Marble

Sebastian Martorana is a stoop storyteller in the finest tradition of Baltimore's stoop storytellers. The sculptor, a transplant to the city who recognized immediately the cultural meaning of rowhouse marble steps, tells the story of trying to rescue many of those steps from demolition. "These steps are a savable part of Baltimore history," said Martorana, whose work has been chosen for display in the prestigious "40 under 40: Craft Futures" at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington that opened Friday.

Homebuyers looking for a place to love might find their match in this property off Valentine Creek and Severn River in Anne Arundel County. The comtemporary home on Riverside Drive North has 1,910 square feet of open living space and a view of the water from every window. The four-bedroom home is listed for $837,900. "Relaxing on the deck overlooking Valentine Creek, with the sun setting or rising is truly a wonderfully serene experience," said Stefan Holtz, of the Creig Northrop Team of Long & Foster Real Estate, which listed the property.

White marble has stood as a Baltimore icon for decades, primarily as rowhouse steps, the preferred gathering place for residents in many neighborhoods. The marble also served as the street-level façade for a number of downtown buildings, greeting thousands of Baltimoreans on their daily rush to work. But amid decades of renovation and redevelopment, cheaper replacements relegated countless tons of once-gleaming stone to the dump. That's where Stuart B. Foard found inspiration for a heavyweight home project.

Charles Luck, an architectural stone supplier based in Richmond, Va., has opened a new design studio in Baltimore. The 1,250-square-foot ground-floor space is in the Park Plaza Professional Building. In addition to providing design consultants and homeowners with stone products for exteriors, countertops, tile and landscaping, the company is the sole U.S. distributor of Kreoo tile, an Italian line of marble furniture and decor. The design studio plans a grand opening for April 25. Find the Charles Luck Design Studio at 800 N. Charles St., Suite 100M.

As elaborate scaffolding envelops the Washington Monument in the nation's capital for a $9.4 million restoration, pallets of snowy-white Cockeysville marble await delivery to the site. Just as early builders sought the impressive rock from central Baltimore County to construct the towering monument to George Washington in the mid-1800s, today's contractors wanted similar stone to patch the monument's aging, weather-worn exterior. "There was an obvious benefit to using marble from the same quarry," said Vikki Keys, a deputy superintendent with the National Park Service, which oversees the 555-foot-high obelisk.

In the beige marble shower at the vice president's home in Washington, the floor is slotted so Al Gore doesn't slip while he's lathering up. In Whitney Houston's New Jersey residence, peach granite counters -- including one atop an island shaped like a baby-grand piano -- highlight the kitchen. And in a conference room on the 28th floor of Rockefeller Center in New York rests a 6-ton, $51,000 granite table so long that to talk to someone at the other end one would have to send e-mail.

WASHINGTON - The Tomb of the Unknowns, the memorial that honors unidentified American servicemen and servicewomen killed in battle and attracts millions of visitors annually, is being replaced after 72 years. The white marble monument atop a hill in Arlington National Cemetery is cracked on all four sides. The fault runs diagonally 1 1/2 times around the rectangular tomb, cutting through its classic facade, slicing the three laurel wreaths etched on two sides and marring the Greek relief figures of Peace, Victory and Valor carved into one end. The crack doesn't obscure the solemn inscription: "Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God."

A key to Jon Isherwood's alluring, large-scale abstract stone sculptures at C. Grimaldis Gallery lies in the fascinating video installation set up in the rear gallery that suggests the sources of this British-born artist's inspiration. Isherwood makes emotive, vessel-like and architectural forms of striking freshness and technical polish. Some of the pieces resemble gourds or roughly hewn wine flasks, while others recall the swelling female forms of Stone Age sculpture. The pieces, carved from richly veined marbles in various colors, are scored on their surfaces with intricate swirling patterns and writhing curlicues that create a palpable impression of motion despite their heavy immobility.

We want to remodel and divide a big, old-fashioned bathroom. One part is to be converted into a powder room for guests; the rest of the space will remain a bathroom adjoining a seldom-used spare bedroom. We want to give both spaces a bit of flair so that they don't look purely functional. Can you suggest alternatives to white fixtures, tile and counter tops, and pastel wallpaper?In aiming for "flair," you're probably also seeking to give that new powder room a touch of elegance. That will certainly preclude not only the lab-like look of all-white surfaces, but also any use of pastels.

In ancient Athens, artists adorned buildings with sculptures of the human figure, called caryatids, that reflected the Greek ideal of beauty. In modern-day Baltimore, architects have collaborated with a Maryland sculptor to create four caryatids that reflect a different sort of ideal. The polished marble on the faces and hands is dark, in contrast to the light headdresses and robes. Two have broad noses and full lips that suggest an African-American heritage. The other two have features that seem European.

