The Widest Single Family Residence

.....Heading back east on Montgomery toward Federal Hill Park, the better part of the north side of the street features examples of the work of an early Baltimore builder named Samuel Bratt. 

206 and 208 E, Montgomery went up in about 1853, and 226 through 240 were completed between 1870 and 1871.  Most of these homes were built to be rented.  They sold originally for about $1,000. 

Ironically, nearly 100 years later, the condition of most of the neighborhood’s historic buildings had nearly declined into ruin.  And so, it would come to pass that Samuel Bratt’s houses were sold again, this time by the City of Baltimore for a mere $4,000 to $10,000 as part of the initial phase of a municipally underwritten neighborhood revitalization program.

There were no standards written into law to control this restoration.  Fortunately, many of those brave enough to relocate to this then “rough” neighborhood naturally tended toward restoring at least the exteriors to approximate their original appearance.  A City agency called the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation was founded for the purpose of setting standards for restoration and upholding proper preservationist controls on historic properties.  Unhappily, in some obvious instances, the Commission’s decisions are often subject to contradiction through the intervention of our elected officials acting on behalf of their political patrons and campaign contributors.

Before we climb the steps to the top of Federal Hill Park, look to your right at the intersection of Montgomery and Battery.  At Number 896 stands the widest single-family residence in South Baltimore (the second house to the left in this picture). 

It is considered a rarity because at the time of its construction, property taxes were based on frontage, which is why the majority of the homes in the neighborhood are relatively narrow (15 feet) and long.  However, money obviously was of little concern to Frederick Wessel, a German immigrant and wealthy department store owner, who had this house built for hi son between 1903 and 1905.