7901 Ruxwood Road, Ruxton.
Hot House: Betty Cooke’s Shingle Carriage House On the Market Again, But ALL NEW! 5 Beds/5 Baths. 4,088 square feet. $2.185 million
What: It was June of 2025 when artists Betty Cooke and Bill Steinmetz’s quirky house in Ruxton went on the market after Betty’s death at age 100, and it was left in her will to MICA. You can read my Hot House article here, and flip back and forth between the two iterations.
Now the house is back on the market after a total make-over! There are more beds and baths and about 1,000 additional square feet. I had a lot of friends who had been interested in this quirky house, but couldn’t imagine how they could make it work. As the new real estate listing touts, the current house is a “complete reinvention of a significant architectural property.” I’ve used photos from the original Hot House article, side-by-side with the updated house.
To be totally honest, the house was very strange, with a vintage kitchen in two separate parts of the house, a very scary staircase to the second floor, and lots of unpainted beadboard from the house’s original carriage house days. None of that remains. It has all been replaced by high-end finishes, beautiful brand-new appliances and lots of white.
The space has been re-arranged to make it much more user friendly and to take advantage of the space that overlooks the 1.18-acre property. The kitchen has been fully upgraded (and it’s now all in the same place!) with custom white oak cabinetry, quartzite countertops and full-height backsplash, an oversized island, a 48-inch Wolf range, premium Fisher & Paykel appliances, and abundant custom storage.
Where: Ha! Same description as last time, the house hasn’t moved! This special house is just off Joppa Road between Bellona Avenue and Falls Road. The house is almost equidistant between the shops at Greenspring Station and Ruxton Crossing. It’s located on a very quiet street and is set back from the street. Because of the surrounding greenery, you can be sure the main sounds you will hear are the birds singing and the crickets chirping.
Final Appraisal: What was old is new again. The contractor and architect have taken a very quirky house and updated and upgraded to make it a great house for family and entertaining. The surrounding acre gives plenty of space for a pool, a tennis paddle court, or a great big vegetable garden. The listing for the house is here. (Actually the same link as the original article!)
All photographs from the listings.
