817 Prince Street
Leanne and Tim Mertz
Leanne and Tim Mertz lived here for about four months before tearing apart the back of the house. The result is a progression through time: from the Federal-era front rooms to a light-filled modern backspace, enlivened with Caribbean art and “country steampunk”—i.e., vintage yet futuristic—furniture.
The handsome living and dining rooms—with wide pine planks and original moldings—needed minimal work, but when the front of the dishwasher was opened, the backdoor in the small kitchen could not open, so a new kitchen design was ordered. The renovation brings backyard light to flood the kitchen and hall, one of the many happy features added to their home.
This home was built around 1803 by brothers Leonard and Thomas Cooke in the prevailing Federal style (1780-1820). Leonard lived in the brick row house at 819 and Thomas at 817. There’s a dirty little secret about Federal style: it’s much the same as the English “Adamesque” design, but the new republic wanted to distinguish itself from Britain after the Revolutionary War so Alexandrians continued to build British designs, labeling them American “Federal.” Essentially, however, they are Adamesque with, in some instances, an eagle motif thrown in.
The house has the typical Federal features of an elegant spider-web fanlight over the door, six-over-six pane windows, and a bracketed cornice, but the “lozenge-shaped” ornamentation (a tilted square design) in the entry hall is rare and looks rather modern. Semi-circular and oval decoration typically dominate in Federal-style houses.
The art and accoutrements range from curios like a Victorian hair wreath, courtesy of Tim’s great-great-great grandmother’s locks (After the Victorian era, the tradition of hair work faded perhaps because death became less intimate when it was removed from the home with the advent of funeral homes.); a Chinese foot bath (Modern medicine confirms the Chinese have the right idea.); evocative paintings of Baltimore scenes; and silver wine glasses and a wine chalice that accompanied Leanne’s forbears when they fled Russia.