Value, urban chic in Federal Hill condo

By Mike Unger

2/16/2007
Examiner

Living in the city has a lot of pluses, but great value is not always one of them. The residences at 1211 Light Street, however, seem to have struck the perfect balance between top-of-the-line style and affordability.

The former South Baltimore General Hospital, located in the heart of Baltimore’s Federal Hill neighborhood, now houses 67 one- and two- bedroom condos. A unit currently on the market on the fourth floor comes with a little cherry on top: a private balcony overlooking South Baltimore.

“Architecturally, there are many elements that make it special,” Realtor Cindy Conklin said of the 100,000-square-foot building.
A boiler room has been turned into an indoor basketball court. There’s a lounge area with a flat-screen TV, and a rooftop deck and courtyards that everyone can enjoy. Plus, each unit comes with a deeded parking space in a garage behind the building. All this, and yet the condo fees are less than $300 a month.

The entrance to the 885-square-foot unit 411 opens to a large living and dining area. The kitchen features stainless steel steel appliances, granite countertops and a large exhaust fan above the oven that serves as a signature design element in the room.
A small ridge leads to the private square balcony, which has city views ranging 180 degrees.

The master bedroom was cleverly retrofitted and features a bathroom with ceramic tile floors and a tub-shower combination. The unit also has a den that could be used as a smaller second bedroom.

Perhaps the buildings main appeal is its location, in the heart of a teeming restaurant and bar district, just a few blocks from the Cross Street Market.

Gary Jordan bought the unit across the hall from 411. He moved from the Harborplace building on Key Highway.
“It’s kind of young, it has a sophisticated feel,” he said of the building and the residents who inhabit it. “It’s urban chic. I’m right in the middle of Federal Hill, but I’m above all the noise.”

Because it’s a historic property, state income tax credits from $30,000 to $50,000 are available. Conklin and her husband, Realtor Bob Merbler, we so taken by the Residences at 1211 Light Street, they bought a unit for themselves.
“To get that sort of place with parking, to pretty much have it all, he said.