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Sycamore Point
Sycamore Point is prominently located on the western shore of the Miles River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Thirty-three acres of soybean farm were transformed into this elegantly detailed timeless waterfront retreat. The architectural and site design for this new residence had extensive programmatic and regulatory demands. The team was asked to incorporate the main house, guest house, garage, pool house, and entertainment barn onto an environmentally sensitive waterfront property that required well over a year of planning, permitting, and coordination.
Through a seamless collaboration between the architect and landscape architect, the house and gardens were carefully knitted with the site. It is worth noting that a significant amount of effort went into the construction of nearly two acres of new wetlands, planting of over 500 trees along the waterfront, and protection of existing wetlands and significant trees.
The project effortlessly jumps from large-scale gestures to choreography and arrangement of small-scale intimate spaces that are seamlessly connected with the architecture and interior spaces. The house and entertainment barn were sited among a stand of mature existing trees lending a sense of scale and age to the newly introduced structures. The driveway, nearly a half mile long, quietly meanders through a marshy woodland before opening to an undulating meadow.
The drive culminates into a gracious entrance court. Bounded by London Plane Trees on either side, the entrance unfolds through layers of boxwood, simple lawn panels, and accents of warm sandstone paving. The main house, garage, and guest house are situated to create a sense of enclosure for an intimately scaled entry garden. Once invited into the house, reveal strong connections to the site and water are reveal a cohesive sequence of spaces, visual connections to architectural and garden elements, and sweeping panoramic water views.
- 2019 ASLA Potomac Chapter Merit Award










