However, if only one word could be used to describe the home of Nan and Michael Farmer in the Historic District of downtown Annapolis, it's definitely exquisite - jaw-droppingly exquisite.

First of all, not only is this a home in the Historic District, it's a home with a vast history.

Built between the mid to late 18th century, the pedigree of the home can be partially traced to its brickwork pattern.

"The reason we know the house was built between 1760 and 1780 is the front is all header bond," Ms. Farmer explained.

This was a tough time period - the war had ended, the United States was experiencing a rough economy and Thomas Rutland, who was building the house, desperately needed money.

"It (the house) is so very commodious that I shall part with it very unwillingly at almost any price. … Nothing but my immediate need for cash would induce me to sell it," Mr. Rutland wrote in a letter to Dr. James Murray, a prominent military physician.

And so the bankrupt Mr. Rutland sold the home to Dr. Murray, whose family and heirs remained in the home for more than 60 years. In 1845, Annapolis merchant James Iglehart Jr. purchased the home and incorporated Greek revival-style alterations to the Georgian structure.

Keep in mind this was a time when many Americans believed the ancient Greeks and their architecture represented democracy, while Georgian style represented all things British, which the War of 1812 colored less desirable.

In 1884 the home was divided into two single family dwellings. Stucco laid upon the exterior brick masks the division, which remains today.

In 1892 the home was sold again, which actually brings us to the lineage of the current owners.

"My great-granduncle, Robert Lincoln Werntz, purchased the home after he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1888," Ms. Farmer said. "After his death it went to my grandfather (and) it's been in the family ever since."

The couple oversaw an extensive renovation in 2001, which included moving the kitchen and adding bathrooms, air conditioning (there had never been any), a library and a whole-house fire sprinkler system in addition to lots of other changes.

The third floor of the home is an apartment for Ms. Farmer's brother."We tried to keep the integrity of the two styles of the house, but one also has to make it livable," Ms. Farmer explained.

On the exterior, a very subtle yellow is contrasted with black shutters, a white porch and stark white trim upon a block modillion course over the home which is repeated above the door. Brass sconces resembling colonial gas lamps flank the black paneled door. A polished brass doorknob, kick plate, mailbox and banister balls atop the wrought-iron banisters provide aesthetic and period cohesion. A white marble stairway lends added elegance.

The subtle yellow upon the exterior is repeated in the foyer and formal living room just off the entry.

In the foyer, Ms. Farmer explains the beautifully detailed quilt hanging upon the wall, which depicts the Farmer family history.

"My dear, dear friend, who's a master quilter, said, 'I'd like to do a quilt for you,' " Ms. Farmer said. "It starts with my birth; then the house; then Mike's and my wedding, which was at the Naval Academy; this is when we all went to Scotland together; my son's wedding and birth; and my husband's subs (Mr. Farmer commanded submarines while in the Navy); and (granddaughter) Sukie's birth - that's 2,000 hours of hand stitching."

Looking down, it's clear we're literally stepping on history.

"The flooring is original Georgia pine," Ms. Farmer said. "Sometimes I walk through this house in the evenings, I have a cup of tea and I literally wonder how the women who preceded me felt - were they happy, had they just given birth; I feel a connection."

The formal living room opens to an equally formal dining room. Crystal chandeliers in both spaces illuminate the beauty within. The mix of antique and new furnishings fits the spaces like a finely tailored suit, creating elegant yet comfortable surroundings.

Folding doors allow the two rooms to be closed off from one another.

"Those doors were put in in 1850," Ms. Farmer said. "On Christmas morning my grandfather would have the doors closed and he would open them - it was magical."

An antique child-size desk with folding top sits near the fireplace.

"We bought that for Sukie before she was born," Ms. Farmer said. "I think every child needs a special place in their grandparents' home; every time she comes, there's a present in there for her."

On the far side of the living and dining rooms is a spectacular enclosed light-filled porch with a sitting area on one end and informal dining space on the other. With hanging ferns, wicker and wrought-iron furniture, a lion head fountain on the wall and a street view to downtown Annapolis, it's the perfect spot for reading, enjoying a cup of Earl Grey, or people watching.

"This is the window to Annapolis - we see everything," Ms. Farmer said.

The rear of the home features the kitchen and library, both stately rooms featuring dark woods.

"That was my grandfather's roll-top desk," Ms. Farmer said of a beautiful piece in the library.

"My father inherited an entire library from Cambridge," Ms. Farmer said. "We've got works from Shakespeare (and) my favorite, Virginia Woolf. My husband is a lover of Winston Churchill, so we have a lot of Winston Churchill."

Upstairs finds the master bedroom and guest room, both with their own bathrooms. The master features a large separate sitting area with fireplace.

A small shelving unit with all sorts of interesting objects sits at the top of the steps.

"These are pieces we found throughout the excavation and renovation," Ms. Farmer explained.

The collection of museum-worthy relics includes keys, tools, bottles, keys, knobs and blades.

A below-grade basement completes the home and provides yet another window to the past.

"The stones were ballast stones brought from the ships," Ms. Farmer said.

With walls of stone, exposed beams and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, few spaces could be more comfortable on a cold winter day.

Like the family that lives there, this home and its history have been a true pleasure getting to know.

"The house offers five generations of continuity and love - we're just the stewards of it," Ms. Farmer said.

Donna L. Cole is a freelance writer living in the Annapolis area. If you'd like your home considered for "Home of the Week," e-mail her at writerdle@aol.com.