501 Woodlawn Road, Roland Park, Baltimore.
Hot House: Quintessential Roland Park Cedar Shingle/Tudor Revival “Cottage.” 7 Beds/4.5 Baths. 5,345 Square Feet. Asking price: $1.699 million.
What: It is always such a joy to see a historic house which has been updated with complete respect to the original structure and details. This 1897 house was designed by Philadelphia’s Main Line architect, William L. Price, who used cedar shake shingles combined with Tudor-style details to great effect.
This house, along with two others, is tucked onto the small island between Hawthorn, Woodlawn and Elmhurst Roads. A stone porch with wood columns surrounds the house, providing a quiet place to watch the world go by. As you stand on the spacious and gracious porch, you will notice stucco and wood details, along with the Tudor-arched front door.
When you enter, you see myriad wood details from the ceiling to the floor! The staircase features barley-twist balusters and diamond-pane windows on the landing, signs of thoughtful craftsmanship. Both the living and dining rooms have wood-burning fireplaces. The kitchen is a combination of both the old and the new, the old being the original butler’s pantry cabinets and the new being the appliances and layout. Many of the doors on the first floor are arched, a sunporch, and back staircase from the kitchen.
Along with several beds and baths, the second floor has a large primary bedroom with a seating area with windows on three sides, plus an adjacent bathroom. The beds and baths on the third floor take advantage of the numerous elevations of the house’s quirky roofline.
The basement is home to a large laundry room with built-in shelving, a full bath, as well as a family room for TV watching or game playing.
Outside, the property measures almost half-an-acre. There is a lovely terrace surrounded by 100+ year old trees and beautiful plantings. The terrace can be accessed through a rustic stone wall with an arched doorway.
Where: This house is located just south of Wyndhurst Avenue in Roland Park on the older east side of Roland Avenue. It’s about a five-minute walk to the Petit Louis shopping center or the other way, the Eddie’s center, the library, or the Roland Park Pool. Stony Run Park is just down the hill and Schneider’s Hardware is a quick walk to pick up all of your quirky needs for the old house!
Final Appraisal: This is for someone with the utmost respect for a historic house. No cutting down walls to make it open plan, no painting the beautiful woodwork, no ripping up the original hardwood flooring to replace them with “engineered flooring.” The listing for the house is here.
All photographs from the listing.
