Carriage House

From the time Henry Hopkins III ("Hoppy" to all who know him) was 15, he worked in his dad's Mount Vernon silversmith's shop. A former carriage house built in 1897, the building was converted to a shop in 1936, with an apartment above in the space that had been the hayloft. Hopkins loved the neighborhood so much that when he graduated from high school in northern Baltimore County, he fulfilled his dream of living close to work and to the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he enrolled in fine arts.

They broke in on a Friday and took the first marble fireplace mantel, prying it off a brick wall with a crowbar. They visited again Saturday and took the second marble fireplace mantel. They came back Sunday and took an ornate cast-iron pipe that siphoned off smoke. Finally, the owner, illustrator Jerry Dadds, bought a ladder, climbed to the 14-foot ceiling and took down a handcrafted chandelier decorated with angels and etched-glass globes. "They'll come back for that next," he surmised.

Like a well-dressed dowager of a century past, Ashcombe Mansion, in Mechanicsburg, Pa., flaunts its ample charms and invites you in, for a night and a morning, a bed and a breakfast.A graceful house in Victorian Queen Anne style, it features a rounded tower surmounting a wraparound porch, scalloped shingles, stained-glass windows and parquet floors. There are three stories and 10 bedrooms, eight of them for rent.Built as a summer home for a wealthy widow in 1891 and named for the ash trees on the property, Ashcombe remained a single-family dwelling until its present owners, Mira and Ljubisa Stankovic, turned it into a B&B 18 months ago.We arrive there on a Sunday afternoon in October, the only guests in the calm after a storm.

Masonry Homes has two townhouse models available in New Market West.The townhouse and single-family home community in Frederick County features tot lots and open spaces.There are two models available in interior and end-of-group floor plans: the Gatehouse, which starts at $121,200 for 1,252 square feet, and the Carriage House, which starts at $122,000 for 1,264 square feet.The Gatehouse, a two-story townhouse, has a 12-by-9-foot kitchen, 20-by-19-foot great room, foyer and powder room on the first floor.

How many times have you driven mindlessly past it, that sprawling mansion atop the knoll in front of Johns Hopkins' campus? And have you ever wondered what lies behind those intricate wrought-iron gates on North Charles Street, marked only by a simple sign: "Evergreen House"?Dr. Bodil Ottesen, associate educator of public programs at the Baltimore Museum of Art, devised a way for the public to become more involved with the idiosyncrasies that Baltimore has to offer: a lecture series offered earlier this fall on "Baltimore Mansions," through a collaboration with the BMA and Johns Hopkins University's non-credit Odyssey Program.

New Windsor Mayor Jack A. Gullo Jr. stepped into the halls of Congress this week, airing successes and setbacks his town has encountered with government regulations.At the invitation of Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, a Western Maryland Republican, Gullo spoke before two House of Representatives subcommittees that are addressing small-business issues.Accompanied by Bartlett, Gullo also boarded the "members only" elevator to the tunnels connecting the Rayburn House Office Building to the Capitol.

BALMVILLE, N.Y. - Heidi Benson's house is also her hometown.The 19th-century carriage house near Newburgh, where Ms. Benson, a senior editor at Family Life magazine, lives with her husband, Matthew Benson, a photographer, is part of a one-acre village of carpenter Gothic outbuildings. They were built as a gentleman's farm for an Italianate Hudson River mansion next door. In addition to the carriage house, there is a farm manager's house, a barn, a milking parlor, a stable and an icehouse, with a village green between.

More than half a century has passed since the late John Work Garrett and his wife Alice Warder Garrett held magnificent parties at their beloved Evergreen House.But the tradition of hospitality lives on at the elegant pre-Civil War historic house and museum, where several thousand visitors are expected next weekend for the 41st Carriage House Collection at Evergreen.The occasion has become a tradition in Baltimore for the early holiday season, blending history and shopping with grace and style.

In Sunday's home and garden calendar, an incorrect date was given for the Hopkins Garden Festival. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday in the Carriage House at Evergreen, 4545 N. Charles St.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 5/07/97

Today, "volunteerism" seems to be a trendy catch word, something politically correct, participation to be encouraged and desired for all citizens. But long before all the recent attention, volunteers have been donating time and energy to worthwhile endeavors because they believe their contributions to be important to their communities.One such volunteer group is the Women's Board of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, founded in 1927. The board's 70th birthday was celebrated last Monday.The board's mission is as viable today as it was when it was written: "The purpose of the Board shall be to acquaint the public with the work of the hospital and its needs; to promote understanding and support to the hospital; and to maintain fund raising projects for the work of the hospital."

