Lionel “Manny” Hendler was just 19 when he teamed up with Louis Miller to make ice cream in the basement of Hendler’s family home in Baltimore. The year was 1905, and Hendler wisely thought he could turn leftover milk from his father’s dairy into a successful business. With a splash of ingenuity and entrepreneurship, building a small empire is exactly what he did. By the age of 26, Hendler owned a large and successful operation that became famous for churning out “the Velvet Kind,” Hendler Ice Cream Company’s trademark confection.
As Hendler became more financially successful, he looked for places to relax but found that he and his friends were shut out of country clubs and golf courses because of their Jewish faith.
Hendler began a search for property south of Baltimore, in Anne Arundel County. In 1928, he made a deal with Severna Park developer Oscar Hatton: in exchange for the use of facilities and land around the local Olde Severna Park nine-hole golf course, he would not only create another nine holes to complete the course, but also build a clubhouse. Hendler threw great gala parties in the custom clubhouse he designed over the ensuing years, inviting guests to travel down the Baltimore-Annapolis railway to what was then considered “the country.” Eventually, he built a large estate, guest house, and stables throughout the 20 acres he was deeded.
After Hendler’s death in 1965, portions of the estate, most notably the clubhouse and stables, sat abandoned for more than 40 years. Scott and Donna Jay purchased these buildings in the late 1990s and completely renovated them, inside and out. Today, this house is a testament to the Jay’s ability to see something beautiful where others might see only disrepair.
The Jay’s attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship is what makes this home truly unique. Situated on a 2.5-acre parcel of the original estate, this charming 3,300-square foot home exudes the spirit and function of its original purpose. Although the Jays added a grand 20-foot tall stone fireplace and an upstairs level, they kept the thick stone walls and archways, barn doors, and other elements of the original architecture wherever they could. He purchased solid wood timbers from a demolition he chanced upon in Baltimore and had them repurposed into the heart pine floors that run throughout the house. The beams that run through the grand common spaces are reclaimed from a church in Baltimore; the marble steps are reclaimed as well.
The kitchen reveals how the Jays seamlessly married old to new. White floor-to-ceiling custom cabinetry provides more than adequate storage areas, while the stainless-steel sink and appliances deliver convenience and longevity. Upstairs is another example of a virtually unnoticeable transition from the original common spaces to the addition. Architectural details like the stone arches match the same appointments downstairs, as does the white cabinetry and solid pine slab countertops.
Other modern touches to this century-old building include vaulted ceilings, a large landing at the top of the stairs, a 900-square foot great room that punctuates the open floor plan, a screened porch, and ipe deck.
In 2006, the Jays updated Hendler’s 1928 Olde Severna Park Golf Course Club House. The lower level includes a guest bedroom and bath with a working fireplace. Upstairs, the Jays kept the original stone bar and created a multi-purpose room that can be used as a workshop, studio, exercise room, game room, or office.
This property is unusual not only for the work of the Jays but also for its tucked away location that happens to be right in the heart of Severna Park. The size of the lot allows for a driveway and extensive landscaping that make the property feel like a retreat farther away from the hustle of Ritchie Highway than it actually is. “It was challenging to price this property because it’s so unique,” listing agent Carole Snyder says. “It’s in the heart of Severna Park. It’s not waterfront, and it doesn’t have water access. We focused on the incredible construction and landscaping and the fact that you just can’t find this type of acreage and privacy right in town.”
Unable to source comps (“there were no comps for this property, and there never will be,” Snyder says), Synder and her partner looked at data that included acreage, outbuildings, and similar square footage to build a comprehensive idea about what the property was worth. “This house is not a farm, but it does have the detached two-car garage and what we call The Barn—the guest house, as well as the stream and pond,” Snyder says. “Wrapping our heads around this property and all that it offers was vital to a successful sale. We really had to communicate the total package of what a prospective buyer would be getting when they bought this house.”
Originally listed for $1,595,000, the home sold for $1,525,000 in only 33 days. Travis Gray was the Buyer’s Agent. He says his clients had been looking for some time for a home in the Severna Park area, where the husband grew up and where both spouses have family. “My client was ready to give up the search, but I heard about this house through my relationship with Carole,” Gray says. “We all fell in love with the house and the property by the time we parked the car.”
The new owners especially love the privacy of the heavily wooded and exquisitely landscaped parcel. “This had everything we wanted outside of the house, not only for us but also for our children and their friends,” they said. The Jays put a manmade well in the center of the back yard. The well marks the beginning of a small stream that flows down to a pond. Walking paths lead to a bridge tucked away in the woods, a sort of magical place for any visitor. “The land is surrounded by trees, so you feel like you are in your own world until you get out of the driveway and then you are right where you need to be when you pull out,” the new owner says.
“Once we went through everything, we looked at each other and didn’t need to speak much to know this was something the other houses had not been, and something that we definitely wanted.”
Gray admits that his clients were unique in that they were looking for something extraordinary. “Nothing like this exists in Severna Park,” he says. “Buyers of a property like this tend to look at it from a generational perspective—something that will hopefully stay in their family for generations. This home is truly special. It’s a step back in time, and it’s absolutely discreet, but it’s at the doorstep of everything you might need today.”
