2014 Mount Royal Terrace

A House Designed for the View -- When this home was built c.1890, its elegant bowed windows overlooked Baltimore's Mount Royal Reservoir, one of the City's most celebrated scenic promenades where carriages entered Druid Hill Park. The Reservoir Hill Historic District's nomination to the National Register of Historic Places notes that these houses were specifically designed with projecting bays, porches, and balconies to maximize those views. Its location within what the City designates as Mount Royal Terrace Historic District reinforces that recognition the homeowners will enjoy. The original intent remains beautifully intact after the Reservoir was retired in 1924. Lady Baltimore Park now captivates the view from all front rooms that frame a canopy of mature trees, creating the remarkable "treehouse" feeling with a cooling cross-draft and magical quality that first captured the Sellers interest. From the walk-out ground level in-law suite to the third-floor high ceiling bedroom, the trees and chirping birds make its being a City dwelling scarcely believable. Sellers describe watching a falcon nest in the nearby trees as being a remarkable sight among their treasured home memories. Both Sellers worked in DC when they purchased it and walked to Penn Station through Bolton Hill. Proximity to the Meyerhoff and performance centers can be enjoyed. This house is perfectly placed between the city's cultural life and its green spaces -- particularly noted in the restoration of Druid Hill Park, The Lady Baltimore Park, which is a City Park, has a wonderful Victorian character that offers a peaceful sanctuary. The rear deck was enlarged and a spacious covered patio was added, creating an outdoor room to enjoy most of the year. The comfortable finished basement's au pair suite offers a front ground-level entrance and has been enjoyed by grandparents, relatives, and friends visiting from overseas, many of whom stayed for weeks at a time. The exceptionally high ceilings, ornate plaster moldings, magnificent marble fireplaces, decorative effect of unused pocket doors and transoms, elegant central staircase, tall skirting boards, and countless original details have been beautifully preserved. Even the second-floor bathroom still has its original clawfoot bathtub with brass fittings that prompted the Sellers to consider themselves caretakers of a remarkable piece of history. A feature the Sellers have especially loved is the house being raised above the street by its magnificent marble staircase. The front parlor, with its bay windows overlooking the Park, became a favorite place to linger over breakfast while watching the seasons change in the trees. These extraordinary houses are enhanced by a genuine sense of community in a remarkable neighborhood.