Hot House: 1314 Bolton Street, Baltimore, 21217 MD
Federal style brick townhouse, circa 1857. Five bedrooms, 2 full baths, 3 half baths over 4,224 sq ft. Three stories, with basement gym (windows above grade). Hardwood floors, Corinthian columns, 7 fireplaces. Architecturally preserved period details — crown moldings, ceiling medallions, interior shutters, gilded mirrors, marble mantels, panel doors, Brussels custom carpet. 9’ entrance hall, double-parlor, dining room, library, gourmet kitchen, sunroom, master bedroom suite with dressing room and marble tiled bath. Zoned central a/c: $795,000 (Open house Sunday)
What: A real stunner. Complete with landscaped private courtyard, two car garage and Scalamandre curtains in its rare “double-parlour,” this elegant townhouse is fit to play the Dowager Countess in the aristocratic enclave of Bolton Hill. Built in 1857, as Bolton Hill was transitioning from free- standing estates to large, single-family homes, #1314 was designed to impress in its restrained, Federalist way. It has been restored with the same thought in mind. It the late 1800s, it was the home of Corbin Braxton Dallum, an oil company president of old southern stock, who later commissioned architect Edward Palmer to build Guilford House. Of equally distinguished lineage, Dallum’s wife, Nancy Poultney Fisher, was the benefactress of a charitable home for oyster shuckers. Inside, it is one jaw-dropping room after another. Marble floored vestibule, 9-ft. entrance hall, grand formal rooms, hand-painted wallpapers …. this is no place for a mid-century modern aesthetic. Gourmet kitchen, sunroom overlooking the garden, ensuite master bath with dressing room and marble bath. Custom everything — from carpets to cabinetry, from lighting to speakers, to blinds and radiator covers. Try to see it at an open house this Sunday from 2-4 p.m.
Where: Quiet tree-lined Bolton Street is just 1.5 blocks to the Bolton Swim and Tennis Club, and about the same distance to B Bistro and the popular On-the- Hill-Café. Across Mt. Royal Avenue, about a 5 minute walk, is MICA, and it’s another 5 minutes to Penn Station (alternately you can take the Light Rail one stop). The house backs onto a small leafy park, popular with locals and their pets.
Why: Historic home, beautifully done, with all mod cons.
Why Not: Nothing left to do, for buyer set on historical preservation.
Would Suit: Stylish couple, DC commuters, or family looking for an urban alternative to the suburbs.
NB: Private landscaped garden has elevated boxwood terrace, gas fired Weber grill, ornamental wrought iron, access to garage …. and original privy.
