The streetscapes of both East and West Chew Streets continue to inspire me for it is easy to succumb to their mix of house styles including three-bay Victorians with center or side entry doors and the telescoping massing of other houses. These streets were identified in the Lake, Griffing, and Stevenson Atlas of 1877 as “Dr. John Miller’s Addition”. Dr. Miller later recorded a plat that extended his land over what is now Talbot Street for a total to forty-nine lots. The streetscapes are a mix of one and two-story houses dating from the late nineteenth century along with the former St. Michaels Flour Mill complex.
Today’s featured house is one room wide and five rooms deep from later additions. The full front porch has privacy from the mature landscaping, the trellis infilling the entire side space above the porch’s railing and the trellis at the opposite corner with vines that have been trained across the side of the porch. From the town sidewalk, a red brick path leads to the porch with simple fretwork on either side of the porch supports. The porch’s painted wood flooring and the color of the front door take their cue in different shades of red as accents against the light blue lap siding and the white trim.
half-French door leading to the kitchen and ends at the rear addition that is slightly offset to accommodate another French door.
The rear garden is a delightful verdant oasis with a tall tree at one corner that in spring and summer provides shade for the two chairs overlooking the garden. The tall dense hedge along one side and the wooden fence around the rest of the garden provide seated privacy. A diminutive potting shed with a greenhouse window is ready for the next garden enthusiast to nurture the garden. A path of random stones leads from the wooden arbor at the gate to the alley along one side of the garden to meet the brick walkway around the side of the house to the street.
I am seeing more empty houses virtually staged like part of this house is and it is helpful for potential buyers to understand how their furniture would fit. The entry door opens into the front corner of the living room, which maximizes the seating space centered on a rug in front of the fireplace with built-in millwork on either side for books and family photographs. I liked the stager’s choice of the white sofa with blue and white accent pillows opposite two blue side chairs with blue and white accent pillows in a different pattern. One can easily see how well the room works as the main sitting area with sunlight from the two front 6/6 windows. The side stairs are open to the living room to visually expand the space and a high window provides additional sunlight.
A cased opening leads to the kitchen with a galley arrangement, modified with a slight “L” to accommodate the R/F, range and sink along one wall. Above the side wall of base cabinets are one side window and a rear window for direct sunlight and landscape views. Behind the interior wall is a full bath and mud room with a high window and the half-French door at the exterior wall. The tile flooring and bead board wainscot continues into the mudroom and powder room.
A wide cased opening at the kitchen’s rear wall has a vista to the next room that the stager has decorated as a dining room with an oval table and six chairs centered in the room on axis with the fireplace. The corner of the room with the side French door and wide rear window and the window at the other side wall offer sunlight throughout the day. I would be tempted to add cozy club chairs in front of the fireplace and orient the dining table in the other direction to accommodate both dining and sitting areas.
The short hall along the depth of the fireplace’s chimney leads to the rear addition containing two rooms. The first room was formerly used as an office with built-in shelving above one wall of file drawers and the other wall of built-in shelving has closed cabinets below. An “L” shaped work area with its pull-out keyboard tray and more drawers under the side window would be a pleasant space for computer work. The side exterior door makes easy access for clients. The last room was formerly used as a bedroom with the interior door between two closets and a full French door and window provide views of the garden.
The second floor contains the other two bedrooms with a full bath off the stair hall. The front bedroom door opens into a hall opposite a window with a side wall of closets. Another door opens into the sleeping area with the other two windows of the front elevation. Taking out the wall between the closets and the sleeping area would create an easier furniture arrangement for the bedroom with all three windows for sunlight. The rear bedroom has direct access to a rooftop deck for views of the Historic District.
Charming property in the Historic District where one can walk or bike to the waterfront, shops and restaurants with a wonderful and private rear garden for a restful retreat!
For more information about this property, contact Amy Stusek with Coldwell Banker Realty at 410- 224-2200 (o), 410-353-6797 (c), or [email protected] more photographs and pricing, visit www.AmyStusek.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Photography by Curt Ellis, [email protected], www.reelimagemedia.weebly.com
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.
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