maryland

One of my favorite real estate commenters, the ever-knowledgeable Spectacular Bid led me to the news that the family of Ambassador Robert Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister to President John F. Kennedy) have put their Potomac, Maryland estate on the market since the family has been spending more time at other Kennedy/Shiver outposts such as Hyannispoort, Los Angeles and Miami. The home was built in 1986 for the Shrivers and is an expansive Georgian style home ranging over 16,000 square feet. The home is on nearly seven acres that include the hickory trees that Sargent Shriver had planted when the residence was constructed built and which were part of the trees on Ambassador Shriver's old family farm in Westminster, Maryland. The grounds also include a pool, pool house, tennis courts and four-car garage.

As you might imagine the home has been the site of Kennedy clan gatherings, historical events and Special Olympic fundraisers. It has 10 bedrooms and large rooms for entertaining. The current decor is exquisitely classic and items of family remembrance such as a big picture of Rose Kennedy hang proudly on the walls.

This home is listed at $11.8 million. It bears noting that Robert and Ethel Kennedy's McLean, Virginia home, Hickory Hill has been on the market for several years and has seen its asking price go from $25 million to $12.5 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

I've been hearing stories of Ted Koppel slashing the prices on his Potomac, Maryland home for a while and have wondered how bad it could possibly be. Finally with the news from the NY Post that the former "Nightline" host cut the price again I had to check it out. Koppel first put the home on the market in 2005 for $4.1 million and has now cut the price by over half. What's so bad about it? Let's investigate. The six-bedroom contemporary home has nearly 9,000 square feet and includes an indoor pool, a sauna, and maid's quarters. Sounds great right? The home was built in 1968 and seems to be showing its age. There's nothing particularly wrong with the home, it just seems dated from the brick fireplaces to the track lighting. Ted's home has potential though and I think some more modern furnishings could make this into a showplace. At $1.79 million, it's a lot of space for your money.

For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 20815. This zip code is in Chevy Chase, Maryland has a median price of $2,020,000 and an appreciation rate of 253% since 1990. This residential Maryland suburb offers easy access to Washington D.C. and is home to a variety of traditional homes.

Today's home, Wirelawn was first purchased from the Chevy Chase Land Company in 1905. It's full of political history, Harry Truman's presidential inaugural ball was held here and the home, which is now a private residence, once served as an embassy. The ten-bedoom home has a grand foyer, formal living room, formal dining room, music room (with a beautiful Egyptian-themed mural), family room and ballroom. The first floor is also home to the sunroom, kitchen, butler's pantry and mudroom. The upper levels are home to the bedrooms including the master suite with his and hers baths and dressing area, bedroom suites with sitting rooms, and staff quarters. There is also a temperature-controlled wine cellar and a gentleman's study. The 1.36 acre property includes a covered veranda off the ballroom, large heated pool and spa, three-car garage, gazebo and pool house, tented terrace and deck, a circular drive, motor court and a lawn large enough to accommodate football and soccer games, or a tennis court. This home is listed at $6.9 million.

This custom home is located in Chance Hope Farm, a small waterfront enclave that is part of St. Michaels, Maryland. Chance Hope Farm is a neighborhood of approximately 50 luxury single family homes that are all are on the water along the Miles River. This home has tranquil views of Eastern Bay and the Miles River. The 7,000 +/- sq. ft. custom built home has a beautiful sun-filled sitting room, a French country kitchen and my favorite feature, a two-story atrium library with a winding staircase. Outside there is a an inground pool, a pier and a detached three-car garage that has guest quarters. It is listed at $3.495 million.

Today's home has me pondering the problems associated with older homes. Here we have Up Holland, a nice nearly 20-acre spread near St. Michaels, Maryland. The historic home is believed to date from the late 1700s and is part of a land grant patented ca. 1667 . The six-bedroom home has been added to and modified over the years and now has a Greek Revival facade with a two story porch. The home has a formal living room and library with fireplaces and nine foot ceilings. The dining room is believed to be the oldest part of the house and has wood floors, wood-burning fireplace, old doors and a back stairway. The country kitchen has a brick fireplace and a table. The home is in need of a major overhaul, I just wonder how much can be done to bring it into the modern age. In its current state the home seems to be a patchwork of its various additions and renovations. I might direct potential new owners to Tusculum, a former estate of the day that is an older home that has been elegantly recreated. The home also has a carriage house that has two garage bays, a greenhouse/potting shed and a second floor studio. The land includes a swimming pool and pool house and a wide pier on Broad Creek provides anchorage for several boats. The home is listed at $3.485 million.

