Mahogany

Q: Enclosed is a picture of a mahogany marble-top table. The legs have some carving on them. I believe it is at least 100 years old. I would appreciate any information and approximate evaluation.A: This is an early Victorian marble-top table made between 1850 and 1860. It would probably sell for $700 to $800 in good condition.Q: The attached mark is on the bottom of a covered porcelain box that measures 2 1/2 inches by 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches. It is decorated with pink and white flowers around the upper p6,10l section and has a gold border on the lid. What can you tell me about the vintage and value?

Record-high water temperatures and a March sewage leak are contributing to a large algae bloom in the Baltimore harbor, bringing what is known as a "mahogany tide" of reddish-brown algae to the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The bloom is somewhat earlier and more severe than usual, scientists say, despite the fact that a developing drought has limited runoff pollution from feeding algae growth. Water testing conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources shows skyrocketing levels of chlorophyll, the molecule plants use to turn sunlight into energy, and plummeting levels of oxygen in waters near Brooklyn and Cherry Hill.

The largest algal blooms in 20 years have invaded the lower Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, causing at least two major fish kills and discoloring the water from Sandy Point to Parker's Creek in Calvert County on the Western Shore. The algae -- called "mahogany tide" because of their color -- have been building during the last few weeks and may have reached their peak, said Pat Glibert, a professor at the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science at Horn Point in Oxford who has been studying the algae.

The serene beauty of the Magothy River can be seen in the spaces between the houses lining the road leading to Steve Goldberg's home. A study in antebellum style, the new, custom-built home offers spectacular views of the river. A slate path leads to the large, columned front porch with wicker rockers. Visitors enter through a stained-glass front door that is more than 100 years old. Once inside, a foyer with a grand staircase is no match for the views that pop from a wall of windows at the rear of the home.

Forty-one years ago, championship golfer Arnold Palmer persuaded a young Winifred Walzer to "Come on, walk with me to the next hole."Mr. Palmer's wife, Winnie, tells the story today half talking, half laughing at her husband's "pickup line" during a tournament in eastern Pennsylvania.Today, Winnie and Arnold Palmer are walking into another stage of their lives in a partnership with Lexington Furniture Industries Inc. The furniture company wanted to tap Arnie's popularity and Winnie's background in design to develop a winning line.

The serene beauty of the Magothy River can be seen in the spaces between the houses lining the road leading to Steve Goldberg's home. A study in antebellum style, the new, custom-built home offers spectacular views of the river. A slate path leads to the large, columned front porch with wicker rockers. Visitors enter through a stained-glass front door that is more than 100 years old. Once inside, a foyer with a grand staircase is no match for the views that pop from a wall of windows at the rear of the home.

Q: There's space over our three-car garage that we'd like to make over into an apartment for our son, who's attending a community college. Any budget-wise tips would be appreciated.A: In these tight economic times, lots of homeowners are looking for new living space on the old homestead. So you've asked a good question at the right time.In fact, when the editors of Home magazine built a brand-new idea house in Atlanta recently, they kept it small, compact and very realistic for the times.

Police logGlenelg: 12700 block of Folly Quarter Road: Someone tried to pry open the door leading to the Glenelg Country School's main office Sunday or Monday. Nothing was missing.Glenwood: 3600 block of Cattail Creek Drive: A generator and wood molding were taken from the Oak Construction Co. building that is under construction between Nov. 27 and Friday.Clarksville: 13500 block of Narrow Leaf Court: Someone entered a house under construction and smashed two french doors and a garage window between Nov. 27 and Monday.

To Will Runnebaum, real estate is more than bricks and mortar. It's his life. Employed by Coldwell Banker, this 41-year-old Realtor has shown and sold countless houses over the years. When a renovated William Street rowhouse in Federal Hill languished on the market for more than a year, Runnebaum concluded that, despite his best efforts to promote its myriad features and harbor view, a greater force was at work - destiny. "I realized I've always been the guy who was the most passionate about the house," he said.

