City of Rockville, Md. Historic District Commission

SUBJECT: Evaluation of former Park Street Elementary School/ 401 Fleet Street for historic district designation

MEETING DATES: A Public Hearing was held on June 20, 2000. The record was held open until July 1, 2000. The HDC will render a decision on July 18 2000.

OWNER/ AGENT:
Janice Turpin, Real Estate Management Specialist
Montgomery County Public Schools
850 Hungerford Drive
Rockville, Maryland 20850-1747

The facts presented by staff research and public comments found that Park School meets a number of minimum criteria for local designation; the degree of site and building significance as a whole is yet to be determined by the HDC.

· The original Park Street School is more than fifty years old, having been constructed in 1935.

· The school was the only elementary school in Rockville when built. It served a number of educational uses until the late 1970's, when it was withdrawn from educational use. At present, the main building is used for offices of Montgomery County Health and Human Services Department and the connecting school is used as an alternative education facility.

· Park School/ 401 Fleet Street is the only Georgian-style educational facility in the City of Rockville. The school was designed by Howard Cutler and built by local contractor and builder Bradley C. Karn.

Staff recommends that the property be recommended for historic designation and that the original building and the two additions before 1950 on the south facade be preserved, if possible, in any future development plans.

BACKGROUND:

The Montgomery County Public School system is considering improvement of the facilities of Richard Montgomery High School at 250 Richard Montgomery Drive. Initial options included moving the school to another site, selective demolition of portions of the existing facility, or complete demolition and rebuilding on the same site. In an effort to clarify options, the facilities division requested an initial Historic District Commission evaluation for significance of the Richard Montgomery High School to determine if it met the criteria to be recommended as a local historic site.

On September 14, 1999, the HDC considered the existing Richard Montgomery High School building and its history. It concluded that the history of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds and education in Rockville and Montgomery County were embodied in the site and structure, but the existing building was not of sufficient integrity to recommend preservation. The HDC did recommend that the school system find other ways to preserve the history of the Rockville-Richard Montgomery High School and the fairgrounds to the public at any new facility on the site. Park School/ 401 Fleet Street was not an issue at this hearing as 401 Fleet Street was scheduled to be the new location of the juvenile justice division.

PROCESS:

The HDC reviews sites in the City which are 50 years old or older and facing substantial alteration or demolition, or which are nominated for historic designation, to determine architectural, social, cultural, or historic significance to the City of Rockville. The HDC is restricted to consideration of these specific criteria by Maryland law. (Attachments A, B and C) It is not permitted to make a recommendation for or against historic designation based upon the necessity for or benefits of a replacement project, cost of replacement or renovation, or other factors. The HDC must render a decision on the significance of the proposed historic site to the Mayor and Council, which will weigh the historic, cultural, or architectural significance against other planning and public considerations and make the final decision on legal designation via a sectional map amendment.

Park Street Elementary School/ 401 Fleet Street was included in the 1987 Rockville Catalog of Historic Resources and was also listed on the City Map of Historic Resources. The Historic Resources Management Plan (1986) did not specifically mention Park School, but recommended on page 245 and 246 for Historic Context #7 (Social, Educational, Cultural) that "The resources from 1930 to 1950 in this period will be eligible for historic designation by the year 2000." Implementation schedules for all themes in Context 7 include the full development of theme and context according to Maryland Historical Trust; Department of Interior guidelines, considering stresses and serious data gaps.

Specifically, the Management Plan recommended (Recommendation # 34. (page 246) that the City "Prepare detailed list of all schools in the City with dates of construction, builders, and significance." ( Goal I, Obj. 1).

The Rockville Historic District Commission staff was asked to evaluate the former Park Street Elementary School/ 401 Fleet Street Drive for significance and make a recommendation of eligibility for historic designation by Montgomery County Public Schools, which is pursuing a remodel or rebuild of the adjacent Richard Montgomery High School. Notice of an evaluation and a request for public comment was advertised via first class mail postcard on June 13 and June 30 to addresses within a quarter mile of the site, specifically including abutting, adjacent, and confronting property owners. The agenda was posted on the City Internet web site and Rocknet and the property was posted with a hearing notice sign for the June 20 hearing.

The Historic District Commission opened the evaluation proceeding on June 20, 2000, received testimony and comments, and held the record open until July 1, 2000. On July 18, staff will present a report on all testimony and comments and the HDC will render their decision as to the eligibility of the site for historic designation based on the attached criteria. The HDC findings and decision will be forwarded to the Planning Commission and to the Mayor and Council who will make the final decision on designation.

BRIEF HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF POTENTIAL HISTORIC RESOURCES:

When Montgomery County established a public school system in 1860, Rockville was the first to receive a primary school. The former Park Street Elementary School was built as Rockville Elementary School in 1934 -35 at the end of the Park Street cul-de-sac. It is the only Georgian design school building in Rockville, and the oldest public school building in Rockville.

