What Was Considered a Modern House in 1800? 

It's fortunate this house didn't end up like so many. Donation to large institutions is no guarantee. That it's in use is awesome!

How restrained a full blown Federal house is compared to the Louis styled mansions of the wealthy 100 years in the future. Still impressively beautiful in its quiet elegance.

Man... I wish modern houses were 10% as artistic as this.

I was a student at Johns Hopkins in the early 1980s. When I first showed up on campus, Homewood House was where the admissions department was located. Was fun climbing the old staircase into what seemed like an attic to discuss my financial aid award. I was interested in its history but the only parts I was able to unearth at that time were earlier uses once it had been donated to Hopkins. At first, it was a dormitory. There were bunkbeds in that attic space. Not sure what the lower floors were used for. It went through many uses before becoming the admissions office and then getting restored as a museum. After graduating, I read about the excavation that was done at the time of the restoration. They were searching for clues to make the renovation 100% accurate. Since there were no photographs in the early 19th Century, it required a lot of detective work. As part of the excavation, they found tons of broken glassware. Broken wine bottles, reflecting how much alcohol had been consumed. Apparently, Mr. Carroll was quite the lush.

Wow! I've never seen this. It's beautiful. Chillingly perfect in proportion. The clean logical floor plan shows sophistication. It's very English inspirational. It's odd being historically so close to the American Revolution with the dust still figuratively setting and then building this "Brit love" of a design. But a part of me feels proud this is in America because it is so perfect.

I loved this house when I toured it. To be honest, I really like these 5 part houses. My favorite room is the dining room. The idea of a crumb cloth under the table is a good one, especially, if you have the staff to keep moving the table and chairs to pick it up and shake it out! Excellent video.

This home is very grand & opulent yet it seems cozy & comfortable!!! How nice that it's open to the public!!! 👍👍🙂

Beautiful home. Parts reminded me of the design of Jefferson's Monticello. In Carroll's house, I like the upstairs family room best.

By far preferred to the later Victorian cluttered, overly layered, busy patterns and thick materials. Clean defined lines, spaces, and smooth light pated walls, the statement far more reasonable for a mind to relax and to think. The entrance remains the most appealing of Architectural Designs, the Greeks having achieved the most Modern of lines. This home was a true achievement of design. Too bad there were so few whom understood the basics of water pressure, that which existed centuries before on the Islands in the Mediterranean, specifically in the Minoan Culture, later in Pompeii. The English/British Germanics more interested in warfare than hygiene.

I was struck that the kitchen was actually in the house. Most large homes of this era would have had the kitchen as a separate building since the fireplace would have been lit all day. This house was built before the invention of the cooking stove and fire was a real danger in the kitchen. Also a 4 seater privy, that's impressive....lol.

This is a very fine and elegantly proportioned house, that I was fortunate to visit in 2022. Another great video!

I think this is one of my favorite of all the houses you’ve ever shown.

Love how you lead the tour! Enter in the front, down the hall, across the hall to the back of the house, flooded with light, where the family gathered, each scene sticks in my head lol…. Instantly familiar. Very handsome and functional, not a monstrosity lol. Cooking for many people at 4am? I’m familiar with that - I was in the Army lol. Enjoy your Memorial Day all the friends of … This 🏠! 🎖️

When I toured the house over 20 years ago, it had recently been refreshed with accurate paint colors and exuberant draperies with extensive passementerie. Loved the bright green and yellows, the layered textiles and the custom tassels.

I’ve never heard of this museum, but have to say it’s one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen.

It is a stunning house. I grew up north of Baltimore and never knew about this home. Thank you for showing us.

The black and white marble floor is stunning. That view from the master bedroom doorway looking down the hall is amazing!

This is such a beautiful house. But opulent is the best word for these homes. I guess my tastes are much more simplistic. Even if I had the money I couldn't spend it like this. But a wonderful video! Thank you!

The home definitely follows the Greco-Roman (and later, Renaissance) theories of balance and symmetry. While I love a good old "Queen Anne Victorian", these houses are so pleasing to the eye. I thought it interesting the patterned floor was included in the wine cellar. In 1800, many places that are now very urban, where still part of the Frontier. No nearby police to call. What struck me was all of the locking cabinets, for the china, silver, book, and probably business ledgers, etc. in the office. It's interesting to see many of the design elements used here reproduced in the Revival styles of the early 20th Century.

