Hot House: “Wayside” 5604 Wildwood Lane, Mt. Washington, Baltimore, 21209
Victorian frame house, circa 1862, with award-winning 2014 renovation. Wraparound porch overlooks private wood. Five bedrooms, four full baths over three stories and 5,064 sq. ft. Original architectural details include 11′ ceilings, wood trim, hardwood floors, fireplace mantel, and mirror. Gourmet eat-in kitchen, luxurious bathrooms, free-flowing rooms. Third-floor in-law apartment. Bluestone hardscaping. Hardwired for high-speed internet and cable. Zoned heating and central air. Secluded 1.5-acre wooded setting with old trees, luxuriant plantings. Conservation easement: $869,000.
What: A definite “wow.” A Victorian beauty in a romantic setting. In a storybook (or animated feature film), this is where the fairy godmother would live, or Pippi Longstocking, when she comes into her fortune. When reality sets in, there is the happy ending of a new and restored roof, wood siding, shutters, rebuilt stone foundation and lined chimneys. Inside are large rooms and big, modern baths with glass showers and radiant floor heat, a gourmet eat-in kitchen, custom cabinetry and built-ins. This list of improvements is long, and yet the house retains its charm. Over the fireplace is the house’s original trumeau mirror. Long mirrors with full-length shutters let sun pour through the house. In 2014, this home won an award from the Mt. Washington Improvement Association for the restoration, and it was well-deserved.
Where: Wildwood Lane is a narrow, mostly paved, winding road leading off Rogers Avenue. There are just two (maybe three) widely spaced homes, barely visible and set well back in the trees. A few yards in and you are a hundred years back in time — the silence is unbroken, except for birdsong, with nothing but sun filtering through the leaves. And yet, it is just a half mile to Mt. Washington Village, Whole Foods, the Light Rail, Mt. Washington Elementary and Middle School, I-83 and a new city bike path.
Would Suit: Family looking for something off the beaten path.
Why: Completely unique. There is nothing like it in Baltimore City.
Why Not: Wildwood Lane is not going to be a priority for city snowplows.
NB: The home, which is within the Mt. Washington Historic District, was renovated with CHAP tax credits, which are transferable and will continue for another eight years.
