c. 1788. 931 Fell St.
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(Photograph by Alexander Heilner)
This is one of Baltimore’s last surviving intact Georgian houses, built for prominent merchant Jesse Hollingsworth and later purchased by Captain John Steele. Urban dwellings of its size and sophistication were fairly uncommon at the time of its construction, and most that did exist were erected in the Old Town area near the Inner Harbor and have long since disappeared. The house is an elegant, three-and-a-half-story, three-bay, side-passage dwelling erected with Flemish-bond brick, distinguished by its stylish detailing. Located near the wharf along a largely commercial street, the building stands out among its neighbors, reflecting the lifestyles of the merchant class in Fell’s Point during the late eighteenth century.