Dallas Street

We first became connected with the clients, an artist agent and a financial project manager, after being referred to do a small ground floor renovation. The motivation: their 100+ year old floor was sinking – fast – into a dirt crawlspace. The project quickly evolved from an emergency rehab to a brand-new contemporary home nestled inside a brick shell on a small alley street in Fells Point. Dallas Street is itself a tapestry of Baltimore building types – small alley rowhomes and larger industrial buildings, adjacent to the historic Douglass Homes, built by Frederick Douglass for freed African Americans in the late 19th Century.

Our clients proved to be ideal – energetic and passionate about their city, heavily involved in the local community and have since become close friends. They were determined to stay in Baltimore, and we committed to working with them to create a home that would allow them to thrive. Construction of this project rode the turbulent wave of the pandemic, feeling the brunt of surging material costs and delays.

The home is in a historic district, which influenced the form of the addition and the preservation of the original façade. The clerestory roof welcomes incredible daylighting into the upper floor living space, while also avoiding a power line that runs along the north property line.

A ground floor garage with dumb waiter connects alley life to the expansive 3rd floor living space. Bedrooms and bathrooms are on the 2nd floor – the primary suite looking towards a lush courtyard garden. The upper floor combines kitchen, dining and living space with a small office and terrace framed in a recontextualized early-19th century cast-iron railing. The home epitomizes a contemporary Baltimore aesthetic – conventional materials used unconventionally with custom details that speak to a shared vision of architect and client.