Nice! Hey Ken, can you make a video showing us a modern house in 1700? I really like that era because of the Revolutionary War. Then, maybe a modern house in 1900, if you haven't already. Thanks!

I appreciate seeing house plans, for it gives me a sense of the room arrangements. 👍

It's. A. Beautiful. 🏡

Man this house is.... BEAUTIFUL!!!!

I have been a docent at Homewood for nine years now. I love everything about this house & the history that comes with it.❤

I love the plaster & millwork details. They do get pricey though even today. Pocket shutters are rarely ever done anymore.

It's really hard to accurately calculate inflation from that far back because economics were quite different. Some things were incredibly cheap, such as labor and lodging. Others were quite expensive relative to similar items today. This would include things that had to be made, often by hand, such as clothes and furniture. Few, outside of the very well off, would have had more than a few sets of clothes to their name. The poor often owned only the clothes on their back. Further complicating efforts to calculate inflation was that money back then was backed (in theory) by silver. But each bank printed its own money and standards for how much specie they had to hold in reserve varied, often dramatically. The result was that some banks, and their paper currency, were considered safer and had more value than others. When dealing with money matters from the land of long ago, I usually just speak in general terms when comparing to modern valuations. In 1800, $10,000 was a lot of money, and $40,000 was a fortune. A few notes, unskilled labor was paid around a dollar a day. Skilled labor such as carpenters might make $1.50 a day. A healthy male slave could be purchased for between $500-1,000. A 2 br log cabin in rural upstate New York could be had for about $100 and land in the Genessee Valley was going for .25 cents /acre. In 1800 President Adams (the first one) was paid, a whopping $25,000 pa making him easily the highest paid public official in the country. It is generally acknowledged that the salary for that office, currently $400k, has been in slow decline when adjusting for inflation.

One of the most beautiful houses that I have ever seen 😍 ❤️

I love the office and privy. I wish houses had character today. I love the wine cellar too.

I liked the unique floor treatments. They were different but they all were fitting. I would love to visit this beauty. It's unfortunate that Charles was furious at Charles Jr. for going over budget. Yet one wonders what legacy remains of the rest of Charles Sr's wealth.

The black and white tile and woodwork is remarkable.

Both homewood and Evergreen are great house museums! Hopkins has really done an excellent job preserving both of them, and they tell two entirely different stories of baltimores history

This is a great video, but I have one little quibble. The owners and guests in a house of this stature would have used a chamber pot in their bedroom for their daily toilet. Enslaved people would clear away the used pots. In parts of the US and in Europe, the job would fall to the servants. Garden privies were built for the owners and guests to use when they were taking a walk, admiring the flowers, or having a picnic.

That was a joy to watch

Elegant. 👍

Doughoregan Manor, the Grandfathers house he moved to, is the only signer of the Declaration of Independence whose family still owns the signers home. Now, THAT is a house I'd love to see! Carrollton Hall was also paid for by Charles Carroll for his Grand daughter. The plaster work in that house is also amazing.

So they paid $1m in todays money for that house!! I call that going for a song!! As someone living in London & having visited most European capitals as well as New York most comparable properties on the market today would be $20 million+!! The CHEAPEST properties for sale in London today i.e 1 bed flats in new build high rises now are asking the equivalent of $750,000....Fabulous house & I love the classical design.....

Very enjoyable! Thank you!

Beautiful, thank you!

Lovely building. Thank you for the video!

Another one saved !!!!!! thank you Ken !!!!!!!!

Thank you for showing the floor plan. Love to see the floor plan.

What a beautiful well thought-out home. Such a sad history

That gorgeous office floor. ❤

Thanks!

What a trim, timeless take on those classic European bones. I bet his tailor was incredible. 🤔

I love everything about the house

Thanks for the tour! This is only an hours drive away. It is on my list of places to go but had never made it yet.

I’d give anything to live in something so beautiful!

An absolutely fabulous home, but those patterned floors would give a person vertigo!

With no indoor plumbing? Hmmmm...l want to go! It's Beautiful! 😊

I would just live in one room if it had bath an kitchenette😂

Ken, just beautiful!

You should do a series on almshouses

Yes, I love three rooms, that beloinging to the housekeeper, the kitchne, and the wine cellar.

This house reminds me of Robert E Lee's Home, though smaller and actually it was inherited by the General's wife, who was also related to George Washington. A ecommended tour.

