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List Price: $885,000 Closing Price: $880,000 Year Built: 1870 Home Size: 2,639 Sq. Ft. Bathrooms: 4 full/ 1 hal f Bedrooms: 4 Lot Size: .18 acres DOM: 35
Many colonial-era homes in St. Michaels historic district reflect the town’s colonial history. The neighborhood evokes charm and tradition, and features homes that have been painstakingly cared for over generations.
This home was built in 1870, when St. Michaels established itself as a rural outpost for plantation owners and local farmers, and as a commercial center for watermen. A great sense of the town’s history resonates throughout this house, from the front porch to the rear garden.
The screened front porch extends across the width of the house and offers a shady welcome to visitors, or a lovely spot to quietly sit and take in the breezes off the harbor that is less than 30 feet away. Inside, the home was recently renovated to update the kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms. The result is a house that has every modern amenity, but that resonates with generations of local history.
The kitchen itself is beautiful, with marbleized grey granite countertops, a farmhouse sink, white cabinetry, and stainless steel appliances. The island is painted a soft shade that offsets the bright white of the cabinets. Although the stainless steel, the gas range, and faucet are distinctly modern, the kitchen renovation was careful to integrate the historic ambiance of the rest of the home. Dark bronze stools and overhead lighting punctuate the muted colors of the room. The kitchen shares an open floor plan with the casual family dining area. A crystal chandelier lights a dark wood table and corner curio cabinet. Each of these decor elements, including the hardwood floors throughout, are perfectly juxtaposed against modern accessories in the kitchen.
The four and a half bathrooms in this home are notable for their crisp, clean design and natural light. Each has at least one window, with views to the treetops and water beyond. The four bedrooms also make the most of the light and incredible views. Each features picture windows with views to the harbor and across the water to other historic homes. “My client wanted a place in the St. Michaels-area where her parents could stay with them,” buyer’s agent Janet Larson of Benson and Mangold says. “This property has a gorgeous first-floor master suite for her parents and another master with private bath on the second floor.”
A sense of heirloom agelessness pervades the private upstairs rooms, a feeling lent by the hardwood floors, period chandeliers and hall lighting, straight architectural lines, and simple trim around windows and doors. Two multi-purpose rooms were used as offices, each with similar views as the bedrooms. “The home really is unique for the exquisite renovation,” listing agent Cornelia Hackenbach says. “There is plenty of storage, and the number of bedrooms, plus the stunning kitchen truly make it a rare find in historic St. Michaels.”
The exterior of the home is beautifully maintained with a purposeful landscape design that offers shade and color. A garden shed with heat and electricity borders the back end of the property. An extensive brick patio runs the length of the house along one side. Here, benches and tables sit under leafy crepe myrtles and alongside flowering hydrangeas, rhododendron, and laurel. It’s easy to imagine generations of St. Michaels locals and visitors alike succumbing to the lure of the town. The new buyers of this home certainly did. Several offers were made nearly immediately when the property was listed, and it sold in just 35 days.
Listing Agent: Cornelia Hackenbach, Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc., O: (410) 745-0283, C: (410) 310-1229
Buyer’s Agent: Janet Larson Associate Broker Benson & Mangold, C: 410-310-1797, E: JLarson@bensonandmangold.com