Hot House: 6 Elmhurst Road, Baltimore MD 21210
Colonial-style house in cream stucco with Spanish tile roof, circa 1910. 4,000 sq. ft. over four levels, with 6 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2 fireplaces. Formal living room and dining rooms, recently renovated sunroom, family room, gourmet kitchen, butlers pantry, French doors to deck. Master bedroom is ensuite, with walk-in closets and French doors to private sunroom. Landscaped yard with large deck and detached garage/studio: $967,000
What: A popular Roland Park house that gets a lot of admirers among the street walking set. (Realtor says an amazing number of people have mentioned that ‘the Osters used to live here ….’) It’s not a house you would forget. When it was built in 1910, Mission style architecture, part of a larger Spanish Colonial Revival movement, was on the cutting edge of design in residential architecture. That may or may not be the intention here, for besides the Spanish tile roof, and the stucco-over-stone construction necessary to support its weight, there is nothing particularly Mediterranean about the house. It is a classic Roland Park large-scale cottage. It has spacious rooms, high ceilings and interesting details – old leaded glass, window seats on the landing, beautiful mahogany paneling in the dining room and a long wall of built-in bookcases in the living room. It’s the roof that makes it a stand out — like a redhead in a sea of brunettes — in a good way.
Where: Elmhurst Road is a quiet street that runs west off of Roland Avenue, and ends after one long block, at Club Road. Number 6 is a pretty house, surrounded by other pretty houses of the same vintage, each on lots of just under a half-acre. “Free range parenting” is a viable option here, as it’s just a 10 -20 minute walk to many local schools, public and private, as well as Eddie’s, the library and the shops on Roland Avenue. A sociable neighborhood, with a good number of children. Families come from far and wide to play baseball in the Roland Park Little League.
Would Suit: Young executive family.
Why Not: Backyard is totally landscaped — no room for a swing set.
Why: Best roof on the street. Ceramic tile roofs surpass both shingle and slate roofs in energy efficiency and lifespan.
NB: The number one enemy of ceramic roof tiles is tree branches. Although there are many large trees nearby, none appear to be within range of the roof.
