Homewood Estate - Baltimore
Homewood was built between 1801 and 1806. The architecture is a prime example of American Federal architecture transitioning in the 1800s with Palladian and Adams influences. A new nation is looking for a strong identity through architecture. Homewood was a country retreat that Carroll used during the summer and autumn, spending the rest of the year in a townhouse in Baltimore City. https://museums.jhu.edu
Homewood Estate started with much anticipation and goodwill. Charles Carroll of Carrolton (1737-1832) made this a wedding gift in 1800 to his son Charles Carroll of Homewood (1775–1825). The senior Carroll was born in Annapolis, Maryland (photo nine)—a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He already had an extended family legacy as a plantation owner and is now one of the American Colonies' wealthiest men. Sent to study at the Academy of English Jesuits in Liège, Belgium, in 1785 - Charles Carroll Jr. returned to Maryland in 1794 as the violence of the French Revolution spread. In 1800 Charles Jr. was married to Harriet Chew of Philadelphia. Charles Carroll Sr. purchased the property for his son in 1794. Charles Carroll Jr. received a 130-acre tract of land just north of Baltimore and a substantial amount to build a country home. Carroll, Jr. promptly became obsessed with designing and building his Homewood estate. Construction began on a new home of his design in 1801 and mainly had finished by 1808. The sophisticated details and construction soon sent the cost soaring that was covered by his father's money, ending up four times the budgeted expense.
Charles Carroll House of Annapolis: The Annapolis, Maryland family home of three generations - Charles Carroll of Carrollton was the only catholic signer of the Decoration of Independence. Built on the shores of Spa Creek, the waterfront location simplified transportation — this is the side guests would arrive. St. Mary's Parish is now adjoining the Charles Carroll House. https://charlescarrollhouse.org
Charles Carroll House of Annapolis: The Carroll House is a restoration in progress. Started c. 1730, the house is built in sections. The North entrance is now next to the St. Mary's Parish, showing some of the progression of the Carroll family additions. The Carrolls were among the most prominent Catholics in the English colonies and the early United States.
The design of Homewood Estate is five-part Palladian using Federal-style detailing. The temple front four-columned portico is the focus of the main elevation. A significant design variation is having a partial second floor - the bedrooms and family areas are in the wings. The concept is a much more open and flowing design for the period. As costs climbed, (the interior woodwork is particularly elaborate), the tension between father and son escalated. Charles Carroll Sr. would eventually refuse to pay for further construction in 1803. Personal and political reasons led to erratic behavior from Charles Carlroll Jr. Distress would play out in severe alcoholism and gambling issues. Violent and uncontrollable, a permanent separation from his wife in 1816 boosted his descent. The marriage with beautiful Harriet Chew (1775-1861) started as the perfect match of family, wealth, and individuals was now a costly legal settlement. Charles Carroll Sr. ultimately bought the house from his son in 1824 - Charles Carroll Jr. passed the following year. Homewood would then go to the grandson of Charles Carrollton Sr., Charles Carroll III.
Homewood South Facade: The design of Homewood Estate is five-part Palladian using Federal-style detailing. The temple front four-columned portico is the focus of the principal elevation. The front entry includes a full entablature complete with side lights and tracery fanlight.
Homewood North Facade: The garden facade has a flat portico. The house is built of Flemish-bond brick with stone trim and comprises a one-and-a-half-story central block with hyphens connecting to flanking single-story wings resting on a high basement.
1800 was still an era of gentlemen builders - The professional architect was emerging in post-Revolution America. There is no evidence or drawings of an architect for the project. However, there is verification that the builder, the Edwards Brothers, very skilled and well-established, contracted with Carroll for the project. Built on a Palladian-inspired five-part plan, Homewood is renowned for its fine craftsmanship and materials. There is extravagant detail in all aspects of its construction, from the intricately carved wooden fireplace surrounds, doorways, and chair rails to the marble-painted baseboards, mahogany-grained doors, and the ornate plaster ceiling ornaments. With elegant proportions, fine artistry, and materials, its plan, all on one floor, was an open approach. Guests could move from room to room through doors on the south side. Doors at the north end of the rooms could be closed to conceal service activity along the central passage. Homewood is furnished as it would have been when the Carrolls resided there. Interior spaces and brightly colored rooms are filled with items associated with the Carroll family and others representative of the period, including many superb examples of Baltimore furniture. Homewood remains a window into early 19th-century Baltimore history and its architectural and design evolution.
Homewood Reception Hall: Following has a wide center reception hall adjoining a back garden entry hall in which the stairway to the upper level is located.
