furnishings, rugs, accessories and art and the beautiful hardwood floors that flowed like water to connect the spaces. The floor plan is quite adaptable to any lifestyle-one level living with the master suite located on the main floor, guest suites for children and grandchildren or a houseful of guests zoned for quiet above the service areas of kitchen, laundry and garage.

Sophisticated Modernist Magic built with extraordinary materials to the highest standards of commercial construction, interior fixtures selected from an array of international designers for their elegance, exquisite craftsmanship and function-all this in sought after Royal Oak!

For more information about this property, contact Adam Light with the Light/Ruppert List Residential Group of Monument Sotheby’s International Realty at 410-525-5435 (o), 410-829-3127 (c) or adam.light@monumentsothebysreealty.com. For more pictures and pricing, visit https://youtu.be/tL5sttxjzKo “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

House of the Week: The William Mason Shehan House

May 5, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

This majestic house is one of the finest examples of the Colonial Revival style of residential architecture in Easton and one of my favorite houses in Easton’s Historic District. Constructed in 1909-1910, the house is listed on the Maryland Historical Trust Registry as the William Mason Sheehan House in honor of its first owner, William Mason Shehan, who served as Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Talbot County and lived in the house until 1941. The two-and a half story house is set back deep from the street in order for one to savor and fully appreciate the magnificence of its monumental symmetrical three-bay front façade above a six-course full American brick foundation. The brick sidewalk leads to brick steps to the front porch that spans the length of the house.

The imposing front portico is one-bay wide and formed by the cross gable roof’s projecting pediment, supported by twin pairs of Corinthian full height columns whose width is perfectly proportioned to their height. Further ornamentation includes single pilasters opposite the columns, denticulated boxed cornice with returns over the columns and a beautiful Palladian window centered in the pediment. On either side of the front portico are wide windows with shutters at both the first and second floors. At the main level of the house, a wide recessed segmental-arch resting on Tuscan pilasters creates an exquisite entry bay, sheathed in wood panels with the six-panel entry door centered between single windows and built-in wooden seats below. Above the elliptical arched recess is a triple window at the second floor. The side elevations are bisected by brick chimneys and on one side, the former screened porch is now a delightful sunroom with steps leading to the garden, pool and guest house. The color palette of red brick, white siding and black shutters is timeless in its beauty.

The front door opens onto a wide entrance hall with pristine white walls, white wainscot, hardwood floors and sunny vistas to the dining room, living room and to the rear addition that is now a family room. The curvature of the recessed entry creates concave corners at the front walls of both the living and dining rooms. Additional curved walls at the base of the “U” shaped stairs to the second floor and the living room echoes this design element.

Wide wall openings with pocket doors lead from the entry to the living and dining rooms. The magnificent living room extends the full depth of the house and its interior architecture is enhanced by the full rear bay of windows, white wainscot, the fireplace centered between French doors to the sunroom and the wide front window for sunlight throughout the day. The focal point of the dining room is the bay window extending the full width of the side wall with a clear vista through the house to the sunroom.

Behind the dining room is the spacious kitchen that I dearly coveted for its serene color palette of light gray stone floors, white cabinets, dark countertops, white tile backsplash and unique details. Some of the cabinets above the upper cabinets are glass faced, lit for display and the exquisite high window above the range with its filigree muntins echo the design of the windows in the portico’s pediment. An arched top French door with the same muntin design and a side window bring additional sunlight into the space and access to a rear deck that leads to off-street parking at the alley.

The architecture of the sunroom is beautifully detailed with wrap-around windows and French doors with transoms. The textures of the exposed brick chimney, hardwood floors, painted slat ceiling, rattan furnishings and bright blue cushions create great interior architectural character and make the sunroom the perfect spot to relax after a dip in the pool. Another room for relaxation is the den, centrally located at the rear of the house with windows on three sides and built-in millwork with the TV.

Above this space on the landing to the second floor is an exquisite pair of French doors, full sidelights and fan light transom that lead to a spacious office whose location gives it sound isolation from both floors of the house.

In 2016, Charles Goebel Architects designed upgrades/alterations to the second and third floors for a previous owner and I especially admired the master bath layout. The door from the master bedroom opens between separate lavatory cabinets and the vista is centered on the free-standing tub below a window. Half-height walls separate the toilet area and the glass-walled shower from the tub. The scale of the tile floor is perfect for the space and in keeping with the historic character. The sunny corner master bedroom and the angled fireplace at the opposite corner, white wainscot below light blue walls and white bedlinens create a peaceful retreat.

The secondary stair off the kitchen has a skylight discreetly located at the rear roof and leads to the delightful third floor tucked under the cross gable roof. The end wall room with bunk beds would be popular with children of all ages and the center storage room is daylit by the exquisite Palladian window in the portico’s pediment.

The guest apartment/cabana was also designed by Charles Goebel Architects and its architecture, especially the stepped triple window in its front gable, pays homage to the main house. The trellises visually anchor and connect the buildings to the professionally landscaped garden between the two buildings and next to the pool.

