829 Park Avenue, Mt. Vernon, Baltimore
Hot House: Historic Knabe House once the home to the Knabe family, who owned the house from 1885 to 1906. Seven bedrooms, six baths, 12,670 square feet. Totally restored. Asking price: $1.2 million.
At the turn of the 20th century, Wm. Knabe & Co. was one of the leading piano makers in the world and one of Baltimore’s largest employers. The pianos were made here in Baltimore in a factory where Ravens Stadium now sits. Musicians, including Tchaikovsky, played Knabe pianos, and the members of the family were leading socialites in the city, with a house to match their social aspirations.
Located on Park Avenue in the heart of Mount Vernon, this house is the definition of fin de siècle elegance and craftsmanship. The house maintains all of the finest details of the 19th century and has been updated with the amenities of the 21st century. Mahogany paneling mixed with zoned air-conditioning!
What: Places like this rarely come on the market, and when the current owners bought this house 21 years ago, it had been sub-divided into multiple apartments and doctors’ offices. They spent years restoring the classic townhouse to a very high historic standard while including modern conveniences such as an elevator and air-conditioning.
Knabe House has a huge newly updated kitchen, as well as an adjacent entertainment area and conservatory with Italian marble columns and a tiled floor. There are eleven fireplaces, many with their original elaborate mantle pieces. The house features a mahogany-paneled dining room, an elegant staircase topped with a beautiful stained-glass skylight, and gorgeous ten-foot-tall windows in the stunning living room.
The house has seven bedrooms and six full- and partial-bathrooms, but there is also a fourth-floor “servants’ quarters” with an additional four bedrooms and a bathroom. Another amenity is the on-site parking, including in-house garage space for two cars.
Where: Knabe House is in the lovely and gracious Mount Vernon neighborhood, which is home to numerous cultural institutions, restaurants in a wide range of cuisines, and multiple modes of transportation including Amtrak, the Circulator and the light rail. 829 Park is within walking distance to Dooby’s, the Baltimore School for the Arts, the Walters Art Museum and more.
Final Appraisal: A space like this doesn’t come along very often. Literally, the last time this house was on the market was 1999. Knabe House is a place for someone who enjoys the finest things city living has to offer, who loves to entertain, and who is a fan of historic architecture and design. The owner’s listing for the house is here.