They broke in on a Friday and took the first marble fireplace mantel, prying it off a brick wall with a crowbar. They visited again Saturday and took the second marble fireplace mantel. They came back Sunday and took an ornate cast-iron pipe that siphoned off smoke. Finally, the owner, illustrator Jerry Dadds, bought a ladder, climbed to the 14-foot ceiling and took down a handcrafted chandelier decorated with angels and etched-glass globes. "They'll come back for that next," he surmised.

Bob and Susan Lathroum had always dreamed of owning and operating a bed-and-breakfast. So 11 years ago, when Bob lost his third management job in 15 years, the couple decided the time was right to pursue that dream. The quest led them from Linthicum to Chestertown on the Eastern Shore. "The second time I crossed the bridge over the Chester River, I said, 'This is home,' " Susan Lathroum recalled of the historic little town. The Lathroums purchased the Widow's Walk Inn in 1997. Covered in yellow clapboard siding and trimmed with deep red shutters, the stately Victorian was built in 1877 and is listed in Chestertown's historic registry.

From the time Henry Hopkins III ("Hoppy" to all who know him) was 15, he worked in his dad's Mount Vernon silversmith's shop. A former carriage house built in 1897, the building was converted to a shop in 1936, with an apartment above in the space that had been the hayloft. Hopkins loved the neighborhood so much that when he graduated from high school in northern Baltimore County, he fulfilled his dream of living close to work and to the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he enrolled in fine arts.

Looks like the Fauxfeller picked the wrong town to disappear in. The saga of Clark Rockefeller, or whoever this orange-haired guy with the black Woody Allen glasses is, took a strange turn through Baltimore, where it began to unravel. I don't even know what to call this guy at this point - Charles Smith? Chip Smith? Clark Rock? He's used all three, and more, and maybe would have gotten to Chris Rock eventually. Even he might not know what his real name is, so I'm proposing, the way we used to have to refer to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, or TAFKAP, to call him TACFKAR, The (Alleged)

An international manhunt for a New England man accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter a week ago came to an end yesterday afternoon when FBI agents arrested the fugitive and rescued the girl in Mount Vernon, officials said. FBI agents were tipped off to the presence of a man known as Clark Rockefeller by a real estate agent who leased him a carriage house in Baltimore, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. The source spoke to The Sun on condition of anonymity because the kidnapping case is being handled by federal authorities.

In 1996, Mark and Carrie Wilson bought a fixer-upper in Oella from sellers who had lived in it since the 1960s and had made very few improvements during that time. "It had gold shag carpet and red velvet wallpaper," says Carrie Wilson, remembering the 1,800-square-feet house that had no bathroom on the main level. During the past several years, the Wilsons have restored the circa-1900 Victorian farmhouse with historic precision, from the type of wood floors to the color of the trim. In addition to the updates, they have added more space and reworked a detached garden shed into a two-level carriage house.

Columbia Jewish to hold talks The Columbia Jewish Congregation will sponsor a talk by Imam Yahya Hendi, Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University, "What Jews Should Know About Islam," at 8 p.m. Wednesday at The Meeting House, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia. Alan Elsner, author of the novel The Nazi Hunter, will lead a discussion of his book from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. May 4 at Oakland Mills High School in Columbia. The programs are free and open to everyone. Information: 410-730-6044.

Architectural and decorative detail are built into this Charles Village Victorian house. The main floor's high ceilings have plaster relief designs, some leafy, some geometric. Underfoot, the wood floors feature parquet patterns with distinctive border designs. Deep crown moldings, marble fireplaces and pocket doors add to the picture. A turret distinguishes the house, its windows making the parlor and a third-floor suite bright. "There are lots of arches in this house. You see them repeated in the hallways," said Brett Cohen.

With the restoration of so many of Baltimore's once grand homes, many are becoming gracious again. Among them: Marianne Githens' magnificent Greek Revival style home in Mount Vernon. She and her now deceased husband, Stanley Z. Mazer, purchased the circa 1840 freestanding home of Maryland stone and brick nearly 14 years ago. The attraction for the couple was immediate. It featured a large front garden enclosed by an original G. Krug & Son wrought-iron fence with the original finials. Beyond the gate, a cast-iron rose arbor welcomed them.

An Islamic school wants to build a small dormitory in Woodlawn. But in an area with the highest concentration of homes for foster children and disabled and troubled youths in Maryland, a boarding school for 20 teenage boys sounds too much like a group home to some community leaders. "We don't know where these kids are coming from," said Van Ross, president of the Woodlawn Community Education and Development Association. "We don't know if they are troubled young people or what. How would you like a dormitory or a group home next to your house?"