As a newly married couple, Shifrah and Yossi Green occasionally drove along the narrow, tree-lined streets of Sudbrook Park every winter to enjoy the neighborhood’s Victorian-style homes and tasteful holiday lights displays.
In their wildest dreams, the Greens never thought they might someday live in one of those stately houses in the Pikesville community designed by celebrated landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. in the late 19th century and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
“We saw this house and just fell in love with it,” Shifrah says. “It has a feeling in it, a vibe, so much positive energy.
“When I saw it, I just turned to my husband and said, ‘This is our house.’”
Since moving in May of 2023 into what’s known alternately by locals as “the Shriver House” and “the Howard House” (in honor of previous owners), the Greens have given the 132-year-old Victorian their own personal touch while maintaining the tastes and sensibilities of the home’s former occupants.
(Photo by David Stuck)
(Photo by David Stuck)
“Decorating is my art,” says Shifrah, 37, proprietor of her own business, Flowers by Shifrah. “I’m creative, and I love colors and designs and flowers. Our house for Chanukah this year was absolutely crazy!
“With our other homes, I hadn’t really found my style,” she says. “I didn’t really have an eye or any style. This just happened. This house has helped me discover my style — whimsical, fun, girly, not too serious.”
The Greens, who have been married for 17 years and own the B2B Mobile Auction wholesaler business, are Baltimore transplants who previously lived in other homes around Pikesville.
They reside in their Sudbrook abode with their three children, Yocheved, 14, Yoni, 8, and Yaakov, 7, as well as Lady, their 11-year-old Golden Spaniel mix.
“We’re so lucky that Lady matches the house,” Shifrah jokes while stroking the dog’s cream-colored fur.
In their redecorating of the house, the Greens remained steadfast to the commitment of the previous owners to maintain the period ambience of the residence. As a result, walking through the home is almost like traveling through time.
“It’s like they were giving it to us, the next stewards,” says Shifrah. “We can feel the history in the home. We are the stewards of the history and the house.
“I’ve made small changes, but a lot of it is due to Dawn Majestic [the home’s most previous owner]. She and her husband are lovely people and they made a lot of changes. They really did an incredible job. The Majestics gave us a whole tour of the house when we bought it, and it felt like they were handing the reins.”
Thrill of the Hunt
Nestled in the northwestern pocket of Sudbrook Park — the first planned community in the United States — the Greens’ residence exudes charm, light and warmth, looking like it would not be out of place in a Dickens tale.
Built on a three-acre parcel of land (which includes a century-old, two-story carriage house once used by servants), the home features a circular driveway; a seemingly endless wraparound porch with swings; a stately, wood-paneled entry hallway with a stained-glass transom; seven spacious bedrooms and four bathrooms; original wood floors; a pair of staircases straight out of “It’s a Wonderful Life”; a sunroom, private porch and mudroom alcove; chandeliers and an estimated 17 wall sconces; and two fireplaces with ornate wood mantels and inlay designs.
“Some of the rooms were empty for a while,” Shifrah says. “It took a full year to have a good base.”
The furniture and furnishings around the home largely reflect the Victorian era, largely thanks to Shifrah’s passion for the art of thrifting and penchant for dropping by estate sales and auctions while cruising internet sites.
“I decided I couldn’t buy anything new for this house, so I had to learn how to buy thrift,” Shifrah says. “When you have a period house, you want it to be appropriate. I try to keep the spirit of the home. … Everything is used and from estates sales and Facebook Marketplace. I had to teach myself the whole thrifting world because the house needed it. Now, I do it all for the joy of it, the thrill of the hunt.”
But the house maintains a somewhat eclectic feel. On the shelves of their living room’s built-in bookcases (which feature a hidden passageway to another room), the Greens — who belong to Chabad of West Pikesville — display a chanukiah and copies of siddurim, chumashim and other Jewish holy texts alongside Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” tomes about Victorian art and images depicting serene scenes from the 19th century.
