THE WASHINGTON POST.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2019EZ16
Alice said. “Most of them are in
college or out of college. Times
change.”
In addition to a 12-bedroom,
14-bathroom main house, the 36-
acre property includes a three-
bedroom guesthouse, a two-bed-
room farmhouse, a one-bedroom
caretaker’s c ottage, a greenhouse,
two barns, multiple paddocks and
several outbuildings that include
a hangar for a plane. It is listed at
$15.5 million.
[email protected]“It was a wonderful place
where To m and I felt cozy, but I
also felt cozy with 20 people in it,”
Alice said. “It’s an unusual house
that way.”
Many rooms have floor-to-ceil-
ing windows offering panoramic
views of the water and the spec-
tacular sunsets.
For the Blairs, this property h as
been an oasis where they enjoyed
spending time with their grand-
children.
“But they’re all grown up now,”from the ceiling. And a fondness
for church ruins led to the proper-
ty’s most evocative feature — ivy-
covered stones arranged to re-
semble a tumbled down place of
worship. The serene spot has
been the site of a family wedding
and christening.
The layout of the 16,774-square-
foot main house allows for large
gatherings as well as intimate
conversations. There are formal
living and dining rooms but also
relaxed family and kid spaces.spoiled them to death.”
The horse was joined by more
horses, Herefords, goats, alpacas
and chickens. For those less inter-
ested in farm life, there is a swim-
ming pool and a dock for boats
and personal watercraft.
Not everything was for the
grandchildren. A grassy airstrip
was added, near where the goats
grazed, for To m to land his vin-
tage World War II planes. He
designed the library to accommo-
date a British Spitfire that hangsBY KATHY ORTONGrandparents will do a lot of
things for their grandchildren.
To m and Alice Blair renovated a
waterfront house on Maryland’s
Eastern Shore for theirs.
“That’s why we built it, really,”
Alice said. “It was going to be a
family retreat, and it was the
perfect family retreat.”
The Blairs didn’t know that
they wanted to live on the water
until they bought this property o n
the Miles River in Easton in 2002.
“We didn’t understand what
we were missing,” Tom said. “It’s
not a case of we never wanted to
live on the water. We n ever under-
stood what it was like to watch the
bald eagles and the ospreys fly
around this place.”
When the Blairs bought the
house, they knew it needed to be
expanded to accommodate their
16 grandchildren. They h ired G.L.
Smith Associates to design the
renovation and Visnic Homes to
execute the design.
“The house had good bones,”
To m said. “We wanted to take
something that was good and
make it truly exceptional.”
Once the grandchildren start-
ed visiting, the Blairs made sure
that they never lacked for things
to do.
“One of the grandchildren said,
‘Grandma, I’d really like a horse,’ ”
Alice said. “Well, in three weeks,
we had a barn and a horse. It was
one of those things that weHouse of the Week
A great place to gather all the grandchildren
HOMEVISIT PHOTOS
FROM THE TOP: An aerial view of 26310 St. Michaels Rd. in Easton, Md.; a British Spitfire fighter plane suspended from the library
ceiling; and an airy home office. In addition to the 16,774-square-foot main house, Tom and Alice Blair’s family retreat has a guesthouse, a
farmhouse, a cottage and other buildings. Once their grandkids started visiting, the Blairs made sure they never lacked for things to do.26310 ST. MICHAELS RD.,
EASTON, MD.
$15.5 million
Features: The main house was
renovated and expanded in 2002
by G.L. Smith Associates and Visnic
Homes. The library was designed to
accommodate a British Spitfire
that hangs from the ceiling. Many
rooms have floor-to-ceiling
windows offering panoramic views
of the water and the spectacular
sunsets. The property includes a
three-bedroom guesthouse, a two-
bedroom farmhouse, a one-
bedroom caretaker’s cottage, a
greenhouse, two barns, multiple
paddocks and several outbuildings
that include a hangar for a plane.
Bedrooms/bathrooms: 1 2 / 14
Approximate square-footage:
16,774
Lot size: 3 6 acres
Listing agents: Lori Leasure, Marc
Bertinelli and Doc Keane,
Washington Fine Properties
For more photos of this house
and other houses for sale in the area,
go to washingtonpost.com/real estate.