OCEAN CITY — Options abound for the fortunate next owner of the Queen Anne-style Victorian home at 401 Wesley Ave. in the Northend neighborhood of America’s Greatest Family Resort.
With 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms plus two powder rooms — including a separate apartment and office — the palatial home could continue its life as an inn or be used as a whopper of a single-family home with rental income to boot.
Currently operated as the Northwood Inn Bed & Breakfast, the lovingly restored home was built circa 1894 and is a key building in the Ocean City Historic District due to it being one of the first 200 houses built on the island.
Purchased as a gutted shell, the structure was completely restored in 1989 and 1990 by the present innkeepers, Marj and John Loeper.
According to the inn’s website Northwoodinn.com, John Loeper combined his skills as a wooden boat builder and custom home builder to return the Northwood to its original charm and splendor, including the magnificent, sweeping staircase and hardwood floors throughout.
The impressive home is immediately recognizable as Victorian, with its gable roofs, tower, gingerbread trim and bay windows, along with its picturesque painted doors, railings and trim and its curved, wrap-around porch.
The home is four stories, including a ground-floor apartment and office — both of which could be used to generate income — a first floor with a parlor, billiards room, dining room, kitchen and innkeeper’s suite, a second floor with five bedrooms and a third floor with two bedrooms and direct access to the rooftop deck.
Outside, the home commands the entire corner of Fourth Street and Wesley Avenue, a picket fence extending down two sides in front of extensive landscaping.
Out back is a garage and several off-street parking spots, but the inn depends mainly on its abundant street parking. There’s also a back deck just off the dining room with stairs leading up to each floor and eventually the spacious rooftop deck, offering a 360-degree view of the island.
The ground-floor apartment, 600 Fourth St., is accessed via a private side door and can be joined with the office, whose entrance is to the right of the main staircase off Wesley Avenue.
Wide wood front steps ascend to the cosy front porch, which has abundant room for multiple rockers filled with people sipping lemonade on a hot summer day just a few blocks from the beach.
Two sets of double swinging doors with windows open into the foyer, where an old-time telephone booth stands out beneath the curving staircase that winds up to the second floor on the left.
Cathedral ceilings soar more than 9 feet high, increasing the feeling of splendor and spaciousness.
The parlor is to the right, where a couple of sofas and cushy armchairs are arranged around a gas fireplace with an ornate mantel and built-in curio cabinets and shelves. All of the woodwork, including the crown molding, is period-appropriate.
Farther down the main hall is the billiards room, naturally lit by the bay window that extends all the way up the south side of the home, matching another on the north side.
Through another doorway is a common area with a sidebar for breakfast and the back set of stairs.
The dining area is arranged for inn guests, with multiple tables wrapping from the side around the back along the porch with windows all along.
On the south side in the rear is the innkeeper’s suite, which includes an office, bedroom, three closets and a full bathroom. Many of the bathrooms have Jacuzzi tubs, the perfect way to end a perfect day at the beach, and this one is no exception.
The first of the two powder rooms is just outside the kitchen, which is more utilitarian than showy and built to serve a bunch. It has an industrial-size six-burner gas oven with a matching hood, a two-door refrigerator with a freezer drawer, a dishwasher and microwave. There are abundant wood cabinets and countertops, as well as two stainless-steel sinks, one with two basins.
Atop the grand staircase off the foyer is Azalea Room. Set in the front south corner, it has windows on two sides, bathing the room in afternoon light. It has a queen-size bed and pedestal sink in the room and a bathroom with a shower, tile floor and walls.
Continuing the flower theme, the Rose Room is across the hall. It has a bay window overlooking Fourth Street, inside which are a couple armchairs for taking in the view. There is a king-size bed and a vanity in the room as well as a bathroom with a shower.
Back on the south side is the Magnolia Room. The inviting room with taupe tinted walls and white lace curtains has a queen-size bed and a luxurious bath with a two-person Jacuzzi tub and separate shower. It is well-lit by three tall windows.
On the south side in the back of the house is the Lotus Blossom Suite, a spacious two-room accommodation with a sitting room featuring a pull-out sofa, bedroom with a queen-size bed and full bathroom with a tub/shower.
The final room on this floor, the Garden Room, queen size bed, private bath with tub/shower
A storage room is at the base of the stairs to the third floor, where the Tulip Room and Tower Suite are found in the home’s highest reaches.
The Tulip Room has an angled ceiling, mimicking the roofline, making it interesting aesthetically. It has a queen-size bed and vanity.
Next door, the Tower Suite has a sitting room with a sofa bed and armchair. The bedroom is accessed through French doors, revealing a multi-angled ceiling and queen-size bed, as well as a luxury bathroom with a two-person Jacuzzi and large tiled shower with a seat. There’s also access to a private deck.
Also on the third floor is a full bathroom just inside the door to the rooftop deck.
Other features include 400-amp electricity service, a 13-zone HVAC system, 400-gallon gas-fired boiler — providing enough water and pressure for numerous guests — and a full fire-suppression system.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff