200 Ashland Road, Hunt Valley.
Hot House: The Original Ashland School, Loaded with Details. 5 Bedrooms/5 Bathrooms. 6,760 Square Feet. Asking price: $2.35 million.
What: This has always been one of my favorite houses because it ticks two of my biggest boxes: It is stone, and it has a Palmer & Lamdin connection. I actually wrote about it six years ago when it was on the market (and it’s been sold another time between then and now).
The former Ashland School, aka Baltimore County School No. 7, is located at the entrance of Ashland, formerly an iron mill village that operated from the mid- to late 1800s. In 2000, Ashland was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It is one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival/Queen Anne architectural style in Maryland. The structure is built of rough-cut marble ashlar from the nearby Butler/Beaver Dam Quarry, approximately one mile to the west. Stone from this quarry was highly prized and was used to construct the Washington Monuments in Baltimore & DC.
Frank E. Davis, the architect of record, was one of the founding members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The school remained in service from 1882 until 1929 when it was sold by the Baltimore County Board of School Commissioners and converted to a private residence by the notable Baltimore design firm of Palmer and Lamdin.
The exterior reflects the influence of the Queen Anne Style, with gabled windows, elaborate cornice work, fan-shaped attic vents at the roof peak, and numerous large banks of multi-paned windows.
While the exterior has remained largely unaltered, the interior of the building was altered in 1930 from the two-room schoolhouse configuration, to that of a private residence, still incorporating the 25-foot barrel-vaulted ceilings, with exposed beams and trusses.
Attractive architectural details were added, such as a large foyer or reception hall paneled in Southern gumwood with ebony beads, with two sets of double French Doors that lead into the two main rooms. The “Great Room” (Living Room) is wainscoted with the same paneling.
Included in the 1930 conversion was an elegant stairway with unique wood and iron railings that lead to a loft enclosed by a glazed curtain wall with an unusual wedge-shaped door. Other notable features from the 1930 period are a beautiful stone fireplace with an Inglenook seating area that together separate the Dining Room and Great Room.
The house features a pool in a private courtyard, a guest house with two beds and two baths, a carriage house-style garage and loads of beautiful landscaping.
Where: The house is just off York Road at the intersection of Paper Mill Road and Ashland Road. It is close to everything that York Road has to offer, from bagels to fine dining. It’s a short drive to I-83 to get downtown or up to Pennsylvania.
Final Appraisal: Everyone talks about a one-of-a-kind house, but this really is one! Beginning its life as a school and then being converted to a private residence, the architecture is truly unique in a home, showing off some of Palmer & Lamdin’s thoughtful and interesting details. The listing for the house is here.
All photographs from the listing.
