Hot House: 4001 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, 21218.
Elegant and classic Laurence Hall Fowler-designed brick house on Charles Street in Guilford. Seven bedrooms, five baths. Breakfast room and sunroom. Numerous fireplaces and French doors. Two-car garage. Level lot. Driveway and parking pad. Asking price: $995,000
Hot House: Laurence Hall Fowler was one of the most prestigious architects in Baltimore in the early 1900s and every building he designed stands the test of time, with elegant details including brick- and mill-work, gracious proportions and light-filled rooms. This house is no exception. The Baltimore Architecture Foundation’s Dead Architects section says Fowler’s “designs were suited to the settings in which they were placed, both in style and in material.” Among his well-known Baltimore buildings are the War Memorial Building near City Hall, and the Abel Wolman House, a little gem on Charles Street. Because of the excellence of Fowler’s buildings, they rarely come on the market, and when they do, they are a “hot house.”
What: This is a house that you’ve probably driven by many times, on Charles Street just above University Parkway, but because of how well it’s situated into the streetscape, you’ve probably never noticed it. Its quiet elegance doesn’t shout. The low curved brick wall leading to the front stairs pulls your eye to the graceful front entrance. The banding above the door draws your eye from side to side, where you notice the slightly arched windows with their custom-fit shutters and the two wings with their full-length French doors.
Once inside, a large center hallway with a sweeping staircase leads to the living and dining room, both of which have beautiful fireplaces. The living room has a small columned alcove with bookshelves on either side, a perfect reading nook. The floors are all the original hardwood, and there is ample beautiful decorative woodwork throughout the house, including chair rails and jib doors.
The house has plenty of space for a family and even a home office or two. There is a two-car garage and almost a half-acre of land. While many houses only have their best side facing the main street, the rear of this house is as elegant as the front. The driveway has space for at least two cars.
There is a full basement, with three of the most incredible porcelain sinks with porcelain legs! I am sure some long-ago laundress used them frequently, but you use them for washing the dog.
Where: This house is on Charles Street on the west side of Guilford, just north of University Parkway. It’s convenient to schools, grocery stores, the Waverly Farmers’ Market, Johns Hopkins University, downtown, and much more. It looks to be in move-in condition.
Final Appraisal: If you are a person of quiet elegance, yet chic style, this house will say it for you… in a whisper. It is a graceful and handsome house, designed by one of the finest architects of the early 20th century. The house is for sale by owner and the listing is here.