White marble has stood as a Baltimore icon for decades, primarily as rowhouse steps, the preferred gathering place for residents in many neighborhoods. The marble also served as the street-level façade for a number of downtown buildings, greeting thousands of Baltimoreans on their daily rush to work. But amid decades of renovation and redevelopment, cheaper replacements relegated countless tons of once-gleaming stone to the dump. That's where Stuart B. Foard found inspiration for a heavyweight home project.

The first images of Earth as seen from space, appearing as a swirly blue marble, were groundbreaking. Now NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have published photos of Earth by night using infrared imaging technology via satellite. The images show what is now a fairly familiar view of clusters of city lights, but what is different is it shows those twinkling lights from afar across the entire globe. You can see the darkened planet at various vantage points, as well as in an animated video, at NASA's Earth Observatory website . You can also view them in a gallery in the Sun's Darkroom photo blog . They were gathered through a partnership between NASA and NOAA.

Sebastian Martorana is a stoop storyteller in the finest tradition of Baltimore's stoop storytellers. The sculptor, a transplant to the city who recognized immediately the cultural meaning of rowhouse marble steps, tells the story of trying to rescue many of those steps from demolition. "These steps are a savable part of Baltimore history," said Martorana, whose work has been chosen for display in the prestigious "40 under 40: Craft Futures" at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington that opened Friday.

When the 50-year-old driver handed over his slingshot, he admitted to pelting the speed camera van with glass marbles. By the time Bruce L. May of Ellicott City was arrested and in Howard County police custody Tuesday night, police said, he had revealed he had taken it personally when he was issued two tickets in the past six weeks after being captured by speed cameras. The incident near a Howard County elementary school is just the latest in a spate of Baltimore-area vandalism against speed cameras.

Lady Baltimore has withstood much in 189 years perched overlooking Courthouse Square. She has lost both of her arms over the decades — one of them, holding high a wreath that signifies service to the republic, was sheared off by a gust of wind in January 1938, shattering on the pavement. And though it may be hard to tell from the street 52 feet below, wind, rain, snow, hail and pollution have dissolved much of the marble statue's eyes, nose and ears. But a new effort will finally give Lady Baltimore a new home — for her own good.

With some paint and glazes, a few tools and a little time, a plain, functional front door can become a home's welcoming statement, with the rich colors and grains of oak or mahogany. A concrete column can look like marble, a ceiling can become a cloud-dappled sky and old cabinets can get new life. To get those looks and more, all homeowners have to do is go to school. The Faux School, founded in Frederick by artist Ron Layman, 41, offers classes on decorative painting techniques to amateurs and professionals alike.

Charles Luck, an architectural stone supplier based in Richmond, Va., has opened a new design studio in Baltimore. The 1,250-square-foot ground-floor space is in the Park Plaza Professional Building. In addition to providing design consultants and homeowners with stone products for exteriors, countertops, tile and landscaping, the company is the sole U.S. distributor of Kreoo tile, an Italian line of marble furniture and decor. The design studio plans a grand opening for April 25. Find the Charles Luck Design Studio at 800 N. Charles St., Suite 100M.

Shoot 'em up Watch state, national and international marble-shooting champions demonstrate their expertise at the eighth annual Greater Baltimore-Washington Marble Show in Perry Hall Saturday. Watch or join in the American "ringer" and British marble games. Enter a Chinese checker tournament, get a free appraisal of your marble collection, attend an auction of marbles and marble-related items, and perhaps win one of the door prizes, including a jar of marbles. The show takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Perry Hall Middle School, 4300 Ebenezer Road.

The exterior of the Anne Arundel County home of Mark Rucci and his partner, Randall Franklin, provides few clues to the storybook world visitors will find inside. At street level, a Victorian wrought-iron gate stands between two large urns containing trimmed topiary. While the gate opens to the front walk, its placement and its arched carving are purely an ornamental touch — there is no fencing to keep people from the yard. At the end of the walk, four artificial pink trees sit on pedestals in front of the bi-level home with its light yellow siding and vivid, cadet blue shutters on each window.

The Marble Bar at the Congress Hotel was quietly re-listed again last week. The bar/club, which once hosted the likes of R.E.M. and Iggy Pop, went up for lease in December at an undisclosed price. But it seems no offers materialized. Congress Financial, which bought the hotel last year, retired the bar from the market several months ago, said Henry Deford, the JBL Real estate agent handling the property. The company listed it for lease because, with all 36 units at the once iconic hotel filled, it also wants to revive the bar, Deford said last year.