I always enjoy featuring a house on W. Chestnut Street. I never tire of its wide street with ample room for guest parking on both sides shaded by mature trees and the mix of house styles. At one end of the street is the park along San Domingo Creek with a boat launch, play equipment, picnic table and benches for relaxing to enjoy the water view and nature. The Rails to Trails bisects the park with the wooden covered bridge on one side of the park and the continuation of the trail on the other. At the intersection of W. Chestnut and Talbot St. is the beginning of St. Michaels’ shopping area with two of its essentials, Blue Heron Coffee in one building opposite the Village Shoppe, purveyors of fine food.
The lots of W. Chestnut were laid out by James Braddock in the late 18th century and today the charming streetscape that began to form in the early 19th century now includes a delightful mix of styles including Craftsman bungalows, Colonials, Dutch Colonials and Victorians. This charming Colonial house, circa 1848, has great curb appeal with its pale yellow siding and accents of deep cobalt blue of the shutters and the front door. The house is a variation of a center hall plan with the dining room and kitchen offset from the main wing to break down the massing. Three steps lead to the front porch with its pedimented roof, decorative brackets and moldings. The front door surrounded by half-glass sidelights and transom above opens into the spacious foyer and the wood floors, chair rail, crown moldings and cased wall openings with corner medallions set the scene for the tasteful interiors throughout the house.
From the foyer, a wide cased opening leads to the living room whose generous width is due to the front door being located at the corner of the front wall of the house. The French doors in the side wall divide the room into two sitting areas. The front area has a French touch from the Bergere chairs and the long windows with horizontal muntins only. The other furnishings include a cream colored sofa between the long windows, wood accents of the armoire, candelstick table, small chest and Grandfather clock that create an appealing seating group. The other sitting area has the fireplace as a focal point and wing chairs in from of built-in millwork full of books for relaxing by the fire with the lastest book.
The light blue walls and moldings of the foyer continue into the dining room with its warm wood furnishings around the table and Windsor chairs anchored by the Oriental rug below the period pendant light fixture. The front and side windows bring sunlight throughout the day and diagonal views of the streetscape. A short hall leads past the laundry and powder room to the kitchen at one corner of the house. A French door leads to the terrace and a double unit window creates a cozy breakfast area overlooking the landscaped rear yard. Next to the kitchen is the spacious family room with a triple-unit window on the side wall, a pair of French doors and a bay window at the rear wall. Clearly this space with views to the rear landscape is the hub of the house with seating around the fireplace and TV and a built-in workspace.
Walking up the unequal run of stairs, you see a glimpse of deep coral of the rear bedroom accessed from the stair landing. These walls wrap around the bedroom interrupted by the two rear and one side windows painted white and the soft colors of the twin beds’ quilts, white rattan nightstand and artwork makes this a coveted quest bedroom. The primary bedroom located at the front of the house is a mirror image of the rear bedroom layout with two front and one side windows. The soothing light blue walls, chair and ottoman in the corner, padded headboard and wall mounted reading lights with the bookcase between the windows is another restful retreat. The primary bath is divided into two compartments, each with a side window. The hall that wraps around the stairs ends at a nook under a window next to the bath that serves the two guest bedrooms.
As appealing as the house is, the rear gardens are a lush verdant retreat screened from the adjacent properties by fencing, the ivy covered wall of the one-car detached garage, mature trees and shrubbery. The brick terrace across the length of the house has areas for seating or dining and overlooks the profuse foliage including areas of hydrangeas, hostas and many other plants connected by meandering paths.
Once the former rectory of Christ Episcopal Church, this property has both the historic details that give it charm with upgrades for today’s lifestyle, great floor plan, an attic for storage, detached one-car garage and a one of the most private and verdant oases in the heart of St. Michaels’ Historic District.
For more information about this property, contact Trey Rider with TTR Sotheby’s International Realty at 410-280-5600 (o),443-786-0235 (c) or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing, visit https://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-85898-4mj7cn/104-w-chestnut-st-st-michaels-md-21663, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Photography by HD Bros, https://www.hdbros.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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