This house doesn’t immediately seem Craftsman. The style

is usually associated with cottages. If this is a cottage,

it’s more in the Newport, Rhode Island, scale, where summer “cottages” from the

same era ran 10,000 square feet or more. This one’s not quite that large, but the look

is definitely grand for the Craftsman Style.

It may be the location. Sited on the west side of

Kenilworth looking into Overton Park, is a particularly fine,

pastoral setting. The street is only one long block, but it’s filled with a rich

compendium of early 20th-century architecture. Most of the houses here are rather

stately spacious porches, sun rooms and built of fine materials like this home

of brick and stone and elegant green tile roof.

But all the details here scream Craftsman. The deep, unenclosed roof

overhang is supported by ornate triangular knee braces. The stone columns at the

full-width front porch and the porte cochere are massive. Matching stone

surrounds the window openings in a rusticated manner. Most tellingly, the upper

window sashes with their decorative light pattern

and the small, high windows at the overscale front door and sidelights are typical only

of Craftsman cottages and their more intellectual cousin, the Prairie

Style.

This house has just been completely renovated. All mechanical systems

have been replaced and enlarged, but what’s most telling is how gently the interior

has been updated. Main public rooms are unaltered. On the ground floor, only

rear service spaces have been rethought to create an open kitchen, breakfast area,

and family gathering room.

The living room runs the full width of the house, and it’s breathtaking.

The quarter-sawn oak staircase rises on the same end as the front door. The

arrangement leaves lots of room to group furniture around the massive fireplace and

its flanking, new lighted bookcases. The wainscoted dining room with its

own massive fireplace also has its original china cabinets for storage. Beams in both

directions on the ceiling here create an intricate coffering. All of the brass

door hardware has been lovingly stripped of paint another elegant touch.

The new kitchen is larger than expected. Granite-topped cabinets fill

all four walls, and there’s still room to add a big work island. The rear family room

has lots of windows and French doors out onto a private backyard and large

patio. A two-car garage out back has an unrenovated second floor that

would make a great home office or guest quarters. And there’s even a finished

playroom in the basement.

Upstairs is a master suite with three additional bedrooms and bath. The

third-floor attic has been finished and is perfect for a media

room. It’s also got another full bath and a two-room cedar closet

for off-season storage.

But the second-floor master is the stunner here. This suite runs front to back

down one side. The doors were carefully aligned so that uninterrupted park views are

guaranteed. The front room of the master is a sitting room with fireplace. Next are

two closets and then the sleeping chamber. A bay window here is an inviting spot for

a chaise or a writing desk. At the rear is a

large, new bath. There’s a glass-enclosed shower, a long marble-topped vanity with two

sinks and a make-up area. A spa tub nestles in the back corner where a wall of

windows fills the room with light. The views out

back are as park-like as out front and perfectly compliment this top-to-bottom

renovated “cottage” on the park.

343 Kenilworth Street

4,500 square feet

4 bedrooms, 3 full baths and

2 half-baths; $620,000

Realtor: Marx and Bensdorf,

682-1868

Agent: Susan Overton, 336-5170

First open house Sunday,

May 26th, 2-4 p.m.