They call this one the Island Cottage because it sits on a four-acre point of land on Island Creek in Trappe, Maryland. The home is on a private tree-lined drive and has a very private feel. The four-bedroom country home is surrounded by trees with views of water, wildlife and waterfowl. it was built in 2004 and has an exterior is of brick and cedar with a roof of cedar shake and standing seam copper with antique chestnut wood which was re-milled in Pennsylvania used in the interior. The home includes a living room, a formal dining room with fireplace and lighted display cases, library and family room. There is also a cabana with a service kitchen and space for a wine room. Outside there is a pool. The overall feel is one of relaxed elegance, a family home on a slightly grand scale. This home is listed at $4.9 million.

It might look like an old English manor but Penderyn along the Wye River in Queenstown, Maryland was built in the 1980s. The Palladian lines of the home are designed to make it look like a contemporary of the 1780's Wye Hall manor. The nine-bedroom brick manor sits on a 17-acre peninsula with its own pier. The estate is named after a village in Wales. The Wye River is also named after the Wye River in Wales. The home has a 60-foot long arched hall lined with busts, urns and jars. The home is full of all sorts of antiquities including a 19th-century English chandelier by Perry and most of the fireplace fronts in the home are antique pieces from country estates in England. Other features include a bar, an observatory, formal drawing room and a marble foyer. This home is listed at $14.9 million.

An old grain silo and grain elevator in Baltimore now has new life as a luxury condominium complex. Silo Point is a $400-million development on Baltimore's waterfront. The site was once used by the Archer Daniels Midland Company to store corn, soy beans and wheat. The complex will include several phases. The first was 120 townhouses. The second will include condominiums and retail inside the grain elevator and the third part will be townhouses and apartments. For those on the higher floors it's a chance to have a view that is unmatched in the area. The condos will also preserve a bit of the feel of the old grain elevator with the concrete floors, high ceilings and exposed ductwork, Other planned amenities include rooftop gardens and a health club. The condo units range in size from 1,800 to 5,000 square feet, and will cost from the low $400,000s to $5 million.

I am not sure why this complex is named after the Elven outpost in Tolkein books but Rivendell, is a new waterfront condominium building with views of Assawoman Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Ocean City, Maryland. The building has 88 two, three, and four-bedroom condo residences. The building is also home to the Hobbit Restaurant, indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center and covered parking. Prices start in the low $600,000s and move-in is set to begin this fall.

I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a voyeur. Part of the reason I love doing the estate of the day is because I want to be able to peek inside people's houses. Today's home in Bethesda, Maryland I am blogging simply for the stuff in it. it may not be your taste, it isn't mine in many respects but rarely have I seen such an amazing selection of contemporary furniture and crafts in one house. It's an crafts festival unto itself. The 12,000 square foot home has a modern look with clean lines and lots of blond wood. There is a library and seven bedrooms including a master suite with his and hers private offices, sitting room and his and hers bathrooms. It sits on two acres and has a columned loggia for outdoor dining. It is listed at $3.95 million. After the jump, even the rugs are distinctive.

One of the stateliest homes in Maryland recently hit the market. Bracebridge Hall is a brick Georgian created in 1990 by architect David Easton. The home is 38,000 square feet of elegant style. This home is located on an impressive 557 acres of countryside with around one mile of shoreline on tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. This home includes a stately columned center hall, a large living room with a coffered ceiling and views to the river. The dining room has an Asian-design mural and the paneled library includes a corner fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass doors with access to terrace.

The home has eight bedrooms including a master suite that has a fireplace and a marble bath with a whirlpool as well as a steam shower. The kitchen is designed for entertaining with commercial appliances and a center island with six workstations. The lower level of the home includes a billiards room, sitting room and mechanical rooms including four back-up generating systems. There is also a barn on the property as well as a two two-story Williamsburg Colonial style homes. Perhaps the strangest room on the entire estate is the conference room, a round room with a domed ceiling that is currently home to a massive boardroom table. Bracebridge Hall is listed at $34.5 million. After the jump, you could rule the world from your own home.

The Chesapeake Bay area offers all sorts of delicious food (crabs and oysters spring immediately to mind). The 4th Annual St. Michaels Food & Wine Festival April 27-30, which is being held at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum offers a chance to check out food and wine against a beautiful seaside backdrop. The festival pavilion will be home to wine tastings, demonstrations, book signings and food tastings. Events include a live wine, food and travel auction to benefit three charities and a champagne brunch on Sunday. Tickets start at $35 for a single day pavilion ticket.

This expansive farm in Maryland has a long history. The Grove Farm sits on the%uFFFD Grove Neck peninsula in the heart of the Cecil County Maryland.%uFFFD The land has been owned by the same family for over 70 years and includes 716 acres of hardwood forest, farmland, and waterfront on the Sassafras River and Pond Creek. The main house and one of the barns date back to the 1700s. The farm is located with a few hours of both Baltimore/Washington and Philadelphia and is listed for $17.5 million.

[via Unique Homes]