Six years ago when Ryan and Elizabeth Hopkins were looking for their first home, they had a short list of requirements. They wanted a city neighborhood where the architecture was diverse, where the trees were tall and the neighbors constituted a cultural mix. Their hunt ended with the second home they saw - a brick Tudor in the Mount Washington area of Northwest Baltimore, just one mile from the charming village of the same name. "We were looking for a small-town feel, but in the city, and [close to]

The two-story, white-painted mahogany portico that is now the main entrance to the late Elizabeth C. "Nancy" Smith's beloved 19th-century mansion evokes a time long past, although it is newly, and painstakingly, restored. "It almost re-creates the old photos," Howard County park planner Clara Gouin said, imagining the woman who lived there all her life and the house as she knew it as a young woman before World War II, living on what was then a remote farm in pastoral Howard County. That's exactly the effect National Park Service exhibits specialist Brandon Gordon, 29, and his co-workers wanted as they completed three years of work on the outside of the brick house destined to become the centerpiece of 300-acre Blandair Park in east Columbia.

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.

Six years ago when Ryan and Elizabeth Hopkins were looking for their first home, they had a short list of requirements. They wanted a city neighborhood where the architecture was diverse, where the trees were tall and the neighbors constituted a cultural mix. Their hunt ended with the second home they saw - a brick Tudor in the Mount Washington area of Northwest Baltimore, just one mile from the charming village of the same name. "We were looking for a small-town feel, but in the city, and [close to]

Where Chad and Leah Gillespie are concerned, less is more. And this personal preference is evident in a minimalist style of home decor that is both artistic and functional. From street level, their rowhouse on Riverside Avenue in Federal Hill is a three-story brick structure, not unlike the thousands renovated in every neighborhood throughout the city. From the threshold, however, the interior sight is one of sleek openness, clean, natural, and sparse, yet elegantly decorated from front to back.

When Claire Gerber was divorced almost 30 years ago, three things became evident. She did not want to rent any longer than she had to, she had to be independent, and -- perhaps most important -- she needed to return to her South Baltimore roots. "I didn't want a big yard to take care of," Gerber, 56, said recently, "and I wanted a safe neighborhood." Gerber found her dream home in February 1978, on a narrow street called East Clement, just west of the harbor off Key Highway. She paid $19,500 for a late 19th-century, two-story rowhouse covered in warm colors of Baltimore Formstone, and sporting marble front steps.

Doug and Dennis Harris are 53-year old fraternal twins. Both are Realtors, and they own a pair of 10-year old "twin" Daschunds. They also share a home. There must be a secret to such contentment. "We get along great [and] respect each other's space," Dennis Harris said simply. "We're close without rivalry." Toward the end of 1997, the brothers bought a 25-year-old maisonette - commonly referred to as a two-story condominium - at the Village of Cross Keys in North Baltimore. The lush, parklike location, as well as the home's 1,690 square feet, suited them perfectly.

Designing a master suite for a 1950s contemporary in Baltimore City challenged Annapolis architect Jay B. Huyett to come up with a bedroom, bathroom and dressing area that fit aesthetically in a house style he calls a cross between "California, international and Frank Lloyd Wright."The suite was to be part of a new wing created by Mr. Huyett, of Studio 3 Architects, who says, "We wanted to leave the interior space as open as possible, yet at the same time meet all the functional requirements."

Q: I would like your opinion as to the most sensible way of giving my dining room a more dramatic look. It's currently filled with mahogany pieces, including a 7-foot-wide breakfront.A: The photo will give you an idea of how great a transformation can be wrought in an entire room by altering the appearance of its single most important element.In this instance, designer Celeste Cooper singled out a breakfront for unusual treatment. The piece was painted in a faux tortoise-shell pattern with white accents that look like ivory inlays.

To Will Runnebaum, real estate is more than bricks and mortar. It's his life. Employed by Coldwell Banker, this 41-year-old Realtor has shown and sold countless houses over the years. When a renovated William Street rowhouse in Federal Hill languished on the market for more than a year, Runnebaum concluded that, despite his best efforts to promote its myriad features and harbor view, a greater force was at work - destiny. "I realized I've always been the guy who was the most passionate about the house," he said.

If you walk through the mahogany doors of Louisiana restaurant in Fells Point on any day between noon and 2 p.m., you might find chef Damon Hersh preparing one of America's greatest dishes: the grilled cheese sandwich. For him, it's an afternoon snack, it's comfort food, and it reminds him of rainy days with his mom. "When I was a kid, on a day ... when it's cold, it's rainy, it's misty, just a blah kind of day," Hersh says, "my mom would make grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup or chicken noodle soup, and she and I would sit at the table and have lunch.