Hot House: Greek Revival home is 'The Crown Jewel of Mt. Washington' - Baltimore Fishbowl

2100 South Road, Mt. Washington, MD 21209

Hot House: Beauséant, The Crown Jewel of Mt. Washington; 5 bedrooms/4 baths on 7,900 square feet. Asking price: $1.295 million.

What: Beauséant comes from Medieval French and means “Be Noble” and that is a perfect description of this house. Noble. Dating from 1895, it is also known as “The General’s House” or the Crown Jewel of Mt. Washington. Beauséant is located on the “spine” of Mt. Washington, South Road, with a wide range of house styles and sizes, many, like this one, dating from the late 1800’s.

Beauséant is a shingled Greek Revival house, which ticks all of the boxes: columns and pediments; hipped roof; porch or portico; and transom and sidelights. It is set on a nearly two-acre corner lot with a sweeping lawn, mature plantings and stone walls. As you enter, you see a large, impressive hallway with a marble fireplace, surrounded by a double-height mezzanine leading to the second-floor rooms, and a grand staircase, with archways along both sides and back of the hall leading to additional rooms.

Fortunately, many of Beauséant’s original details remain including a large pier mirror in the living room, wainscoting, the original pantry complete with porcelain sink, built-in china cabinets and more.

The modern, light-filled kitchen has a wall of floor-to-ceiling French doors. With a six-burner Viking stove, stainless steel appliances, an island, a breakfast nook, butler’s pantry with bar-shelves and a separate eating area, the kitchen will be the heart of the home.

The second floor, with it’s wrap-around interior balcony, holds the owner’s suite with a walk-in closet. The en-suite bathroom has double vanities, a soaking tub and an oversize shower. There are an additional three bedrooms, a laundry room and another large bathroom with a footed tub.

The third floor has a separate suite, suitable for guests or an au pair, which consists of a living room, bedroom and bath, as well as a home office. There are numerous large closets, including three interconnected cedar closets, and packing rooms for winter blankets and other rarely used items. A pull-down staircase leads to the widow’s walk, with spectacular 360º views.

The property also includes a summer kitchen and a separate garage, as well as two parking pads. There is additional on-street parking.

Where: South Road is in the heart of Mount Washington, running east-to-west from the center of the village to Greenspring Avenue. The houses range from small bungalows to grand edifices, like Beauséant. It is a few minutes’ walk into Mount Washington Village with its shops and restaurants, and just a very short drive to Whole Foods. The Mount Washington Elementary School always receives high grades and is very active in the community.

Final Appraisal: Beauséant is a unique house, unlike any others about which we have written here at Hot House HQ. Built in 1895, it is filled with details that are unavailable today. It is a perfect house for entertaining friends and family, or for living your very best life. The listing for the house is here.

Meg Fielding writes the local interior design and lifestyle blog Pigtown Design and is the past president of the Baltimore Architectural Foundation. She enjoys dual citizenship with the US and the UK.