October 1, 2013

I’ll Take This: House that Silver Built

I grew up in a neighbourhood where all of the houses were built right around 1900, really a golden era in building and architecture. The houses where I lived were filled with beautiful detailing and special touches. So when I see one that’s gone on the market, I try and find the images of the inside so I can see what still remains. image

This house, on one of the prettiest streets in the area, has just gone on the market, and I must say, it’s one I’ve always loved.
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It’s called Chrogi, after one of the early owners, Gideon Stieff’s three sons, Charles, Rodney and Gideon. If the name Stieff is familiar to you, they were one of the premier silver-making companies in the US during the 20th century. image

The current owners have kept the house in beautiful condition, and any work they’ve done to it has been sympathetic to its original style. image

The Stieff family lived in this house for more than 50 years, with children and cousins living close by. In fact, another house formerly owned by this family is also on the market. I wrote about it here.image

Back to Chrogi…Wood paneled library with leaded glass windows! Be still my heart!image

More leaded glass windows and wonderful high ceilings. (not crazy about the light though.)image

The kitchen’s obviously recent, and they did a fine job. It never would have been this nice when the house was built, what with the arches and the columns… a kitchen was for the cook! image

At first glance, I thought the walls were heavily veined marble, but then I realized they were toile. I am wondering if the sink might be original, with the towel bars on the sides. I love the sconces and the beadboard.image

Here’s another bath – none of this looks original.image

The obligatory pine-paneled rec room, which still looks like it gets lots of use. image

I love a good porch overlooking a garden, and this house has about two acres included!image

You can get a good idea of the size of the house and the grounds in this image.image

This house is on the market for $1.6 million. More details and images are here.

18 comments:

  1. I could not bear to ignore a google search of Stieff. A tribute site on the web exists. What a chapter in the book of Baltimore history!

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    1. Thanks for mentioning the site: http://www.thestieffcompany.com/ There is tons of information about the family and the company there.

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  2. Meg this house is beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Oh my that house is stunning, love the entrance and the beautiful glass doors...so beautiful as long as the floor, it is all so pretty, I think I could move right in there with no problem..thanks for showing this beautiful home...Phyllis

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    1. It's wonderful! And the back slopes off to a huge valley overlook.

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  4. I saved those images and let our interior designer design our house just like that!

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  5. This is gorgeous. I've always wanted a turn of the century classic like this to do up.

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  6. Stunning is all I am going to say + sold. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  7. The type of house (and neighborhood) dreams are made of, including mine! Just gorgeous Meg, thanks for sharing too bad it's a tad out of my price range-HA!!!

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    1. It is the most wonderful neighbourhood. Three generations of my family have lived there.

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  8. There is nothing quite so nice as an old house! (Ours is officially over 100 now!)

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  9. Just showed this to my dad, Gideon Stieff Jr. What a trip down memory lane for him! Great to see the inside of a house I was last in at age 3.

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    1. Super! If you're in the area, check and see if there are any open houses for it.

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  10. I am amazed it was spared more radical modern changes to it's structure. Of course, we could all think of changes we would want to make (that knotty pine in the family room,) but so many gorgeous "bones"...the porch overlooking the yard, lots of good light. What a grande dame of a house. I think you would even walk differently if you lived there...a stately pace. Thank you for such detailed reporting.

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