Grace St. in St. Michaels is ideally situated between “Restaurant Row” on Talbot Street and an entrance to the Rails to Trails. Grace Street is also a short dead-end street so traffic is minimal which makes it a great street for walking or biking. This house is at the end of the street and overlooks Back Creek with beautifully landscaped grounds including decks to extend your living space. One small deck has a bench between the shoreline planting beds for a perfect spot to have that second cup of coffee and watch the sun begin to rise above the picturesque wooden covered bridge as the Rails to Trails enters San Domingo Creek Park.
The massing of this cottage that was built in 1984 is very appealing. The main pitched roof has a lower gable wing that projects at the front with a bay window at the main floor and another window on the second floor. A dormer window in the main roof is centered over the shed roof covering the front door. Smaller pitched roofed wings at each side, one of which contains a garage, completes the composition.
The rear elevation’s massing and solid/void play of siding and screened walls is equally appealing. Two of the pitched roofs have skylights for the second floor bedrooms and the long window with its chamfered corners brings light into the stairwell below. A French door from the master bedroom leads to a deck and another French door connects the dining area and kitchen to the main floor deck. The color palette of brownish gray cedar shake roof, light gray siding, deep cranberry trim and corner boards contribute to this cottage’s charm.
Step into the interior and you are transported to the British Isles. Wide pine plank flooring, exposed structural supports, decking, trim and the stair balustrade of stained wood reminds me of the Cotswolds. There is a great deal of white gypsum board in the walls and ceilings to balance the wood. I love the two-story living room with its fireplace and custom wood paneling above, the exposed ceiling joists and decking. Wrap-around French doors lead from it to a screened porch with panoramic views of the water and the landmark bridge. I could easily imagine hosting friends and opening up all of the French doors to connect the two spaces.
The master bedroom on the second floor has a vaulted ceiling and the other bedrooms have knee walls and sloped ceilings that follow the underside of the roof joists. Skylights that encourage star gazing add to the interior’s unique architectural character of this charming cottage.
For more information about this property contact Dawn Lednum with Chesapeake Bay Real Estate Plus LLC at 410-745-6702 (o) 410-829-3603 (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.
Georgianna LeCompte says
Grace Street was a great place to grow up!! This house didn’t exist when I lived there. Many of my family lived on Grace Street as well……grandmother, aunts, cousins…..that street was family.