In the city neighborhood of Charles Village, dark-brick Victorian rowhouses are embellished with leaded- and stained-glass windows and fancy wood pediments. Wrought-iron fences enclose some front gardens, while others are defined by flowers and hedges. Many of these houses feature second-story turrets; many more welcome guests on front porches with rails, columns and trim of multicolored and intricately painted details.
The houses are inhabited by a diverse group of people, all keen on displaying creativity and pride of ownership.
Among these is Vermont native-turned-local artist Robert McClintock and his wife, Sue, who were drawn to urban living and an irresistible 2,700-square-foot home that sits at the end of a row.
In 1999, a few years after McClintock sold his commercial photography business up north and moved to Baltimore, he bought the house, which was built in the 1890s. The McClintocks paid $65,000 for the home, which was in fairly good condition and included three second-floor bedrooms and a full basement, where McClintock now stores his canvases.
"This house is the plain Jane in our neighborhood," said Sue McClintock, a therapist in private practice. "The houses across the street have much more detail."
Still, they both conceded the house was well built. Not overly fancy, the house had strong appointments that included an oak staircase in the center of the first floor, original tin ceilings in the living and dining rooms, and durable heart of pine flooring and molding.
While money was tight in the beginning, the couple did make changes to the interior, such as opening the dining room to the kitchen, taking care not to compromise the architectural elements of the period.
Robert McClintock did most of the work himself, repairing the roof and installing cabinetry; they also spent about $1,000 to have the floors sanded. His wife took charge of the painting, selecting warm colors of beige, soft terra cotta and rich yellow for the interior. For the columns, rails and trim on the decorated front porch, the names of her colors are as interesting as their shades - summer squash yellow, pumpkin orange, radicchio purple and celery green.
The colorful porches of the neighborhood reflect a group project several years ago to emulate the large, Victorian "Painted Ladies" on the hilly streets of downtown San Francisco, Sue McClintock says.
City living has agreed with the couple.
