Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Apple Core, Baltimore

Evergreen House, Baltimore
Photo by John J. Tackett, April 25, 2012, for
The Devoted Classicist blog.

Last Wednesday was the most beautiful day in Baltimore, Maryland.  As a pre-schooler, my first association with the city's name was through the active children's game "Apple Core, Baltimore," a variation on "Red Rover," if I'm remembering correctly.  But now I associate Baltimore with early 19th century classicism.  I was in town to give a talkA Devotion to Classicism:  The Enduring Popularity in Decorative Arts -- The South, at Evergreen House Museum & Library and was graciously shown some of the city's highlights.
Homewood House, a five-part Palladian villa in inspiration, was built
starting in 1801 as summer house for Charles Carroll, Jr., and his bride,
Harriet Chew Carroll, as a wedding gift from the groom's father,
Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Photo from HOMEWOOD HOUSE,
by Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly.
Homewood, a particularly outstanding example of architecture and decorative arts, is well known because of its having been recorded with measured drawings by out-of-work architects in the depths of The Great Depression for publication in GREAT GEORGIAN HOUSES IN AMERICA to benefit the Architects' Emergency Committee.  The house has been duplicated, to some degree, many times as exposition pavilions and private homes all over the country.  So I was very familiar with the house despite never seeing it in person.
The main floor plan of Homewood.
Image from HOMEWOOD HOUSE
by Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly.
Pictures do not do Homewood justice, however.  Originally located on 130 acres with distant views to the harbor, the siting of the main house and its relationship to the two surviving brick out-buildings, the barn/carriage house and the privy, is quite unexpected.  The scale of the house is not surprising, but the proportions, both inside and out, are even more impressive in person.
The prinicpal front of Homewood, under repair April 25, 2012.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.
An exterior repair project is currently underway.  In stabilzing the entrance portico, grapevine mortar was found behind the marble steps, leading the curatorial staff to believe that there were wood steps first, with the grander marble steps coming soon afterwards.  (The son's insistence on only the finest materials and craftsmanship and the father's reaction to the cost is well-documented).  Also, it was discovered that the portico floor was built on vaults instead of ruble within the foundation walls as expected.  The museum's curator, Catherine Rogers Arthur, graciously showed me the finished attic, now used as administrative offices.  The dormers are not thought to be part of the original design, although they must have come soon afterwards as there was a fireplace.  The Madeira Garret, providing a safe, warm place for the liquor to mellow, is not part of the usual tour but delightful to see as an ususal hold-over from the past.
Wood shingles in a space below the later roof still cover the original rafters.
Photo from HOMEWOOD HOUSE
by Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly.

Also, it was a real treat to be invited to poke my head through a hatch (the advantage of being tall) to see the wood shingle roof in its original configuration below the existing structure, now roofed with sheets of standing seam lead-coated copper.  The original roof had an unusal form intended to collect water for cisterns, but there is evidence that it leaked almost from the beginning.  The second roof was standing seam metal, later replaced by large pieces of slate that proved too heavy for the structure.  During the 1980s renovation, the house was re-roofed in metal.

Homewood in the 1930s with a slate roof.
Photo from HOMEWOOD HOUSE
by Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly.
The interior of the house has been beatifully restored and furnished as part of the Johns Hopkins University museums.  The original estate is now the university's Homewood Campus.
The Carriage House at Homewood as it appeared in 1890.
Photo: JHU Museums.
The brick Carriage House, thought to have originally been a barn, survives with an adapted use by the university.  Although there was also a bath-house, dairy, smokehouse, springhouse, fenced-in well, and icehouse, the brick privy is the only other outbuilding to survive.
The location of the privy at Homewood.
Image from HOMEWOOD HOUSE
by Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly.
The privy, built of brick at the same time as the house but with less refined details, is impressive none-the-less.  The location is unusual, especially when viewed in person, but the siting is apparently the result of a mathematical plan, as shown in the drawing above.
The Privy at Homewood was located to the rear of the Main House,
with the interior divided into two compartments, each with its own door,
presumably for men on one side, and women & children on the other.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.
The interior of the privy is also unusually high-style.  The walls are panelled in chesnut and painted "en grisaille" in imitation of stone as noted in HOMEWOOD HOUSE.  The pits below the seats are lined in stone and could be "sweetened" by the periodic addition of lime to neutralize the waste.
The Privy interior with panelled walls painted in imitation of stone.
The seats are painted white, as is the baseboard,
undoubtedly often repainted for sanitary reasons.
Also note the domed plaster ceiling.
Photo from HOMEWOOD HOUSE
by Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly.