One of Easton’s most distinguished and treasured houses, upgraded and renovated with the highest standard of care to preserve the original period details that were the finest in its day and tasteful interior design that makes this grand house a home. Bravissimo to the current owners whose love of historic architecture has preserved this gem and other houses for the next generation!

For more information about this property, contact Chuck Mangold with Benson and Mangold Real Estate at 410-822-6665 (o), 410-924-8832 (c) or mangold@bensonandmangold.com. For more pictures and pricing, visit the house’s website www.213southharrisonstreet.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Charles Goebel Architects, www.cpgoebel.com, 410-820-9176

House of the Week: “Shipshead”

April 14, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

I love learning about the origins of property names for houses I have featured because there is always an interesting story behind it. This property’s original name of “Sheep’s Head” was listed on the 1660 ’s land grant from Lord Baltimore. The unusual name was inspired by the geographic shape of the property that resembles a sheep’s head, with the sheep’s curved horns formed by a large sand bar. Over the years, “Sheep’s Head” evolved into “Shipshead”.

This peaceful five-plus acre site has a parklike setting dotted with tall trees including several towering Magnolias. The rear of the house has a waterside pool and a broad expanse of lawn that slopes gently down to the end of the lawn high above the riprap bank of the river. In the evening one could take an early evening stroll along the 1000 feet of shoreline to enjoy sunsets over the river.

The house is hidden by the winding approach gravel drive that turns into a loop at the house. The historic photograph of the house shows a classic five bay traditional style story and a half house with a center door detailed with pilasters and triangular pediment, lap siding, 6/6 windows with shutters on the first and second floors and dormer windows above. The original one story wing at the NW side was originally a screened porch but is now a delightful three-season room with windows on three sides for panoramic water views. The other one story wing was probably a suite for household staff. French doors at the rear of the ground floor lead to the terrace and the pool.

The spacious entrance hall has a side “U” shaped stair to access the upper two floors with a graceful detail of a curved handrail transition from the lower to the upper stair runs. Off the entrance hall is a small parlor at the front of the house and a larger parlor at the rear. Both parlors have doors to the sunroom that create a wonderful flow for entertaining. The larger parlor is at the corner of the house and the fireplace chimney at the interior creates a deep nook for a window at the side of the fireplace. The dining room has the same fireplace detail but instead of the parlor’s French doors there is a full height built-in millwork ready for serving pieces.

On the other side of the entrance hall is the kitchen open to a family room that spans the full depth of the house, the small staff suite and a glass enclosed potting room with an exterior door just waiting for the next gardener. The kitchen could easily be expanded into the family room and the former staff room could become a breakfast area to create an open plan kitchen-family-breakfast area.

At the top of the stairs at the second floor is an enlarged landing that makes a cozy sitting area for the bedrooms. Deep arched openings in the walls of the landing’s walls lead to the master suite and the other bedrooms. All of the bedrooms are very spacious in size. I especially liked the corner master bedroom with its fireplace and another deep arched opening leading to what was originally a nursery but would be a large walk-in closet/dressing room with a window for daylight. The third floor has high knee walls and dormer windows on the front and rear of the house and windows in the end gable walls fill the rooms with sunlight and offer myriad possibilities-studio, office, playroom, crafts room?

“Shipshead” was built in 1927 and the architects were Mottu and White of Baltimore for the original owners, T. Highlett Henry and Mary Wrightson Henry. The floor plan is timeless and works very well. The beautifully proportioned rooms, high ceilings, built-in millwork, paneling, French doors and hardwood floors are design elements to treasure and appreciate.

Ideally situated between Easton and St. Michaels, this property also has a separate three acre lot with approximately 300 feet of shoreline-truly a unique opportunity.

For more information about this property, contact Bob Shanahan with Shoreline Realty, Inc, at 410-822-7556 (o) 410-310-5745 (c) or bob@shorelinerealty.biz. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.shorelinerealty.biz , “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

House of the Week: Broad Creek Cabin

April 7, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

My childhood home’s street in East Tennessee followed the ridgeline of a high hill named Chestnut Ridge that overlooked my hometown in the valley below. At the end of the street was a large log cabin-style house whose black painted logs and white chinking fascinated me as most of the other houses were ranchers. When I saw this house, it reminded me of that log styled structure but this stunning site is completely different with its very private location on a narrow peninsula. The house is positioned parallel to the water on an east-west axis that takes maximum advantage of the water views in both directions. You can watch the sunrise from one side of the house then move to the other side as the sun sets!

The two-story house is zoned very well with a main wing with hyphens on either side that connect to the master suite wing on one end and to the kitchen and breakfast room wing on the other end. The deck off the latter wing leads to the free-standing screened gazebo next to the lap style pool at the water’s edge. The simple geometry of the elevations is enhanced by gable dormers at the second floor and other gables with triangular transoms over the front door that is aligned with the triangular bay with French doors on the other side. The gables for the second floor bedrooms have French doors on one side and four-unit windows on the other side for water views. The house blends into its surrounding landscape due to the color palette of deep russet colored logs fitted tightly together without chinking and green roofing shingles. The signature detailing of the stacked logs at the notched corners accentuates the corners.

