Historic Preservation in Rockville: Myths and Misconceptions
"Is Your Home Historic?", TCA Newsletter, June 2010.
In yesterday’s mail I received the Twinbrook Citizens Association newsletter and noted that President Christina Ginsberg devoted a portion to historic preservation in Rockville in her article, “Is Your Home ‘Historic’?” As a member of the Historic District Commission (HDC) living in Twinbrook, I appreciate the attention to this long-standing effort in the City of Rockville, but I also want to correct some factual errors and misunderstandings, particularly because they can result in unnecessary conflicts and spread misinformation. Here are the common myths regarding preservation in Rockville:
1. If my house is designated, it’ll prevent improvements. False. In Rockville, owners of historic properties can complete routine repairs and maintenance without review or approval, as long as they replace in kind. So fix your roof with the same material, it’s okay. Change from asphalt to slate, it’ll need to be approved by the HDC. Paint colors are never subject to approval, so if you like yellow and purple stripes, go ahead. Work on the inside of your house isn’t reviewed by the HDC, so remodel your kitchen and bathroom. It’s permanent changes to the outside of your house that matter, and even then, if they are thoughtfully designed Continue reading →
New Year Opens in Rockville with a Peerless Brunch
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| Peerless Rockville Brunch 2010 |
The Peerless Rockville New Year’s Day Brunch at Glenview Mansion was the first official event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the City of Rockville and everyone enjoyed a beautiful day, a nice mix of members and friends, and of course, lots of good food. Although it’s a holiday, the event always draws a good crowd of community leaders, including State Senator Forehand; State Delegates Barve, Simmons, and Gilchrist; Rockville Mayor Marcuccio; Rockville Councilmembers Gajewski, Newton, and Pierzchala; and City Clerk Funkhouser. This year’s event invited people to wear something vintage and among the standouts were Bill Forehand (with a Civil War sailor’s uniform) and Cindy Cotte Griffiths (with an amazing vintage dress–satin and velvet?). Peerless also encouraged everyone to submit their nominations for Places That Matter in Rockville (standing or not) and Peerless will be using it as a guide for events and activities for the upcoming year (Phyllis Marcuccio was actively supporting the Pump House). Glenview Mansion is an ideal place to hold the brunch–it’s almost perfectly suited to this type of event–and it was wonderfully decorated for the holidays. Rockville is very fortunate to have such a marvelous historic venue for community events (so much better than a high school gym!). If you want to see a photoalbum from the day, click on the picture or caption.
Walking Tour of African American Places in Rockville
In October, the City of Rockville unveiled the new markers for the historic places around downtown associated with African American history. It was a beautiful day and a long trail of people followed along to visit the many sites, so if you missed it, Channel 11 now has it available online (it won’t be the same as doing it yourself, but you can get a sense of the fun we had that day).
Achieving Affordable Housing in Rockville
The deadline for the questionnaire for Community Ministries of Rockville passed on October 15, so I thought you’d be interested in my response (and their intriguing questions):
Question: Affordable housing is a top priority because it is good for business, it attracts younger people to an aging community, and it improves the quality of life for everyone. What do you propose be done during the next term to increase affordable housing in Rockville?
Answer: Diversity, including a range of incomes, is essential to a healthy community. However, I support the dispersion of affordable housing in every neighborhood rather than concentration in high density apartment dwellings. The City Code currently requires affordable housing units in large developments, but this does not go far enough. Because of the high cost of land and construction, I support in-fill housing in alternative formats, including granny apartments and duplex houses, as well as leveraging financial incentives available through historic preservation in older neighborhoods. Furthermore, I support property tax credits for persons with low and moderate income of any age, not just seniors.
Follow-up: “Affordable housing” is controversial because some people believe that it attracts crime and reduces property values. What do you think?
African American historic places highlighted in Rockville
Tour of the Jerusalem Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church
The City of Rockville has been working for nearly a decade to recognize the history of African American in the city and yesterday marked a major accomplishment with the installation of several interpretive markers in downtown. Many people who shop, work, and live in the Town Square don’t realize it was once a thriving African American community which was demolished during the 1960s and 1970s due to urban renewal. Today, very little remains and the plaques remind us of how much was lost–and also that African Americans have a long and distinguished history in Rockville.