A very beautiful home!!Has beautiful curb appeal. Can’t imagine a home of this size without some semblance of bathroom facilities for family and guests alike. An outdoor pricy seems different as this is a large house but nonetheless a beautiful home!!! Great videos always enjoy your channel👌💖😊🌺🇨🇦🇨🇦

I had a grandmother born in 1890. She died when I was very young…..yes, I’m old and yes, we live a long time. She was 98. Anyway she wouldn’t even entertain having a fireplace. Every room in their house had one and it was her job to clean them and leave everything needed for a fresh fire

Terrific channel. Just wish the sound quality was better so that the commentary was more clear.

Lovely home/mansion …….I’m a dork - I noticed the Ademco 5890 (Honeywell/Resideo 5890) over some of the interior doors next to smoke detectors. 🥴

Just thinking, who would trade their bathrooms for this beautiful house?

Would have been nice in color.

The desk so close to the fireplace in the butlers office would have been a terrible mistake. The heat from the fireplace would have destroyed the desk. There surely would have been a better setup than that.

Don't forget, chamber pots in the bedrooms so that one did not have to march in the middle of the night to the outhouse.

It reminds me of Stratford Hall in Virginia

"Modesty, for readying themselves in the morning"...then you go outside to take care of bodily functions while sitting beside someone you might not even know. Ri-ight.

How interesting to see "modern" living so long ago.

Those houses were built on the first floor high to keep dust from getting in.road dust was a problem ack then roads pathways were very dusty.

I could live in that place very easily right now except I'd want indoor bathrooms.

I like the idea of hiding bookshelves or China/Tableware with a simple wood door.

Can you now do a video of What Was Considered a Modern House in 1799?

No partitions in the privy. That's a bit much.

Inflation calculator says that from 1913 10k is $310k++. So it's waaaay more than a quarter milli. 😢

There’s another great video called Why We Don’t Build “Beautiful” Buildings Anymore.

40 thousand dollars from that time is TENS of millions today.

Def didn't have lasers in the 1800s. You see the tile at 1:37? Wow it's bad

Very Good!... #136 ✝ {6-20-2023}

The part of Homewood that tickles me most is the outhouse, which is still there. It's brick. A rich man's outhouse. Literally, a brick shithouse.

Did they have wireless internet?

$250k today you say? No, that's over a mill today my guy lol

3:45 Do you think everyone got their own seat, or were there parties in the privy?

Built with no power tools , no home Depot. No cement trucks, much of the glass would be special order and somehow those huge windows shipped without breaking. Enormous amount of labor.

Certainly not the average home. Tall ceilings to help cool and a lot of fireplaces because wood and coal were cheap and plentiful. However houses this big also had servants to keep it up. These houses are abandoned because no one can pay the taxes and do not have electricity or indoor plumbing . I suppose they could be retrofitted but usually these people just built another house.

Hopefully the grandson allowed his Mom and Dad to live in the house or on the estate. Main bedroom.

did you know the pesky algorithm uses community interaction? why not help the channel by leaving comments, replies and or likes to both?

At first I thought the photo was Graceland.

I won't buy new homes. I love old homes.

Am I understanding that correct? built for one million dollars in today's money? seems awful reasonable to me,

What about the lower level?

Modern day equivalent of $1M with only two bedrooms blows my mind

I'm pretty sure the modern-day equivalent of this house is closer to $50,000,000 than $1,000,000.

That’s the modern equivalent to a million dollars? Where I live, a million dollars will get you a run-down, century-old, 800-square-foot timber-frame bungalow near downtown. I wish I could get a house like this one for a million dollars…

Is Monticello considered “modern” for its time?

What happened??? Even my great-grandparents who came over on the boat in 1906-1910 had cute Colonial style homes to raise their lil guindaloons in. America used to be a lot prettier.

I can’t imagine living without indoor plumbing.

Why did it cost $40,000 when most labor in those days, was enslaved?

he knew his daddy very well. (with an extra 20 grand)

Imagine building a house like this for 250k

The toilet sits four!

Pardon me for going off on how bad govt. statistics are....but saying 40k is the modern day equivalent of 1M....leaves one wondering....how could I build a house like this in America today for 1M??! Inflation is totally understated to make the govt. look less bad. The money is dying......Buy Bitcoin. End rant.

Houses in this price range are