1. LE REVE
101 Taplow Road

When the corner lot at Taplow Rd. and N. Charles St. became available, the current owners were quite excited at the opportunity to build their “dream house.”  They enlisted the help of talented architects, Walter Schamu and Tom Gamper.  Furniture and art collected during their extensive travels decorate the new house which took over a year to complete.  Decisions concerning materials and interior design were made with designer, Carol Siegmeister.  Mark Willard then went to work on the landscape design, which includes a Koi pond and plantings which appear to have evolved naturally with the construction of the house.

Turn right and follow signs. Site #2 is on the same block of Taplow Road.

3. 5313 St.Albans Way

Built in 1927, the house was designed by Palmer and Lamdin.  Typical of this particular French eclectic style are metal door latches instead of doorknobs, arches and angled doorframes, built-in cabinets in tiny nooks, and multiple levels. The great room on the second level has hand-hewn wood beams. The first owners were Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Peard, who are mentioned in Barbara Stevens’ book, Homeland History and Heritage. In 1927 when the Peards were house hunting, the realtor had put a Christmas tree in the front bay window.  Mrs. Peard loved the house but her husband kept putting off the decision to buy. On Christmas morning, she found the deed in her stocking. A sunroom was added in 2004 with the help of architect Paul Gorman.  An article about the house, A Jewel of a Villa, was featured in the Baltimore Sun in 2006.  It was also featured in the 1928 book, Houses of Homeland. 

Continue South on St. Alban's Way. Make an immediate left onto St. Dunstan's Road. Site #4 is on your left.

4. 200 St. Dunstans Road

This house was designed by E.A. Wolf in 1927 for Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Anderson. It is a lovely example of an English Cotswold cottage with a beautiful sloped roof and stucco exterior. Cottage would not describe the interior of this home; as you enter into the tiny vestibule your eyes take in the vast ceiling that reaches to the roof line. The present owners use this as a Great Room with a formal dining area and cozy living room with fireplace.  As you step into the Great Room, a curved balcony overlooks the dining area where the former owner had a pool table and which is now used as an office. There is an original stained glass window in the front of the house overlooking St. Dunstans Rd. Tall painted custom built bookcases flank each side of the front bay window and help to fill the expansive space.  Along the side of the living and dining areas, the sunporch was partially enclosed in 1994, creating an office area and a covered porch.  As you move through the arched doorway, you enter an open floor plan with a casual living space, including the kitchen, all updated in the mid-90s.  On this floor is a bedroom with full bath that could be used as a first floor master, but currently is a guest room, with French doors leading to the terrace.  In the kitchen area is another expansive bay window that looks out onto the bricked terrace, with steps leading to the upper garden. On the walled terrace, hydrangeas are espaliered, and at the other end is a water feature that looks like an Italian olive jar, though imported from Asia.  In the upper garden are crape myrtles, laurels, cryptomerias with perennials scattered throughout.  The furnishings include family heirlooms; of particular note is the beautiful French desk from the 1840s in the family area and a pretty walnut chest from the 1870s in the dining room.

Continue left on St. Dunstans Rd. until you see "The Lakes" on your left and then ahead.

5. The Homeland Lakes

The ornamental "Lakes" or more properly, "ponds," are still things of beauty. David Perine had them dug in 1843. Originally there were six lakes, all spring fed. In 1950 city water was introduced into the upper lake to keep the ponds from going dry. The Homeland Lakes continue to be the focal point of the community.

Turn right onto Springlake Way around "The Lakes". Turn right onto Paddington Rd. Turn right onto Goodale Rd. Follow signs to Site #6.

6. 212 Goodale Road

Designed by William Gordon Beecher, this well-appointed English cottage was completed in 1927.  The charming door and windows on the front façade create a background for the aged redbud tree and scores of blue scilla in the front garden.  Bringing the garden into the open and airy living and dining rooms is an integral design element of the new addition.  Original interior spaces flow seamlessly into the newly constructed ones with meticulous attention to detail.  Mahogany, cherry and painted handmade cabinetry, cork flooring, honed slate and marble countertops, vintage and reproduction light fixtures, leaded windows, Butler stone raised hearth fireplace and finely executed side and rear doors are some of the noteworthy features of this storybook cottage.  Multiple windows frame the view of the rear garden to complete the picture.  This home is truly a marriage of old and new, of nature and technology and of grace and charm.

Return to St. Albans Way. Turn right. Turn left onto Upnor Rd. Follow signs to Site #7.

7. 101 Upnor Road

Built in 1928, designed by architects Machen & Dixon, this cottage-Tudor home, built of local stone and stucco, became the residence of two interior designers in 2005.  Since then they have succeeded in creating a mahogany-paneled first floor powder room in addition to reorienting the entrance to the dining room that now has embellished moldings and a herringbone pattern floor.  They also created a mirrored niche at the second floor stair landing and combined two closets on the second floor to form a laundry room.  Today’s master suite is the result of combining the original master bedroom with an adjacent bedroom where the adjacent room became the new master bath.  Also, the original master bathroom was demolished allowing that square footage to be incorporated into the master bedroom as a cozy reading nook.  Finally, the master bedroom ceiling was raised and a new decorative, tongue and groove beamed ceiling was installed.

Head back towards St. Albans Way. Site #8 is on the corner of Upnor Road and St. Albans Way on the same block of Upnor Road.

8. 121 Upnor Road

The Caretaker's Residence, built about 1790, is the only surviving building of the renowned Perine Estate. Constructed of stucco with a standing seam copper roof, this rare and unique home characterizes the fine early-American craftsmanship with random-width pine floors, deep window sills, authentic millwork and five fireplaces. The home originally had a front porch that was removed in 1903. The Roland Park Company used the building as its sales office in 1924. The first private owners of the house (in 1932) were Mr. and Mrs. Eric Jacobson who installed a kitchen and a bathroom. An addistion, designed by Francis Jencks, architect, was added to the west side of the house in the 1940's. The main level features a sleek pantry/bar and country kitchen installed in 2005 and a master bedroom suite updated in 2008.