Phillips Seafood mansion in Annapolis is the most expensive home available in Maryland
A 23-acre estate in Annapolis at 1604 Winchester Road, owned by the CEO of Phillips Seafood, is the most expensive home for sale in Maryland listed at $24.9 million with no reserve, according to Concierge Auctions, the real estate auction firm handling the sale.
Before the Phillips family acquired the mansion in 2002, it had a vivid history dating back to 1660 when the land was obtained by William Hopkins, a prominent plantation owner unrelated to Johns Hopkins. The property changed hands several times and was even owned by the Hammond family, prominent colonial landholders in Anne Arundel County, according to the listing agent TTR Sotheby’s International Realty. A still existing tunnel system on the property suggests that it may have been a stop on the
Underground Railroad.
The house was rebuilt as a Gregorian-style mansion in 1922 by an arms dealer who allegedly used the tunnels to hide weapons. It was purchased again in 1950 by the Catholic Church of Maryland and was used as the St. Conrad Friary for Capuchin monks for 34 years, giving the property the name, “Friary on the Severn.” After the monks left, the house was vacant until 2002, when Steven and Maxine Phillips of the crab cake empire Phillips Seafood purchased the home for $2.5 million. Philips Seafood has been family owned and operated since 1914 and consists of three restaurants in Maryland, airport restaurants, and seafood products that are available in grocery stores.
Five years and $30 million of renovations later, the Phillips family and Annapolis architect
Charles Anthony created the current estate.
According to Sotheby’s, it boasts seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, and five half bathrooms. There are 11 fireplaces, a formal dining room and formal parlor, a commercial size gourmet kitchen, a large ballroom, conservatory, family room and library. There is a music room, indoor spa, game room, wine cellar, catering kitchen, workshop and a secret vault that can be accessed through the billiards room. A hidden door opens into one of the historic tunnels and leads from the main house to the river.
Although the inside of the house is extravagant on its own, Brad Kappel, Vice President of TTR Sotheby’s Annapolis Brokerage, notes that much of the property’s value comes from the outdoor features and prime location.
There is a nine-car garage, roof garden, pool pavilion, 60 feet infinity-edge pool and tennis court. The river dock can be accessed via a funicular or on foot. It has a boat lift and water hose, is 10 feet deep at low tide, can accommodate sailing ships and offers six boat slips. There are about 1,500 feet of river access in total. The entire home is over 35,000 square feet and sits on 23 acres of land.
Despite the estate’s size, it is still conveniently located five minutes away from
downtown Annapolis, and 40 minutes from Baltimore.
The estate first hit the market in 2012, priced at $32 million but did not sell. At the time, Maxine and Steven Phillips told CBS Baltimore that since their kids have moved out, there was too much space for just the two of them.
“It was a buyers market at the time, and the home was priced according to what the property was worth,” said Kappel.
The asking price has since been reduced to $24.9
million over the past year. Kappel noted that the Phillips family is “moving on to new adventures” and are ready to part with the house on the Severn.
Bidding for The Friary will start on Aug. 12 at 4 p.m. and continue for six days. It will be conducted online by Concierge Auctions.
It is listed as “no reserve” with no base bidding cost so that the house will be sold regardless of the price; however, bidders must provide financial documents to qualify.