The rear of Homewood during a period of repair, April 25, 2012.
This illustrates one of The Devoted Classicist's principal points of residential design:
all elevations are important.
Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist blog.

A nearby landmark is the Baltimore Museum of Art designed by John Russell Pope and built 1927-29 with later additions.  A remarkable example of twentieth century classicism, it has an impressive permanent collection that includes the world's largest holding of works by Henri Matisse and several period rooms, all open free to the public.  (Incidently, the museum's very popular restaurant Gertrude's served the best crabcakes I have ever eaten).
William Woodward Gallery designed by Billy Baldwin in circa 1956 view.
The Baltimore Museum of Art photo appears in the catalog to accompany
the exhibit "Baltimore's Billy Baldwin" by James Archer Abbott,
2010, at Evergreen Museum & Library.
(Contact the Evergreen Gift Shop to purchase a copy).
No post on Baltimore would be complete without at least a menion of one its most notable natives, Billy Baldwin.  Although no longer completely intact, the William Woodward Gallery at the Baltimore Museum of Art in the added Woodward Wing (by architects Wrenn, Lewis, and Jencks) reveals a sensitive and interesting approach to presentation.  Intended by benefactor Mrs. William Woodward, Sr., to showcase her late husband's renown collection of British sporting paintings in a setting that more resembled a Georgian country house hall than a typical museum gallery of the time, Baldwin was brought in to design the installation in conjunction with the patron, architect, and museum director. 

Completed in 1956, the catalog written by James Archer Abbott to accompany a 2010 exhibit at Evergreen Museum & Library, "Baltimore's Billy Baldwin," describes the walls and wood panelled wainscot painted in two tones of the same light fawn color, and upholstery fabric in red silk damask on a sofa and arm chair, with oxblood colored leather seats on the Queen Anne and Rococo side chairs.  A single scroll-arm easy/wing chair read as tribute to the departed Mr. Woodward, noted the catalog.  Baldwin personally selected the furnishings with approval from Mrs. Woodward, and it is believed that many if not all may have come from Woodward houses, according to Abbott who has done extensive research on the legendary decorator. The false fireplace with an 18th century English chimneypiece was a concession by Baldwin who generally thought such a feature was a sign of bad taste, notes author Abbott.  Several Persian carpets also added to atmosphere of a private home.  One of the most innovative features, created with the help of Baldwin's friend Joseph B.Platt who designed Hollywood sets, was a recess around the perimeter of the room's dropped plaster ceiling that concealed the illumination that washed the walls with light. eliminating the usually distracting lighting of the time.  Today, the rugs and some of the furnishings have been removed to allow the room to easily be adapted for use for special events, and the adjacent lobby, also designed by Baldwin, is now a catering pantry.

More highlights of The Devoted Classicist's trip to Baltimore will follow in the next post.

20 comments:

  1. Baltimore was never really on my radar somehow but when planning that East coast trip one day it is a definite stop...very imforative and interesting
    post...the balance of the house ....so calming!

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    1. C.J., there are many reasons to include Baltimore in your travel plans. You'll see a few more in the next post.

