Rowhouse History
Modest though they may be, the Baltimore rowhouse has a proud lineage. Puritan settlers brought Rowhouse architectural motifs to these shores. The nouveau riches of late 18th century Boston and Philadelphia liked their rowhouses snazzy, and dressed up the form with Federal, or “Adam” stylings.

Baltimoreans are no slobs when it comes to residential architecture. The well to do paid architects to design stately rowhouses for them. But in Baltimore, even the simplest fruit-packer, with limited means, wanted decorative carved cornices, tiled vestibules and stained glass—and lucky for us, they got it, thanks to speculative builders like Edward Gallagher (1864-1922).

Marble Houses
We should thank Mr. Gallagher, and his speculative-builder brethren, for the enduring charm of our sturdy rowhomes. Gallagher’s goal was to build compact, modest, brick versions of the fashionable mansions, such as those in Mount Vernon. Recognizing the importance of Patterson Park as an urban oasis, he leased surrounding land from the Pratt heirs, and started building. He called his development “Parkside” and many of his homes still stand today.

Affectionately known as “marble houses,” the typical Patterson Park rowhouse was built after the Civil War, in Renaissance Revival, or Italianate, style. They have restrained flat roofs; flat, brown or red brick façades; molded and galvanized sheet-metal exterior cornices, often stamped with neoclassical decoration and dressed up with ball finials; stained glass transoms; and marble steps and trim.

Architectural details changed over time, as building and manufacturing process advanced. For example, when plate glass became affordable in the late 1890’s, builders like Gallagher replaced the tall, narrow Palladian first floor windows with a single, wide plate glass window—some arched, some square.

Builders like Gallagher brought features like undulating “swell” fronts to Patterson Park Neighborhood. You’ll find examples of this style on the 100 North block of Lakewood Street, and the 100 and 200 South blocks of Highland Avenue. On these blocks, the homes present a rhythmic, rolling face to the Cartesian street-grid, mixing round and square bays, roof turrets and gables. Charming!

To learn more about the history of your house, go to Maryland Historical Society