Have Faith: The Friary is a Divine Estate Headed to Auction With a History Almost Too Wild to Believe
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Located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., is this incredible, iconic estate that is like a religious experience. Where else within minutes of downtown Annapolis can you find a historic estate that has been so painstakingly renovated with 270-degree views of the Severn River?
The property in question is a 35,000-square-foot Georgian Revival estate dubbed The Friary. If you’re the praying sort, make sure to include this beauty in your evening chats with the (wo)man upstairs if you intend to make a bid for this property when it heads to the auction block with Concierge Auctions on August 12.
And while this home has some truly divine design — eighteenth-century elements like the original heart pine floors and foyer arch moldings have been flawlessly preserved — the history behind this landmark estate is just as impressive. Here’s what Concierge says about The Friary’s colorful history:
The land on which the Friary now stands has a vivid and curious history traceable from 1660, when it was originally patented and later sold to the prominent Hammon family of Annapolis. Evidence of extensive tunnel systems point towards The Friary being a major stopover for the Underground Railroad.
The Georgian mansion itself, the “core” of the present property as it now stands, was built in 1922 by an arms dealer. The house still boasts the many marks of its vibrant history, like the secret basement passageway purportedly used to hide illegal weapons.
Its original architects included William Molting, the “Dean of Baltimore Architects,” and James Wyatt, whose firm’s iconic Baltimore designs include the Baltimore Court House, Fifth Regiment Armory, Keyser Office Building, and part of Johns Hopkins University.
The estate was purchased in 1950 by the Catholic Church and converted to the St. Conrad Friary, whose Capuchin Fransican Friars maintained it for 34 years. The beautiful house then sat in wait until 2002, when the current owners revisited the then-27-bedroom behemoth and breathed fresh life into what is now a functional, comfortable home for living and entertaining.
The 23-acre estate was modeled after the James River Plantations with its Georgian Revival style architecture is a credit to architect Charles Anthony, who managed to retain the soul of the home while modernizing the massive historic property. The Friary is truly immense, totaling seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, five half baths, 11 fireplaces, a game room, a wine room, a private six-slip dock, a nine-car garage, an indoor pool and spa, and a huge outdoor pool.
The home features a cleverly designed limestone rotunda containing a conservatory and atrium lead to either of the house’s wings: the impeccably appointed guest wing with spacious common room, or the chapel-turned-ballroom with sweeping limestone fireplace, herringbone teak floors, and arched double doors with a picturesque terrace beyond.
The commercial-sized gourmet kitchen and second catering kitchen make entertaining on any scale a breeze. This masterpiece is truly one of a kind and invites you to write the next page of its rich history. A bidder deposit of $100,000 is required for this no-reserve auction with Concierge.
David DeSantis and Brad Kappel of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty have co-listed The Friary on the Severn (1604 Winchester Ave., Annapolis, Maryland) for $24.9 million.
