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 [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.
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