Yesterday afternoon the City of Rockville hosted a tour on an incredibly beautiful fall day to visit some of these places and to see the new plaques, including Continue reading →
What’s the Future for King Farm Farmstead Park
The October edition of the King Farm Chronicle, the community’s monthly newspaper which is mailed to over 3,500 homes within King Farm, will feature the upcoming Rockville City election. They asked the candidates to provide answers to four questions and here’s the fourth and last one (with a bit in addition to the Chronicle’s 250-word limit):
4. What do you believe is the best use of the King Farm Farmstead Park and how would you bring that about? Do you favor expanding the City’s community garden at the Farmstead, or using the space to build a parking lot?
I strongly support preserving King Farm Farmstead, not only because of its historical significance but also because the community draws its name from this place–that doesn’t mean it needs to remain a farm, a dairy, or a home or has to be enshrined as a museum. Because of its history as a farm, its use for a community garden is certainly sympathetic. But I encourage additional compatible uses to ensure Continue reading →
Gazette profiles Max as candidate
In a series of profiles to introduce the candidates for Rockville City Council, the Gazette, a local weekly newspaper, featured Max in the September 16 issue. Staff writer Nathan Carrick opened his story with,
Anyone who knows Max van Balgooy knows he has a passion for preserving the past. But he said it is his passion for shaping a better future that inspired him to run for Rockville City Council.
The 47-year-old Twinbrook resident, who serves as president of Continue reading →
A Very Long HDC Meeting
Last Thursday the Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting and if anyone was watching to the end, you may have noticed that the clock was nearing midnight. We usually try to finish at 10 pm but we had an ambitious agenda, including:
1. A joint meeting with the Environment Commission, which included three Planning Commissioners. The City has about two dozen commissions and boards but they rarely, if ever, talk with each other, even if they share some common goals or are tackling the same issue. This past year the HDC has requested meetings with other commissions but it’s been slow because finding mutual agreeable times is difficult and sometimes, I regret to say, the Chair of the other commission refused to respond to emails or phone calls to meet (what’s that about??). So far, we’ve met with the Planning Commission and this month with the Environment Commission. These meetings are just an hour so no decisions are made, but they provide introductions and we learn a bit more about each other to discover areas of mutual interest. It’s obvious that the Environmental Commission and the HDC both want to encourage Continue reading →
Chestnut Lodge Nearly All Gone
Today the demolition crew continued its work and removed nearly all the brick walls of the historic Chestnut Lodge. So many people are interested in this place (my blog logged nearly 600 views today and lots of comments–thanks to everyone for sharing) that I’ll share some photos from today’s demolition as well as the press conference. Mary, my wife and Executive Director at Peerless Rockville, was busy the entire day fielding calls from the press and responding to questions.
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- Chestnut Lodge from the southwest corner. Only the 1940s addition survives.
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- Chestnut Lodge demolition from northeast corner.
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- Press Conference with Mayor Hoffmann and County Executive Leggett.
Chestnut Lodge fire adds to Rockville losses
This morning at about 3 am, Chestnut Lodge caught fire and nearly burned to the ground. All that currently survives are the brick walls and they are in extremely fragile condition. Arson is suspected and after the investigation is completed in the next few days, I believe the entire building will be demolished to protect public safety. The City of Rockville just lost one of its most significant historic landmarks.
Chestnut Lodge began its life as the Woodlawn Hotel, a resort that attracted residents from Washington DC, and ended as Chestnut Lodge, the internationally renowned sanitarium that included such pre-eminient psychologists as Dr. Frieda Fromm Reichman. The four-story French Second Empire building in its park-like setting provided a visual anchor for the West End neighborhood. Its abandonment in 2001 caused wide concern in the city but eventually Chestnut Lodge Properties purchased it with plans to rehabilitate it into eight luxury condominiums. At this time, its future is unclear– Continue reading →
Max for Rockville 