The interior materials maintain the lodge look with oak or pine hardwood floors, knotty pine shiplap walls laid horizontally and exposed pine beams in the dining room for a variety of textures, all stained in a warm honey brown finish. The great room that spans one side of the main wing has seating grouped around the stone fireplace and TV above at one end and the pool table at the other end of the room. On either side of the French doors, two window units consisting of a large picture window side operable units provide water views.

One of the owners is Finnish so I wasn’t surprised to discover a sauna in the master suite. I was delighted to recognize the poster on the wall of the adjacent exercise area as “The Doors of Ireland” that I had chosen for my college dormitory room. The main floor master suite contains a spacious bedroom, master bath, exercise room next to the sauna and office. As tempting as this suite was, I preferred the second floor bedrooms tucked under the roof structure. The mix of shiplap siding surrounding the French door dormers with exposed roof joists and decking that extends to the point where the gable dormer meets the end wall finished in drywall is beautifully detailed.

Spectacular 6.2 acres of a private peninsula located near the confluence of Broad, Edge and San Domingo Creeks, deep water dock, narrow house site for maximum relationship of house to water, a lodge-styled house with all the modern conveniences, two-bedroom guest house, detached garage, screened gazebo for relaxation after a dip in the pool or an afternoon on the water-what a list for halcyon bliss!

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. For more photographs and pricing, visit http://bensonandmangold.com/agents/tom-crouch/, “Equal Housing Opportunity”’

St. Michaels: Reclaimed, “Iron and Wood Redefined”

January 27, 2020 by Jennifer Martella

I recently visited Reclaimed, “Iron and Wood Redefined”, one of the shops located in the new building on the former site of the Acme in St. Michaels. Reclaimed is a treasure trove of old and new items and the third store in St. Michaels’ shopping district for entrepreneurs Mark and Tracey Miller who are passionate about “rebuilding history one piece at a time.” Their backgrounds in teaching and custom building and their love of history led to their founding a demolition salvage company.

They now travel around the country seeking historic salvage, antiques, vintage pieces, and other treasures rescued from American vernacular-homesteads, old wood barns, and other dilapidated outbuildings in danger of demolition. The Millers take great pride in their extensive research and for being able to convey the historic provenance of the unique items they sell. The reward for their hard work is seeing a customer connect with a piece that has a personal memory for them, perhaps from childhood.

Being passionate about history, Mark and Tracey located their first and second stores, Iron Will Woodworks, “Rebuilding History One Piece at a Time,” and The Boathouse, “An Eastern Shore Journey,” in the historic former Just Right Flour Mill complex that was a working mill from the 1890s to its closing in 1970. Their historic salvage is right at home in this wood-framed building, with most of the Mill equipment still in place. The focus of the Iron Will Woodworks is shabby chic and farmhouse furniture found across their travels in the USA, as well as pieces they custom built from wood salvaged from old barns they took down.

The Boathouse, which opened in April 2019, offers contemporary furniture, local maritime salvage, and nautical decor. Mark and Tracey gutted two floors in a section of the Flour Mill, including one of the original engine rooms, and restored the space to its 1890s historic character. Prominently displayed on the walls are the original black & white Flour Mill photographs the Millers have discovered in their searches.

Reclaimed’s focus is the American Industrial Age and the hard-working American men and women who toiled daily in factories under challenging conditions. The store is stocked with recycled furniture, ironwork, metalwork, home décor, and American made salvage items. Also, you’ll be exposed to two passions that the Millers share: Restoration of “Petroliana” (items relating to gas pumps) and custom-building furniture from iron machine bases discovered in their travels.

On the day I visited, something caught my eye everywhere I looked due to the creative merchandising that made browsing an adventure. First, there was a pair of square coffee tables with iron legs and wood tops, then a group of end tables and a coffee table with convex iron legs with reclaimed wood tops. Other furniture included a variety of wood cupboards, storage pieces, sideboards, tables, end tables, coffee tables, and small chests. The pendant light fixtures hanging from the ceiling are also for sale. I was delighted to find two whimsical sea creatures created by the metal artisan David Dunn, whose work I have featured in the Talbot Spy.

As an architect, I was intrigued by their selection of old barn wood as a wall finish or flooring for residential and commercial use. They offer the wood in several species and finishes to architects, interior designers, and contractors for residential or commercial projects.

Kudos to Mark and Tracey for bringing their unique stores to St. Michaels. Visit their website for information about upcoming events at Reclaimed, including their February 15th event with live music, furniture giveaways, and other surprises. See you there!

Reclaimed, “Iron and Wood Redefined” is located at 114 S. Talbot St., Suite B, in the new commercial building on the former Acme site. For more information, call 267-221-5017, follow them on Facebook @reclaimedmd or on Instagram @reclaimedmaryland or email. Hours are 9:00 am to 6:00 pm seven days a week.

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