Home of the Week: Runners update formerly run-down home

Megan Moore doesn't walk into a room, she seems to sprint into it. She and husband Jon Line are both lithe and fit, with runners' bodies - probably because they are dedicated runners. Both are familiar sights jogging or racing along Annapolis streets and county trails, and both have participated in marathons and triathlons.

Still, with her long, flowing blonde hair, flawless skin and buoyant personality, Megan got carded recently at the Red Red Wine Bar on Main Street. The youthful-looking 36-year-old was flattered, until she realized she had left her driver's license at work.

Bummer.

Jon, who is 37, and sports a similar youthful vibe, made a mental note to keep his ID close by.

Along with Gordon "Gordy" Von Schnauzer III, their Weimaraner rescue dog, the couple owns the Annapolis Running Shop on Main Street downtown. Using the acronym for their business, they encourage folks, young and old, to "Run your ARS off." Jon also coaches the St. Mary's High School track and cross country teams, passing on his love of the fleet-footed sports.

Megan is the second-generation owner of another business, the Easy Street Gallery, on Francis Street, near its juncture with Main Street.

Easy Street is an American craft gallery brimming with sailboats, stained glass, vases, sculpture, art glass, wall art, lamps, blown glass bowls, paperweights and pottery. The gallery was opened in 1979 by Megan's parents Marsha and Terry Moore, who now reside in West Virginia. They had a second gallery a couple blocks away and, as a youngster, Megan would circulate between the two shops. Megan officially joined her parents at Easy Street in 1995.

The Moore family lived in an old detached frame house on Conduit Street that was notorious because it leaned noticeably (It's since been fixed.). Megan was a member of the first high school class to graduate from the "new" Annapolis Area Christian School building on Bestgate Road in 1993.
A little history

Megan and Jon's first home sweet home was in Eastport. "But, we wanted to be here, in Annapolis," said Megan of their eventual, two-year quest to sell the Eastport residence and move closer to her downtown roots. "We walk everywhere. When we moved into our new home, Jon and I gave up the second car. We gave it to a very happy nephew."

While the Eastport house languished on the market for two years, the couple set their hearts on a house in the historic district that is a few steps from Acton Cove. It, too, sat with a "for sale" sign on it for two years. "It was waiting for us!" said Megan.

They moved into their "new" home in 2009.

Megan invited us over, saying, "The exterior is really cute. We kept the feel of an old house but updated it to our taste."

"I'm used to old houses. We share a wall with our neighbors.

We love it," said Megan. "We shop local. We eat at local restaurants, not chains, and buy at locally-owned shops. If they don't have it downtown, we go without it."

According to the Maryland Historical Properties Inventory of Historic Properties, the Victorian-era townhouse, attached to its mirror twin on one side, was built between 1886 and 1891 as speculative housing, not custom-built. Through the next century, the house was rented to a succession of tenants, many of whom were laborers at the Naval Academy. It also passed through numerous owners, nine alone in the 20th century.

The previous owners not only undertook a major renovation of the property, they were the first owner-residents in the home's history. Megan and Jon are the second.

An old herringbone brick walkway is the home's front yard. The brick wraps around one side of the house, forming a path to its backyard. A touch of green is provided by a planter spilling lush vines, plus the two spiraling boxwood topiaries positioned on the front stoop. The two-story house has a raised brick foundation and is sheathed with pale gray painted German siding and white corner boards. Its white trim with black shutters and accents give it a contemporary look. The "sexy, hot pink" door adds a bold pop of color.

Looking up, it's easy to see why the historians get excited: tucked under the roofline is a lavishly detailed Italianate-style entablature or frieze. It's beautiful.

Of course, it is hard to miss the couple's chic, baby-blue, Vespa-styled Milan scooter moped parked near the front door. The Milan is an easy way to scoot around town when they're too tuckered to run.

If you were to look across a fence, the rear addition is in two parts. A low room connects the high vaulted back room - the master bedroom - to the original building. Both rooms have red, standing seam metal roofs.