Marylands historic mansions offer a comprehensive view of architectural trends and regional adaptation over the centuries.
The Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis is a clear example of Georgian architectures disciplined proportions.
Designed in 1774 by William Buckland, its facade showcases Palladian principles, emphasizing balance and formality.
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Its evolution mirrors broader changes in how architecture represented status and innovation.
Together, these mansions provide a textured portrait of architectural and cultural history.
Built of red brick with white trim, the manor achieves a balance of formality and grace.
The interior features high ceilings, marble fireplaces, and wood-paneled rooms.
Paths and terraces create a seamless connection between the interior spaces and the landscape.
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The facade balances geometric perfection with a genteel staircase that curves like a slow waltz.
Built in 1790 for Capt.
Original stone slave quarters and an overseers house provide stark reminders of the labor that sustained Hamptons grandeur.
Terraced gardens, meticulously designed between 1799 and 1801, featured parterres and an orangery.
Over time, orchards and pastures replaced ornamental gardens.
In 1948, the U.S. government recognized Hampton as the nations first National Historic Site for its architectural merit.
Managed by the National Park Service, the site preserves 62 acres of the once-vast estate.
Their work added fine details that make the house a significant example of Georgian architecture in America.
The facade features Flemish bond brick walls accented by belt courses and a central projecting pavilion.
The entrance includes a triple-section doorway with pediment and fanlight, unusual for the pre-Revolutionary period.
Above, a triple window and an arched third-story window reinforce the vertical perspective.
Inside, freestanding Ionic columns frame the entry hall, leading to a staircase.
Originally budgeted at $10,000, the project ballooned to $40,000 an astronomical sum in its day.
Carroll Sr., unimpressed by Juniors financial management, dubbed the estate an improvident waste.
The design, however, is anything but wasteful.
Homewoods Palladian-inspired five-part layout is masterfully planned.
The central block flanked by connected wings offers symmetry without redundancy.
Oaklands evolution mirrors its architectures adaptability.
The understated elegance of its stone facade and practical layout continues to assert its place as a historic landmark .
This composition, common in Georgian country houses, creates a balanced yet grand aesthetic.
The drawing room includes a hidden doorway integrated into the paneled walls, leading to a staircase.
The facade is dominated by a Palladian window above a projecting central bay and a classical portico.
The house originally featured outbuildings including a kitchen and orangery, later expanded into Federal-style structures by Carrolls widow.
These additions created a 360-foot-long estate.
The interior follows a center-hall plan, with rooms on either side.
The property unfolds across 95 acres of history-laden Tidewater terrain, its structures a time capsule of architectural evolution.
The centerpiece is a long 112-story frame house, with wide clapboard siding and beaded detailing.
Expanded over centuries, the nine-bay facade offers a visual chronology of Marylands shifting architectural styles.
Cylburn Mansion Baltimore
This Italianate marble confection perches regally in Baltimores Cylburn Arboretum.
Tucked into Baltimores urban sprawl, the property offers a rare blend of 19th-century elegance and horticultural splendor.
Cylburns stone construction was sourced from Tysons quarries at Bare Hills.
Built in 1802 by Captain Henry Thompson, the estate began as a dignified stone house on 166 acres.
By 1841, Clifton changed hands and aesthetic direction.
Enter Johns Hopkins, the railroad tycoon and philanthropist with a penchant for living large.
The interior includes enameled glass, garlanded plaster moldings, and a Bay of Naples mural.
Baltimore City acquired Clifton in 1895, converting much of the land into parks and infrastructure.
While the mansion suffered periods of neglect, Civic Works began its revival in the 1990s.
Highlights include Shakespeare Folios, rare natural history plates, and an early Maryland-printed booklet.
Johns Hopkins University, which received the estate in 1952, manages the 26-acre property as a museum.
Designed by local architect George Archer, the house contrasts with its red-brick and brownstone neighbors.
The design channels the French Renaissance with steep gables, intricate stone ornamentation, and asymmetrical massing.
Its longevity as a private residence underscores its historical appeal as a standout piece of Baltimores urban fabric.
