Jimmy Edgerton had never played pickleball when he decided to open his own court. A few years ago, the engineering consultant had been watching as the game took over his Patterson Park neighborhood—first quietly, then quickly—mirroring its trajectory as the fast-growing sport in America.

“I’d sit on the stoop with [my daughter] and watch people play across the street,” says Edgerton.

Then in late 2022, he and his wife, Heather Keating, purchased a former marble-and-stone warehouse on Spring Street in Fells Point. Soon enough, the couple got an idea: Maybe they could turn the building into a community hub, centered around this increasingly popular pastime. Construction began in 2024, and soon after, Edgerton finally picked up a paddle and became hooked himself.

With the backing of two silent partners, SOS Pickleball opened its doors this past September.

Invented in 1965, pickleball—a combination of tennis, table tennis, and badminton—found a massive resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic. But what initially felt like a passing trend has proven to have staying power; according to The New York Times, there are now more than 26,000 pickleball courts nationwide.

And now, thanks to Edgerton and Keating, Baltimore City has its first dedicated indoor court.

One of Edgerton’s favorite things about the sport is that anyone can play—something he learned the hard way. His first few games were with neighborhood regulars at Patterson Park. Within about 30 minutes, the lifelong basketball and tennis player had learned most of the rules, rotated through games with strangers, and experienced the sport’s particular brand of humility after repeatedly losing to a 75-year-old named Betsy.

“Pickleball is such an interesting, accessible sport that anyone at any level can play,” says Edgerton.

SOS stands for “serve on spring,” a play on words to evoke the urgency needed to get your pickleball hit. In a nod to the Ravens, its purple walls, handpicked by Keating, span roughly 7,300 square feet, housing two dedicated pickleball courts, table tennis, and billiards rooms, alongside lounge seating and a bar. The club has a full liquor license, a bunch of non-alcoholic options, and food from nearby newcomers Bank St. Deli, which Edgerton helped build.

The temperature-controlled indoor space operates on a self-serve, no-membership-required model, allowing players to reserve courts through an app and play on their own schedule. Because pickleball is most often played in teams of two, the cost breaks down to about $10 per person per hour. Equipment rentals and on-site coaching from a small staff are also available, making the space accessible to first-timers and experienced players alike.

“The thing we’ve really been zeroed in on is creating this space where you can come and learn and be social,” says Keating. “And have a good time as well.”

Most people don’t purchase a second home before they’ve settled on the first, much less the house next door, but Jimmy Edgerton and Heather Keating are not your average couple. After noticing their soon-to-be next-door neighbor moving out before they closed on the purchase of their rowhome, they decided to “swing for the fences,” says Edgerton.

Keating is the marketing and communications director at the Creative Alliance and a MICA-trained photographer and graphic designer. She’s also an avid community event organizer. Edgerton is an adjunct professor at Tufts University, a consultant specializing in food product development and management strategy, as well as a licensed civil engineer and LEED-certified builder.

When the creative duo and committed city dwellers were ready to put down roots, they chose Patterson Park. By March 2020, both homes were theirs.

“We could see the pandemic coming and didn’t want a developer banging away,” says Edgerton. “We wanted to control what was happening next door.” Then the conversation inevitably shifted to: What do we do with these two houses?

“We knew we didn’t want to do a cookie-cutter rehab,” says Keating. The more they thought about it, they realized the purchase of neighboring homes made sense. Edgerton’s parents live in Vermont and wanted a place where they could stay for long visits. Keating, who has spent years throwing events in rented restaurants or private rooms in bars, wanted a flexible entertainment space that she and Edgerton could use for huge “Friendsgivings” and for community meetings and parties, a place that was both home-like and full of character.

The duo were perfect partners when it came to renovating. Keating has an artist’s eye, a penchant for Pinterest boards, and a high tolerance for whimsy. Edgerton is a detail-oriented project manager who can take Keating’s ideas and refine them to perfection.

With help from architect Kathleen Leichleiter at Twopoint Studio and a host of subcontractors, they transformed one house into their comfortable family home and the other into a multi-generational apartment/party/occasional Airbnb space they dubbed the Fox Den, with the two connected by strategic passages.

Second Chance helped gut the homes and reduce landfill waste in the process. “They saved the pieces we wanted,” says Keating. That included the homes’ mantles and beams—even an old window from the demolished sleeping porch found a place in the redesign. “We put as many pieces back as we could or repurposed them elsewhere in the house.” The rear of both homes was removed to enable the back to extend and to gain a full, additional room on the third floors. The crown jewel of the renovation is a double-wide rooftop deck.

The Fox Den features a main entertainment and dining space that can comfortably seat 30 people, though the four tables purchased at Su Casa in Fells Point can also convert to sideboards if the occasion requires. The custom-designed drink rail is perfectly sized to hold a cocktail. And while the room currently houses a collection of B-movie posters from Keating’s uncle (who worked at a theater when he was young), the art can also change for a special event’s needs—or be removed entirely for wall projection.

Edgerton designed the entertaining room to have a mezzanine looking down on the entry level, which also provides a well-lit spot for the many orphaned houseplants Keating has adopted over the years and that are now flourishing.

A catering kitchen with a six-burner Viking range and full bar ensures plenty of food and drink for parties. And a dumbwaiter large enough to hold a rolling catering cart connects from the first floor all the way to the rooftop deck. “The deck has been great, especially during the pandemic, for outdoor family events,” says Keating.

To fulfill its goal to be a flexible, fun, and income-producing property, the Fox Den has a full suite on its third floor that’s home to the in-laws when they visit, and open to rent when they’re not. (Both basements were also excavated—creating a rental apartment and a petite efficiency suite that can be used for friends or an au pair.) The couple repurposed many original features into the suite, like using old beams to build a loft and using original wood subflooring to create a headboard behind the guest bed.

Keating says she loves to bounce between the two homes. While the Fox Den is chic, cool, and calm, their family house side is cozy, a mix of midcentury modern with contemporary aesthetics. “Working in vintage pieces has been really important to me,” says Keating. “And there’s a lot of whimsy, too.”

It’s a project that reflects the artistic sensibilities of its owners. Keating’s mother is a glass artist and she created three custom stained glassed windows for the homes. A beautiful window of green and blue gingko leaves installed at the top of the main staircase sets the tone for the home’s soothing color scheme, carried through in everything from the teal Joybird sofa in the living room to beloved artworks by Matt Muirhead and Heather Farrell.

“I hit a teal phase and have stayed there,” laughs Keating. “I’m a little teal-obsessed.”

Edgerton has done rehabs before, but nothing like this, with the engineering feat of a huge rooftop deck and with “the flexibility to use the space as we need it—for ourselves, for multi-generational family, for extra help, and for income production.”

This creative alliance became official when Keating and Edgerton married in September 2020—six months after starting the renovation. The home’s flex space is about to get a workout with a new baby and the arrival of adoring grandparents. But the home already passed its first big test—hosting Friendsgiving this past November.

“It was everything we wanted it to be,” Keating says. “We had candles everywhere and a huge potluck and we cooked two turkeys at once.” Friends from around the city and colleagues from Creative Alliance joined with a host of others to celebrate. “We’re both not only family-oriented but community-oriented,” Keating continues. “Those connections are important to us. We’re really contributing to creating a sense of welcome on our block.”