Hot House: 5914 Charlesmead Road, Baltimore, 21212 MD
New England colonial style house, circa 1924, white clapboard with slate roof. 4,616 sq. ft. with 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths over two stories with 714 sq. ft. finished basement. Formal living and dining room w/fireplace, family room w/fireplace and wet bar. Eat-in kitchen with bay window and industrial Viking range. Screened porch, extensive patios and tiered decking. Large parking pad, private fenced yard, fishpond, wisteria arbor on .74 acres: $1,325,000
What: “Was this the Father of The Bride house?” is often the first-asked question about this long, white clapboard, country-style house. In fact, it’s not. But anyone who has seen the 1991 movie with Steve Martin will understand why you’d ask. Its simple grandeur evokes the posh northeastern suburbs of Westchester and Connecticut (although the actual Father of the Bride house was located in Pasadena, California). It is in fact, a great house for entertaining, weddings or otherwise — and the basement practically cries out for teenagers. From the entry foyer, a sweeping staircase rises to a Palladian window at the landing. The living room has windows with lovely vistas on three sides. There’s a cozy book-lined den with fireplace, a family room with fireplace and wet bar, a mudroom with built-in storage and a heated floor. Marble bathrooms. All beautifully maintained, right down to the systems and the beautiful slate roof tiles. Outside are a series of bluestone patios. And then there are the gardens. Sunny and wide, nicely landscaped, they are uniquely designed — past the fishpond, through the wisteria arbor, is an equally large and completely private second garden. This is where you will put the pool.
Where: Just inside the city line, north of Lake Avenue, adjacent to Woodbrook. Charlesmead Road meanders gracefully from the east side of Charles Street over to Gittings Avenue. It’s a great location – a mile south to the private school corridor in Roland Park, and about the same to Belvedere Square and York Road. 15 minutes downtown via Charles Street or 83S.
Would Suit: Buyer who dreams of Greenwich…
Why: It’s Ralph Lauren Home, only real.
Why Not: Allergic to wisteria?
NB: Extensive plans for a swimming pool were made a few years ago, and will be passed on with the house…