In the kitchen, a needlepoint canvas of a Colonial scene created by Shifrah’s late grandmother hangs only a few feet away from a portrait of the revered Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. On a nearby shelf sits a delicate Oriental vase given to the family by Yossi’s mom, Zahava Kosman Green. Meanwhile, a wooden pew bench in the kitchen reportedly once served a local church.
“It has something for everyone,” Shifrah says of the home decor.
Some of the trinkets, curiosities and tchotchkes that can be found around the Greens’ house include a vintage magnifying glass; a slew of hurricane lamps; a Japanese-made music box featuring an ivory cover; a pair of clawfoot bathtubs; an antique library ladder; a Victorian dollhouse; and an army of restored radiators stationed throughout the domicile.
For a sense of whimsy, there’s also a late 19th-century straw boater hat hanging on a hook in a foyer as well as a golden bathroom faucet in the shape of a swan’s head that the Green kids dubbed, “The Barfing Swan.”
The estate also includes a private wooded area and nature trails, as well as a pond and brick patio with a large stone barbecue. The expansive, fenced-in yard features a meditation walkway.
(Photo by David Stuck)
Among the home’s best-known residents was Dorothy Lamour, the 1940s-era film star who married William Ross Howard III, a descendant of Maryland military hero and statesman Gen. John Eager Howard.
Legend has it that among the visitors entertained by the Howards at the house were Hollywood icons Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. (The home’s original owner was B&O Railroad attorney George M. Shriver.)
“This house loves people,” says Shifrah. “There are so many stories in it.”
‘Our Dream House’
Before moving into the house, Shifrah admits she wasn’t much of a history buff or particularly enamored with all things vintage and retro. But moving into the home transformed her perspective.
“I guess you could say I matured,” she says. “You’re different at 37 than when you were 19. You have more of an appreciation. I’ve learned to love antiques and realize that old things were better made and more beautiful.”
But apparently the yen for yesteryear was always residing somewhere in her soul. Growing up in a farmhouse near the Canadian capital of Ottawa with nine siblings, Shifrah says she religiously watched the British TV drama series “Pride and Prejudice” and was frequently transported in her mind’s eye to that historical period.
“I just wanted to be Elizabeth Bennet,” she says with a laugh. “I absolutely loved that show.”
Now, Shifrah and Yossi — who has 10 siblings — find themselves frequently entertaining out-of-town family members and friends in their own slice of Victorian-era paradise.
“I’ve always loved entertaining, but I’ve gotten so much better at it here,” Shifrah says. “Shabbos here is amazing, just beautiful and peaceful. Sometimes we have guests, or we’ll just chill and sit around in our pajamas. It doesn’t feel like you’re even in Baltimore, but that you’re on vacation somewhere else.”
Shifrah admits that keeping up the house and decorating it is a constant work in progress, especially with three children and a pet.
(Photo by David Stuck)
“I’d say we’re close to being done,” she says. “But with every party I keep doing different things. I just don’t want it to feel cluttered or overbearing. But I always want it to feel lived in. Everything doesn’t always have to be perfect. If it’s old, it should have a few scratches.”
Shifrah, who has a background as a party planner, says she could envision transforming the house into an events venue someday.
“The idea of being a venue is maybe something in the future,” she says. “But right now, I just love giving tours and showing off the house to people. I love creating something where when people walk into a room, they feel something. That’s an artform.”
Shifrah says people in the community occasionally ask if she minds living in an area considered somewhat off the beaten path from Jewish Baltimore.
“We’re near everything and we have everything we need. Why would we want to leave this place?” she says, looking around the cozy living room where Lady naps peacefully on a vintage couch. “This is our dream house. We hope to be here until the Moshiach comes. We can see living here with our grandchildren someday. For us, this is it.”
(Photo by David Stuck)
(Photo by David Stuck)
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If done thoughtfully, a blending of styles can create a warm and personalized home, says the veteran local interior decorator.