Aigburth Vale

• BALTIMORE COUNTY • is UNIT _4\ e31.. 8. 59 STO Agriculture Building • 9811 Van Buren Lane • Cockeysville, MD 21030 igbiCAL Editors: ISSN 0889-6186 JOHN W. McGRAIN and WILLIAM HOLLIFIELD VOL. 32, NO. 4 SUMMER-AUTUMN 1998 VOL. 33, NO. 1 Aigburth Vale by Carol E. Hooper and William Hollifield Aigburth Vale, on the south side of Aigburth Road adjacent to Towson High School, is a large three-story mansion set on an open 4.9-acre lot that also includes four outbuildings. The main building complex consists of a large central pavilion, three porches, and a number of wings, all with classic mansard roofs. Rich decorative elements appear throughout the exterior, on dormers, porch supports, and at the cornice line. Inside are a number of large public rooms with decorative stone fireplaces and simple wood trim. Set on a slight rise, with a large mansard roof and a Aigburth Vale shortly after construction in 1869. Pho- large central three-and-a-half-story tower with a tograph from Memories of the Professional and Social widow's walk, Aigburth Vale is a striking example of Life of John E. Owens by Mary S. Owens (1892). Second Empire styling. Aigburth Vale has been recognized as one of Baltimore County's preeminent trees. A line of trees is located on the east side of the examples of this architectural style and it is one of very property along Herring Run and assorted deciduous and few surviving Second Empire estates in the county. evergreen trees and bushes are scattered throughout According to John McGrain, Baltimore County the property, many as foundation plantings. No Historian, the house has a number of features that remnants of the original extensive decorative gardens distinguish it from other local buildings of that style. (which included parterres) or "sentinel elms" remain. He finds that other extant Second Empire buildings in The massing and footprint of the building are both the county are smaller in scale than Aigburth and do complex and asymmetrical as was often true for the not, in general, show its use of high quality materials. Second Empire style. Building materials include An access drive from Aigburth Road leading from original horizontal wood siding, standing-seam metal, the west side of the property first forms a circular drive wood shingle, and composition roofing, and stone in front of the west elevation of the house and then foundations which are particularly visible at the continues eastward, providing access to the four basement level on the north and east elevations. outbuildings to the north of the main building. A paved Inside, it is at the first-floor level that the house's parking area is located at the end of this drive, below grand scale and use during the mid-19th century can and to the east of the main house. Based on early maps best be seen. The current (west) entrance opens onto of the area, the access road appears to be largely the main hall which provided access from the original consistent with its early route. The parking area, (south) front entrance. Off of the hall towards the however, likely was added in the 1960s. original entrance are two large rooms, each with a The site contains a number of large trees clustered fireplace. The room to the east was originally the library close to the house and currently the west and south or "sanctum" of John Owens—the original owner—and a elevations are largely obscured by mature evergreen smaller room attached to it was his "smoking room." PAGE 14 BALTIMORE COUNTY HISTORY TRAILS SUMMER 1998 The west room, which likely was the main parlor or Other changes that date to the Board of Education's dining room, retains the most elaborate decorative use of the building, and therefore likely occurred after elements. The focus of the room is a stone fireplace that 1949, include alterations to three porches. The original has been given a black and mottled brown decorative front porch has been filled in to produce interior space, treatment. It has an overmantel mirror. The fact that as has the porch in the middle of the north wing. In simpler, although related, designs are used in the eight both cases, significant materials and detailing from the other fireplace mantels in the house would indicate that original porch structure, such as siding, roofing, or the fireplace is original. The room also features an molding, remain. The west porch (the current front elaborate central plaster "rose" ceiling medallion and entrance) has been partially infilled. Here, the bays chandelier. toward the steps and all of the porch supports remain Straight ahead from the current entrance are the intact. These elements convey the original appearance main stairs. The open-string stairway has wood of the porch. Another alteration that occurred during banisters and decorative brackets. The sides of the this period was the widening (to the south) of the east stairs have recessed panels. The stairs are located in a wing—which itself was an addition. hall that ends in what originally was another formal Other alterations, such as the construction of the public spqace. It too features a stone fireplace. Today first portion of the east wing and any possible the room has been shortened to produce other rooms in alterations to the north, are difficult to date. Joints in the east wing. The north side of the room is a narrow the construction of the foundations clearly indicate that passageway that provides access to a hall servicing the the one-story section of the east wing is an addition. east wing and the hall leading to the north wing of the As to the north wing, a footprint of the building in house. This hall also includes a service stairway. The 1877 as well as the wing's irregular composition cast north wing consists of three large rooms and the some doubt as to whether the current configuration of enclosed porch. this area is original. An examination of the foundations The second floor has 11 rooms of varying sizes and of these two areas sheds some light on the question. four bathrooms. Three of the larger rooms have Stone foundations which have been whitewashed and fireplaces. The third floor has nine rooms, three of which scored are found along the entire west wall of the north have fireplaces, and five baths. The fourth floor, the addition and, in the interior, along what would be the dormer level of the tower, is reached by an enclosed end of the building before the addition of the east wing. staircase from the third floor. The fourth floor is square, This would suggest that whatever alterations were with L-shaped storage areas located on the outside of made to the north wing were made early or were made and between the dormers. The cross-shaped area exclusively to the upper story. John Owens is known to between the dormers is largely open. An enclosed spiral have made significant alterations to his building during staircase leads to the roof. his lifetime. Because of the strong consistency in Throughout the interior of the house, the window, construction (all pre-Board of Education alterations to door, and ceiling moldings, baseboards, and doors are the exterior of the building duplicate existing materials, simple but consistent with the period of construction. moldings, fenestration patterns, etc.), it is assumed that Moldings on the first floor, particularly in the major any alterations to the north wing took place, in the public spaces, are more ornate than those used in the upper floors. As mentioned previously, the formal elements of Aigburth Vale's original landscaping do not survive, although much of the immediate setting—the layout of the roads and the house's position atop a slight rise—is the same as during John Owens' tenure. As to the house, alterations appear to fall into two categories: changes— nearly all of which are reversible—made by the Board of Education between approximately 1963 and the 1980s and very early additions or alterations to the building, most of which appear to have been completed during Owens' lifetime. The most significant recent change is the modern (1960s and 1970s), shed-roofed, one-story building at the original front of the house. This addition is attached Aigburth Vale in 1950, shortly after the construction of to the building by a long, narrow (16 by 9 foot) hyphen. Towson High School next door SUMMER 1998 BALTIMORE COUNTY HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 15 main, during Owens' ownership. The date of the first portion of the east wing has not been determined. It may or may not be associated with Owens' use of the property. Since there are no original building plans, alterations to the interior of the building are difficult to document but seem possible given the later institutional uses of the building. However, the great consistence throughout the interior in terms of moldings and other detailing make such changes speculative at best. Despite the changes, overall, the building would today still be clearly recognizable as "home" to its original owner, John Owens. Outbuildings known to have been on the site include a grapery, hot house/conservatory, dairy, gas house, stable, large barn (1869), ice house (1874), granary (1869), bowling alley (1869), and tenant houses (one John E. Owens was depicted in his favorite role on the constructed in 1869). box label of the "Solon Shingle" brand of cigar Of the dozens of outbuildings originally associated with Aigburth Vale, five remain. They are located it faces southward. A long, rectangular building (58 by slightly to the northeast of the main building off the 20 feet), it is one and a half stories high and is of brick short access road that leads from the north side of the construction.

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