Few cities are as defined by their relationship to the rowhome as Baltimore. Since the mid-19th century, Baltimore’s urban landscape has been shaped by blocks of rowhomes. Over the years, diverse design philosophies have proliferated, from the seamless flow of Italianate facades to signature porch bump-outs of the Renaissance Revival movement. Baltimore’s rowhomes grant each neighborhood its distinct character, and the history of a rowhome is as vibrant and unique as the countless Baltimoreans who may cross its marble threshold. However, what has remained constant over the last century is the adaptability of the rowhome as a generous and accommodating building typology regardless of its intended use. The story of 708 S Baylis includes many chapters: a humble corner store at the turn of the century, a single-family home for generations of families, and most recently, a neighborhood pub.
Join us as we explore the evolution of this project, and how each element works in conjunction to build towards a large story of the Baltimore Rowhome itself.
The Rowhome City
Different cities have approached urban density differently, and those architectural choices have often come to define their visual identities. New York grew vertically through towering apartment blocks, but Baltimore embraced the rowhome. Rowhomes allowed the city to balance density with a stronger sense of individualism and community.
708 S Baylis, like many Baltimore rowhomes, was constantly adapted and reiterated throughout its lifespan. It began as a local corner store, serving the needs of its growing community. Eventually, it transitioned into a connected family home, a coveted corner unit on a quiet Canton Street. When our clients acquired the property, it had long since been converted into a neighborhood pub. As that chapter of the property closed, we had to confront the unique challenges of rewinding the clock to bring it back to its identity as a family home.
A Reunification of Space
The property had a wealth of space, but its different parts sat disparate and divorced from their purpose. As a pub, the second floor was separated into an apartment accessed by an exterior stair, while the dank cellar was used to store beer kegs. Transforming this basement was a key design goal for us, and that process began with a basement dig-out. We wanted to increase the overall living space of the property, and the basement presented us with an excellent opportunity to do so. The basement evolved from a dim storage cellar into an alluring gathering space featuring 9 ft. ceilings that help the area breathe. This transformation brought together a guest bedroom with a full ensuite bath, and a cozy media room. In projects like this, it’s essential for us to pay homage to the diverse roles the rowhome has held over its lifespan, which led us to create a classic speakeasy concealed behind a bookcase.
This renovation was not only a journey to return a business to a home, but to reconnect the intimate spaces that had been severed from one another. We wanted this reunification to feel fluid and true to the identity of the rowhome. To accomplish this, we crafted a tower staircase that connected all three floors while maintaining maximum space on each horizontal plane of the home.
The Rowhome Reilluminated
Baltimore rowhomes may deliver on the promise of density balanced with personal space, but the shared walls of the homes can restrict how much light is able to bloom throughout the floor plan. We looked carefully at each level of 708 Baylis to consider how we could manipulate the space to bring a wealth of sunlight inside.
Each floor is crafted to meet the everyday needs of our clients. The ground floor includes an expansive kitchen, a living room with exposed brick and joists, a powder room, a laundry room, and home office. Throughout this ground floor, spaces take advantage of the home’s positioning as an end unit to bring natural light to the forefront. However, the second floor is where we most wanted to engineer a stunning abundance of natural illumination.
The design of the home is an exploration of capturing light, punctuated by the insertion of three vertical lightwells that create unique and unexpected experiences within the home – emphasizing the volume of the stair tower, welcoming the morning sun over the Primary Suite, and flooding natural light into a shower with a 15’ ceiling. As you move from space to space, you can feel the flow of light like rushing water, spilling over the thresholds and allowing each room to be seamlessly linked by the singular power of the natural world. For this project, natural light was as key of a design material as the exposed brick walls or the tower staircase.
What an Exterior Says About a Home
When our team constructs a vision for a project like 708 Baylis, we like to condense its exterior form factor into key elements that make it distinct. The exterior windows give the property a defining facade that sets it apart on its block. This property features a quintessential Canton rooftop deck, but we wanted to play with how structural elements can serve the role of form-generating shapes. The exterior staircase that connects the top floor to the deck, features a cutout, framing the sky behind it the same as a window frames the landscapes set before it. It’s a distinctive element that enhances the character of a property while expressing a consistency in the design philosophy we’ve pursued throughout the project.
A Rowhome Returned To Its Roots
708 Baylis Street has lived a long life, evolving with the community around it to meet changing needs. From corner store to home, from pub to home again, our team worked together to understand how the rowhome can be brought back to its roots. Through thoughtful design, we were able to breathe new life into the present elegant solutions to limitations of the classic Baltimore home, delivering a space that thrives on light, unity, and character.
If you want to learn more about our work, check out our recent feature on our Kings Eye project today.
