Distinctive Homes of the Chesapeake Documentary Debuts April 22

As part of its annual Chesapeake Bay Week® programming, Maryland Public Television will premiere its latest documentary, Distinctive Homes of the Chesapeake, at 9 p.m. Monday, April 22.

Distinctive Homes of the Chesapeake, a one-hour special, opens the doors for intimate tours of some of Maryland’s most unique, historic, and magnificent homes surrounding the Chesapeake Bay. 

The lure of waterfront living remains irresistible to many Marylanders.  Distinctive Homes of the Chesapeake showcases 11 residences along the Chesapeake and steps inside to explore the featured homes’ fascinating histories and architecture and to meet some of the special people who reside in the homes.   

The MPT special explores a colonial-era manor hand-crafted in the 1700s, an unusual houseboat with different waterfront views each day, a lighthouse home, and modern architectural marvels that blend the best of Bay living with gorgeous settings.

Featured homes include:

• WHITEHALL (Annapolis, Anne Arundel County) -  In 1765, Maryland’s provincial governor, Horatio Sharpe, decided to build his colonial dream home, situated on nearly two miles of private Bay coastline
• BALTIMORE LIGHT (Annapolis, Anne Arundel County) -  With a 360-degree, unobstructed view of the Chesapeake, this unique structure near the Bay Bridge is an operating lighthouse and weekend getaway residence for four couples who own it.
• ASHBY (Easton, Talbot County) -  Built in 1858, this lovely structure -- once used as a bed and breakfast -- on the Miles River was the site of a Hollywood murder.
• THE GLASS HOUSE (Lake Shore, Anne Arundel County) - The former home of Baltimore businessman Leroy Merritt is an often-sighted glass and concrete structure on the Magothy River.  
• LOBLOLLY HOUSE (Taylor’s Island, Dorchester County) – Owner Steve Kieran is an architect whose passion for green design resulted in his remarkable home nestled in Loblolly pines.
• LONE STAR HOUSEBOAT (Pasadena, Anne Arundel County) - For 80 years, the community of Gibson Island has known that it’s summertime when this houseboat floats into place on the Bay.
• CHLORAS POINT FARM (Trappe, Talbot County) -  This property enjoys views of seven bodies of water: the Choptank, Tred Avon, Island Creek, Broad Creek, Harris Creek, the Patuxent, and, of course, the Chesapeake Bay.
• OCEAN HALL (Bushwood, St. Mary’s County) - Ocean Hall is Maryland’s oldest brick home, and its owners have painstakingly restored it to its 1703 glory.
• SCIENTISTS’ CLIFFS (Port Republic, Calvert County) - Once an exclusive retreat for scientists and educators in the 1940s, some cabins are frozen in time, while others have evolved into full-time residences.
• THOMAS POINT (Annapolis, Anne Arundel County) - Moving to Maryland after their Mississippi home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, this couple built a striking home on the South River.
• THE FRIARY ON THE SEVERN (Annapolis, Anne Arundel County) - This Georgian- style mansion was once used as a Catholic friary, complete with chapel and dormitory.  It was renovated into one of the most spectacular houses in the region and is home to a couple who have sold more crab cakes than anyone else in the world.

Distinctive Homes of the Chesapeake, produced by Frank Batavick, is one of four productions that will have their premiere during the 2013 Chesapeake Bay Week®, April 21-28, on Maryland Public Television. Since 2005, MPT has celebrated the Chesapeake Bay, arguably the state’s most important natural resource, during its annual Chesapeake Bay Week®.  The only programming initiative of its kind in the Chesapeake Bay watershed region, Chesapeake Bay Week® encompasses on-air, online, and in-the-community activities to promote the Bay and its health.