Homewood Reception Hall: Painted floor cloths or richly detailed rugs cover the original southern yellow pine floors. The floor cloths are made of heavy-grade sailcloth and painted with 15 layers of paint.
Homewood Central Hall: The halls are flanked by large rooms and bisected by a perpendicular east-west cross hall that also provides access to the hyphens and wings.
As a snapshot of the 1800s, Baltimore was growing significantly. Post-Revolution, with its exceptional harbor location, became a major seaport and international trade center - knocking Annapolis out of this position. By the beginning of the 1800s, Baltimore became a principal city of the new republic and the largest in the American South. Even then, Baltimore was a melting pot of cultures and neighborhoods. The population had grown from thirteen thousand in 1790 to just shy of twenty-six thousand in 1800. Baltimore now had the people to support the best builders and tradespeople in this evolution renaissance. While Charles Carrollton expected his son to take stewardship of the family's fifteen thousand-acre estate at Doughoregan Manor, Charles Carrollton Jr. felt there was a better calling for himself in a new world where anything was possible. He needed a home that reflected his vision and exemplified the level Baltimore should present itself. Homewood was conceived as a reflection of this political and social apparition.
Doughoregan Manor: A plantation house and estate located in what is now Ellicott City, Maryland. Established in the early 18th century as the seat of Maryland's Carroll family, A portion of the estate, including the main house, was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 11, 1971. It remains in the Carroll family and is not open to the public. mht.maryland.gov
The Baltimore home of Charles Carroll of Carrollton: The Carroll home was built circa 1808 in Federal-era architecture (1780–1820). The ground floor was used for business and family gatherings, the second for formal entertaining, and the third for sleeping. baltimore.org
Homewood Back Parlor: Filled with late afternoon light, the Back Parlor reflects the family and their various multi-purpose activities. The parlor also acts as a library space.
Homewood Back Parlor: The location of this room caught the last light of the day and probably made it a popular space for the family, with the late daylight making it popular for games and family activities.
Homewood Dining Room: Many details of the house were probably drawn from the design book William Pain's "The Practical House Carpenter," the first American edition printed in 1796. Extreme attention to detail and design reflects the importance of entertaining at the time.
Homewood Dining Room: Americans were particularly eager to show their taste, understanding of culture, and refined entertaining. The dining room was significant for projecting this refinement and revealing the fine dining tools through their china, crystal, and, most importantly, silver.
Homewood Drawing Room: The drawing room reflects the taste of the early 1800s with a great deal of wood carving reflecting the Robert Adam influences dominating London.
Homewood Drawing Room: The rugs were made in England, woven in 2-foot-wide strips, and shipped to Baltimore, where they were stitched together.
Master Bed Chamber: Located on the east end of the first-floor wing, the Master Bed Chamber captures the morning light. This space would also be used for breakfast, tea, or hot chocolate and hosting quests. The exceptional detail of this room illustrates the importance the Carrolls placed on entertaining.
The Federal-period Palladian home was in the Carroll family until purchased by merchant William Wyman in 1838 and rented to various tenants until becoming the Country Day School for Boys (predecessor of the Gilman School). Johns Hopkins University then acquired Homewood, moving its downtown Baltimore campus north to the home's site, naming the campus after it, and incorporating the architectural style into the new construction. The estate served various functions on campus until becoming a museum in 1987. Johns Hopkins University acquired the building, which gave rise to the "Homewood Campus" name, in 1902 and opened it as a museum in 1987. Homewood is now a house museum maintained by the university; it serves as the showpiece of the college campus located to its rear. Homewood was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971 and underwent a major restoration beginning in 1976.
View of Baltimore Town, 1752 by John Moale (1731-1798) / Baltimore in 1752 is about a two hundred population. The drawing captures the young town just before a boom period marking the beginning of 200 years of uninterrupted population growth that wouldn't end until 1950.
View of Baltimore from Chapel Hill - 1800 by William Henry Bartlett (1760–1820) / Baltimore's population in 1790 was thirteen thousand. The population in 1800 jumped to twenty-six thousand. US Capitol Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe would start Baltimore's Basilica of the Assumption in 1806.
View of Baltimore 1840 - William H. Bartlett / In 1840, Baltimore's population was one hundred-two thousand. Baltimore was shifting to an industrial city with the addition of Iron, manufacturing, and the B&O Railway. Baltimore was now a "city of refuge," where enslaved and free blacks found unusual freedom.
Homewood Estate: 1801–1806, Charles Carroll Jr worked with Robert and William Edwards, master carpenters, located 3400 N. Charles St. Baltimore, Maryland. The house was largely complete and ready for occupancy in 1803, although changes and additions continued to be made until 1806. https://museums.jhu.edu
