Stone Hill Cottage: Baltimore’s Coolest Little House For Sale

Hot House: 718 Pacific Street, Stone Hill, Hampden, Baltimore, 21211

Stone cottage, circa 1864, well maintained and updated. Three bedrooms, two full baths over three stories and 1,328 sq. ft. Front porch, large living/dining rooms, through to retro style kitchen with original Oriole stove. En suite master bedroom with fireplace, two further bedrooms, skylight, hardwood floors throughout. Four parking spaces, two in front, two in back. Central air fully fenced yard with stone patio off kitchen: $324,944

What: If you were a mid-level worker at the Mt. Vernon Mills in 1864, this is where you lived. The Mt. Vernon Mill company built these houses and owned them until the 1930s. They are a cut above the usual mill houses, with breezy front porches and large back gardens, set into the limestone cliffs above the Jones Falls. This one is a gem — beautifully preserved, with an old fashioned kitchen and updated bathrooms. It had a frame addition added at some point, which makes it big enough for a small family. Its charm is palpable, and a certain type of buyer will lose his or her heart to it within seconds of walking in the front door. And why not?

Where: Stone Hill, aka the ‘Best Neighborhood You’ve Never Heard Of’ ‘ lies on the southernmost end of Hampden – directly behind the old Stieff Silver Factory — whose sign still lights up the night. It’s only three or four streets, 47 small stone houses, with just enough historical significance to have had a book written about it, available here. It’s a nice mix of artists, original inhabitants, regular Joes, friendly dogs, backyard gardens, and yard art all set at the edge of the Jones Falls Valley like a little village in Wales. The definitive article on Stone Hill by Jacques Kelly was written in 1995. It hasn’t changed much. It’s a bit on its own, and a little hard to find, although it has great access to the city, the Jones Falls walk and bike trail, and the Johns Hopkins campus. Take Keswick Road south through Hampden and make a sharp right onto Pacific Street just before the Stieff factory.

Would Suit: Artists, hipsters, regular Joes looking for a special place.

Why: Love the Oriole stove.

Why Not: Not confident about the Oriole stove.

NB: Owner has cooked meals “for 100 people” on Oriole stove, saying “It’s so simple, it never breaks.”