Seton Hill is a funny little neighborhood. It’s just sort of tucked out of the way, a little forgotten, almost as if the city one day woke up and said, “Hey, where’s Seton Hill? I know I left it around here someplace.” Okay, so it’s not entirely forgotten’ City Paper voted it “Best Neighborhood” in 2007, and considering that it’s tucked in between Mt. Vernon, MLK and University of Maryland Medical Center, it’s pretty hard to miss. Plus, if you ever get a hankering for some Faidley’s, Lexington Market is just around the corner. And with good access to the Light Rail, the neighborhood is convenient to all sorts of places. Hmm, with all that going for it Seton Hill might not stay forgotten for long…
641 Paca Street
This recently rehabilitated home in Seton Hill’s “French Quarter” is a find. All the original pine floors and window mouldings have been preserved, giving the three bedroom, one and a half bathroom home a quaint, welcoming air. Throw in an enclosed patio, lots of exposed brick and three fireplaces, and this rowhouse goes from quaint to comfortable faster than you can say, “Je ne sais quoi.” Priced at $225,000, down from $244,900.
576 Saint Mary Street
This three-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath rowhouse is directly across the street from the original site of St. Mary’s Seminary, the oldest Catholic higher-learning institution in the country. Now we don’t want to promise too much, but if you buy this house you will get into heaven. Heaven, of course, being four finished floors, stainless steel kitchen appliances, central air conditioning, four fireplaces, a backyard patio, and the wide expanse of green space that St. Mary’s provides. Or maybe that’s just Baltimore heaven. Priced at $250,000.
514 Paca Street
Right next door to St. Mary’s, however, is this three-bedroom, one bath rowhouse. And it’s not too shabby either, what with its restored pine floors, intercom system, granite kitchen countertops, private courtyard, and master bedroom balcony. And if you ever get tired of hearing all those hymns next door, you can just turn on the surround sound – it’s wired throughout the house. We wouldn’t worry though, those priests don’t sing too loudly. Priced at $275,000.
If you’d like to know more about any of these houses — or if you have an entirely different house in mind – get in touch with us at Urban Discoveries Living. We’ll help you out with any and all of your real estate needs.
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Seton Hill Association to host Neighborhood Open House Tour to celebrate the historic neighborhood of Seton Hill, Baltimore’s old French quarter. Online registration has begun for the October 3, 2009 Seton Hill Open House Tour at http://www.setonhill.org
The Seton Hill Open House Tour is a neighborhood tour event, hosted with the support of Live Baltimore and Healthy Neighborhoods to raise awareness of the historic significance of the neighborhood and to promote home ownership in the area. People throughout the region are invited to learn about the Seton Hill area and view some of its significant historic buildings.
Seton Hill, Baltimore’s old French quarter, is centered around the former St. Mary’s Seminary and College, which was founded by Sulpician priests fleeing the French Revolution around1791. It is the site of our Nation’s First Catholic Seminary. It was also the home of the first U.S. Born saint, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, in 1808. Today Saint Mary’s Park is situated where the former Seminary and College once stood. The neighborhood was designated as a Historic and Architectural Preservation District of Baltimore City in 1968, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Saint Mary’s Park, the heart of Seton Hill, is the largest open green space in downtown Baltimore on the West Side and is still surrounded by many small, early 19th Century homes.
One particularly significant structure located on the Seminary grounds is a small chapel, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Presentation, which was dedicated in 1808. This structure, designed by Maximilien Godefroy, a prominent architect of the time and teacher at the college, is the oldest remaining example of Gothic Revival architecture in the U.S. Both St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s home and the Chapel will be part of the tour,
The area was also home to the original campus of Johns Hopkins University before the final move to the Homewood campus.