House of the Week:  Victorian on Hanson 

Easton’s Historic District has many charming Victorians and I discovered this charming one recently located near the corner of Goldsborough and N. Hanson Streets. The front elevation of this three bay, two and a half story house incorporates many of the elements of the Victorian style.  Gable roofs cascade down from the full front gable to the one bay gable at the second floor to the one bay gable at the first floor that defines the front entry. Decorative elements abound-the top gable has a trim board below the double window separating the top lap siding from rows of scalloped siding.  The second floor gable has a tiny triangular window just below the roof rafter and another band below the window sill above more scalloped siding. The first floor entry gable is festooned with turned columns and fretwork below a band of open fretwork with the low sloped roof infilled with scalloped siding. The columns, fretwork and open band continue around the full front porch. The exterior color palette of pale lilac German shiplap siding and deep green shutters is very appealing. 

Along the Town sidewalk is a low privet hedge in front of a higher viburnum hedge whose top ends at the porch’s railing cap for privacy from the street.  The view from the porch is an endless vista of the rear yards of houses fronting  Goldsborough Street beginning with the manicured garden and fountain of the property across Hanson St.  Along the side elevation is a brick sidewalk and fencing leading past an offset in the house’s wall for storage of rubbish bins and  the rear hardscaped yard surrounded by trees. 

The front door opens into a spacious foyer with sunlight from a triple windows and filtered light from the front door’s transom and half glass sidelights. Stenciling is a quick way to add decorative detail and I admired the double pattern of diagonal squares with a Greek key border on the foyer’s floor. The Owners explained this detail was added by previous owners who were both architects.  I loved the furnishings and accessories of this room including the modified  Windsor settee opposite the sideboard below a sunburst mirror. The short hall past the stairs leads to the dining room and another side doorway leads to the living room. 

The previous architect/owners had added a second fireplace behind the original living room fireplace that created dual see-through fireplaces between the living and dining rooms.  I loved the window treatment of wood shutters at both the top and bottom parts of the 2/2 windows that provides the flexibility of seated privacy while allowing sunlight to penetrate the room and this detail is repeated throughout the house. The recess next to the fireplace could become built-in millwork if needed. 

A doorway to the left of the fireplace leads to the dining room and the tall freestanding glass fronted wooden cabinet next to the fireplace caught my eye  and one of the Owners proudly told me his grandfather had built it. The side wall offset creates a cozy space for reading on the upholstered chaise angled in front of built-in millwork surrounding the center window. Another window at the rear wall overlooks the side yard. At the dining room side of the foyer hall, the original curved corner connects the angled door to the wall. 

Beyond the dining room is a short hall past the powder room and the steep secondary stairs that had probably once accessed upper rooms for servants but is now a great convenience in a linear floor plan.  At the rear of the house is the delightful kitchen with an original built-in cabinet with upper glass fronted doors between two side windows. The detailing of the butler pantry/bar unit wall adjacent to the powder room pays homage to the original unit with its beadboard backsplash and glass fronted upper cabinet doors. An exterior door leads to a side porch and to the brick pathway to the street for unloading groceries. I loved the open shelves instead of upper cabinets, white cabinetry, black veined granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  The Owners found a stainless steel drop leaf table that has a new life as an island and its extension becomes a great buffet table for entertaining. 

At the top of the stairs the hall is offset and the curved corner of one bedroom diagonally across from the top stair tread opens up the landing. The primary suite is located at the front of the house for bird’s eye views of the landscaped yards across the street.  The spacious primary bedroom has an unusual two-drawer nightstand created by recycled furniture artisan Teri Griffin.  Since the Owners enjoy water sports, Ms. Griffin painted the drawer fronts with nautical map scenes with cleats as clever drawer pulls.  The adjacent primary bath has both a tub and shower and generous lavatory space. The original pocket door hidden by previous owners is now restored for easy flow between bedroom and bath.

Off the side hall with sunlight from several windows are the two guest bedrooms. One bedroom’s green chest of drawers opposite the bed picks up the green accent of the bed’s charming coverlet with rows of light blue, green and lilac designs against the wall color of pale lilac. The other bedroom has a white coverlet, pink throw and a multicolored ottoman as an accent. Past the bedrooms is the guest bath with white walls, plumbing fixtures, and subway tiled shower with a big splash of color from the blue and white Turkish floor tiles. Since my laundry is a stack unit in an alcove, I envied this laundry with its window between the washer and dryer opposite a table and chair for folding.

Across the hall from the primary bedroom stairs lead up to my favorite part of the house, the stunning attic area that has been transformed by former owner/architects into a playroom at the rear and a sitting-office area in the front.  The sloped ceilings with exposed stained collar beams created by the gable roofs’ geometry and the array of windows from skylights, double units in the front gable and the mix of windows in the side gable of a large diamond shape window between triangular windows on each side is simply marvelous.  You almost miss the tiny low triangular window in the second floor gable that is the perfect height for the family pet.  What a creative space for work or play!

Classic Victorian exterior and interior details of the fretwork, door and window surrounds, hardwood floors, see-through fireplace between the living and dining rooms, efficient kitchen arrangement with a butler pantry wall and island buffet table for entertaining, easy flow among the main floor rooms, spacious primary suite and charming guest rooms with the bonus of the marvelous attic area-all this in Easton’s Historic District-Bravo! 

For more information about this property, contact Jana Meredith with Meredith Fine Properties at 410-822-6272 (o), 443-235-3404 (c), [email protected] , “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.