Hot House: 2105 Erdman Avenue, Baltimore 21218
Art Deco style house, circa 1949, in painted stucco with rubber roof and enclosed glass porch. Two bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 1,189 sq. ft. on one level. Original curved windows, glass brick, two sided stone fireplace in living room, floor-to-ceiling shelving, plaster walls. Stainless steel GE kitchen unit, eat-in kitchen, hardwood floors, underfloor radiant heating. Landscaped stone patio on double, .2 acre lot: $249,000
OPEN HOUSE: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8
What: For the right buyer, a heart stopper. First spotted by Meg Fielding in her blog Pigtown Design, this house is a no-holds-barred tribute to Streamline Moderne, a late, architectural spin-off of Art Deco, featuring the curved lines, horizontal planes and atomic-era details beloved in vintage American cars and Miami Beach architecture.
The house at 2105 Erdman Avenue was built in 1949 for a Baltimore attorney, Benjamin Eisenberg, best known for his purchase, in 1959, of the abandoned military base Fort Carroll. He spent $10,000 on the tiny island south of the Key Bridge, with a plan to turn it into a slots casino. (At the time, slot machines were allowed in four Maryland counties, including Anne Arundel.) Sadly, the courts ruled that Fort Carroll was not in fact, in Anne Arundel, but in Baltimore County, which was not slots-friendly. The island, still owned by the Eisenberg family, has languished for decades.
But Eisenberg’s vision is still present on Erdman Ave. According to his daughter, who lived here until it was sold to its current owner, the house in Mayfield is a true reflection of her father’s forward-looking, eccentric character. It’s been painted different colors over the years (see photo above, signed by John Waters) but it’s safe to say that it has never looked better than it does now. Well-maintained and gently improved, the original open floor plan, hardwood floors, two-sided stone fireplace, oval windows and glass brick are intact. Some of the original moderne furniture can be included.
Where: Mayfield, on the shores of Lake Montebello, is a friendly, diverse corner of North Baltimore. Erdman Avenue (North Point Boulevard) is mostly a long, unlovely road that leads out to Sparrows Point. But this house is in the single block of Erdman, west of Harford Road, that dead ends into Lake Montebello. Its small, attractive houses have tidy yards and gardens a few blocks from Herring Run Park. Live Baltimore describes Mayfield as “a hamlet in the heart of town,” with lots of block parties and ongoing community projects. Its larger boulevards were part of the Olmstead Brothers original greenway plan, which ran out from the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus (10 minutes west along 33rd Street). Morgan State University is just a mile north, along Hillen Road. It’s 15 minutes to the Amtrak/MARC station.
Why: Colorful, affordable, completely groovy house, steps from the walking track of Lake Montebello.
Why Not: OTT for many buyers. Also no garage or central air.
Would Suit: Millennials, artist, glamour puss on a budget.
NB: Nearby Herring Run Park hosts soccer leagues and baseball teams in season.
What happened to the bowling balls?