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  2. Homewood is sublime, and this post gave new insights. (John, you might be interested in this old post of mine, in which I examine a few of the many many copies and adaptations of Homewood over the years:

    http://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4185045903146972312#editor/target=post;postID=6092981710050994929

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, D.E.D. Devoted Readers, the Downeast Dilettante post is recommended reading and can be accessed here:

      http://thedowneastdilettante.blogspot.com/2010/11/imitation-is-sincerest-form-of-flattery.html?m=1

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  3. A most enjoyable and informative post. Homewood House is a place of pilgrimage for me, and its main hall is, I believe, one of the most beautiful rooms in America. It is one of my favorite interiors of all time. Thank you for the background and information on its recent restorations, and the photographs of the privy, which -- for some reason -- I never saw in the three visits I have made to see the house. Evergreen House is a wonderful, sloppy mess (and I mean this in a good way), what with its zany interiors and majestic architecture. I was not aware of the Woodward Galleries at the BMA, which I shall make a special point of visiting when I am in Baltimore next, which -- after reading your post -- won't happen soon enough! RD

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    1. R.D., because of where we parked, I come upon the privy first. But the location is particularly unusual. I would love to know the original landscape scheme; surely it was a factor in the scheme as well. Baltimore is full of treasures. I hope, next time, to make it out to see the topiaries at Ladew Gardens.

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    2. Yes, I must add the Ladew Gardens to my next itinerary, too!

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  4. I really enjoyed this post as it added new informative insight to Baltimore and Homewood. Homewood is a favorite house museum. The proportions are so elegant and classical. Recall the colors in the interiors were memorable. The house is perfection and a must see for the admirer of Federal architecture.

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    1. Judith, yes the interiors are especially memorable. A real effort has been made to be true to the period and the house itself. A visit is highly recommended to all.

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  5. What a lovely house. I hope your talk went well. I know I would have enjoyed it!

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    1. Thank you, Ann. The talk, which I'll discuss a bit more in the next post, was a success, I think. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to repeat it another time.

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  6. I just returned for a closer look---like Reggie, I had somehow missed the privy on my visit---curious, as I'm usually like a homing pigeon for small ancillary structures---and fascinated by its placement. One surely wonders---was the circle enclosed by fencing? The privy balanced by another structure? I'm going to have to order the book.

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    1. D.E.D., the circle does not appear in real life although there is a somewhat circular modern walk as part of the university campus. Apparently the other outbuildings were wood and were not kept up as progress made them obsolete. The second owner of the property moved into a later house on the estate when the street was extended and bisected the property. And then it was rented to Country School for Boys starting in 1897 before being donated to Johns Hopkins in 1902. But surely the privy was balanced by another structure, just as you wonder.

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  7. Interesting. A house I intend to blog about soon, the Knox mansion, the grandest house of the 18th century in Maine, had an oval room, echoed by a larger fenced oval yard, with dependencies around the edge of that oval---so Obviously I extrapolated that to the circle drawn on the Homewood Plan.

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  8. Montpelier, D.E.D.? I can hardly wait to read your comments.

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  9. Billy Baldwin was a very good decorator, but the hang of the pictures in the
    William Woodward Gallery is decidedly "off". Yet I hesitate to place any blame
    on someone as charming and gentlemanly as Billy B, who once responded to an
    impulsive fan letter (mine, composed at age 28) with an invitation to lunch.

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  10. T.W., Billy Baldwin may or may not have had any say in the installation height of the pictures. Having the advantage of seeing the other vintage photos, I can say there was a bit more logic than is apparent in this one view, however. Certainly one of the most interesting personalities of Twentieth Century Design, I would have loved to have met him.

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  11. There is nothing more riveting to me than seeing how people live in and arrange their houses.I will now add Homewood to the 'must visit' list. I love the Carriage House .

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    1. B.a.H., the gothick windows and cupola are great features of this outbuilding, aren't they? It is built into the slope of a hill, so there is a lower level that is not apparent in this photo. In the second part of this post, there are a couple more houses, too, you will want to visit.

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