Hot House: Palmer & Lamdin 'fairy tale' cottage is nestled happily ever after in Guilford - Baltimore Fishbowl

203 Chancery Road, Guilford

Hot House: Beautiful Palmer & Lamdin stone “cottage” in Guilford. 5 bedrooms/5 bathrooms. 3,825 square feet. Asking price: $799,000

What: Charm is one word that I might possibly overuse, but this is one of Palmer & Lamdin’s most charming houses, and features a number of their signature touches. Located across from the Gateway Park at the apex of St. Paul Street and Greenway, this house is set back a little, so it’s nestled into the landscape.

There are so many great things about this house that it’s hard to list them all. From the prime location to the beautiful vestibule with its swooping copper roof which echoes the bay window along the front, balancing the façade and resembling symmetry without being exact, to the beautiful window over the staircase, to the beamed main bedroom, and the cozy sunroom, this house was recently described as a “fairy tale” house.

As you wander through the house, you are struck by the original details that remain. The
vestibule is a perfect place to put your wet umbrella or snowy boots, and it provides a brief
break to stop for a second between the outside world and your home. The curve of the vestibule’s doorway is echoed through the house in the doorways between the hallway, the living and dining rooms, and the sunporch, with its curved French doors.

The light-filled living room features a fireplace and a cozy window seat in the bay window. It leads to a sunporch/office, which then leads to a stone patio. The kitchen has recently been updated, while maintaining much of the original charm of the original features, including a pantry. From the kitchen, you can either go to the attached garage, or use the back staircase to access the second floor.

The second floor features the main bedroom with its steeply pitched roof and a beamed
ceiling, both P&L signatures. There are four more bedrooms, one of which is currently used as an office, three additional full baths and a cozy sitting room. The lower level features a
laundry room, a recreation room and a billiards room.

The property, which is completely flat, has a private driveway and two-car garage, as well as a stone patio and mature plantings.

Where: People often refer to this house as one of the most charming in Guilford. It’s set a
little apart from most of Guilford, but it’s still part of the neighborhood. It’s close to the
shops and restaurants in Charles Village, and to the Saturday Waverly Farmers’ Market. It’s a quick trip up University Parkway and Roland Avenue to several schools and churches, and just a few miles south on St. Paul Street to downtown and the harbor.

Final Appraisal: Chancery Road is a house for people who are fans of Palmer & Lamdin’s
architecture and who respect the history and heritage their houses hold. While it’s not one of the magnificent and huge houses that Guilford is known for, those houses aren’t for everyone.

This house whispers good taste; it doesn’t scream it. 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.