The former Park Street School is located on the site of the grandstand of the old Montgomery County Fairgrounds at Rockville. The first and only school museum in the County’s public school system was established by Mrs. Kingdon in 1923 at the old Rockville Academy. Subsequently, the museum was housed in the upper hall of Rockville Elementary School (Park Street School) only to be dismantled in later years when the school became a Junior High School. In 1954, the first five grades were shifted to the newly opened West Rockville Elementary School on Beall Avenue and the little school on Park Street became a junior high school. Broome Junior High School opened in Fall 1957, and the school at Park Street once again became an elementary school facility. It took as its new name “Park Street Elementary School”.

Mrs. Clair Baum was appointed principal of Park Street Elementary School and served until 1962. Park Street Elementary School was among the first schools to initiate Montgomery County’s desegregation program in 1959. At the time, Park Street School maintained the largest percentage of integrated student enrollment in the County. The Park Street Elementary School, Rockville’s oldest public school, closed in June 1977. It has been used for County offices since then and is known as the 401 Fleet Street Annex.

The Park Street School embodies distinctive characteristics of a type and period of construction, specifically representing the Georgian style of Montgomery County school design. As constructed, it was a 2-1/2 story rectangular building with four dormers on each side. The architect was Howard Cutler and the contractor was Bradley C. Karn, a local builder.

In 1939, another rectangle of equal size in the Georgian style was added to the south façade, making it eight bays total. Later an additional flat roofed section without bays was added to the south part of the building and a front entry section was added to the north façade. The building was surveyed in 1999 by Kelly Steele for National Register eligibility in connection with highway improvements. She concluded it was not eligible for listing in the National Register due to the front addition which obscured the Georgian entryway, and the many additions.

OWNER'S TESTIMONY AND COMMENT:

Staff introduced representatives for the property owner (Montgomery County Public Schools): Janice Turpin and James Song of the facilities division, and David Conley and Ferrell Goff of SHW Group Architects. Mr. Song said the decision had been made to use the current site for the new Richard Montgomery High School. Because the site is less than the standard 30-40 acres for a full program high school, the Park School site must be incorporated into the plan if all the elements are to fit, and storm water management and forest conservation requirements are to be met. He noted that Richard Montgomery High School is a blue ribbon school with an International Baccalaureate program and is now over the 1450 student capacity at present by about 200 students. He said that it may reach 2000 students by 2004 with the new Fallsgrove and King Farm developments.

Mr. Conley reviewed the existing Richard Montgomery High School site plan and the concept site plan for the new high school. The concept site plan included all of the necessary elements including tennis courts, football, softball, baseball, and practice fields, a track, 500 parking places in surface lot and parking garage, and the approximately 300,000 square foot educational building with bus areas and drop off zones. He noted that after tree preservation and storm water areas were removed, the site had only 26 usable acres including the Park Street School area, which is about three acres. Park Street School is on a high point on the property and will be graded down and provide fill for the track area. The site plan at this point is only a concept and is subject to change, but it does show that all the necessary elements can be included on the Richard Montgomery-Park Street School site when the existing buildings are removed.

In response to questions from the HDC, Mr. Song and Mr. Conley said moving the old school or incorporating the Park Street structure had not been studied as part of the concept plan. They also replied that 500 parking spaces was the minimum that must be supplied, even with bus and metro facilities, as the school currently has 169 staff and 1,669 students, and sports and cultural events draw large crowds needing parking after school hours. Also, the community uses the school facilities, auditorium, and playing fields.

HDC Chairman Moloney asked if several smaller buildings could accomplish what the single large structure shown on the concept plan would. Mr. Song responded that it is far better to have one building because it solves the management, safety, security, and efficiency issues that several buildings could not and it makes site planning easier. He also said that incorporating the Park Street School into the site would be a challenge to the circulation of the site.

CITIZEN COMMENTS AND CONCERNS

Amy Sutter, representing the Committee for Excellence at Richard Montgomery (CERM) submitted a written statement to the record supporting the use of 401 Fleet Street (Park School) as part of the new Richard Montgomery site. She stated that the site’s history should be preserved in a meaningful way such as the previous school museum. She noted that only one other high school in the county (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) had a smaller site and the lack of fields reduced sports opportunities for both girls and boys. The escalating student enrollment and development in Rockville make the additional space necessary. She added that the idea of making the new school 4 stories instead of the proposed 3 stories in the concept plan only provided more parking but did not give them the additional athletic fields needed.

Jerome Loux, representing the Richard Montgomery Cluster, identified himself as a former Rockville Planning Commission member and stated that he had experience with historic properties in the area including the demolition of the historic WINX building. He stated that the first two phases of the Park Street School would have been worth salvaging if no additions had been made to them, but they have been radically altered and compromised. He felt that the school (Lincoln High School) on Stonestreet Avenue is a better representative of the history of public schools in Rockville. He said that to take the existing Park Street facility and re-use it would be a mistake as the school’s roof is nearing the end of its lifespan and the building would be a maintenance problem. Montgomery County Public Schools does not have the money to salvage or move the building.

Eugene Thirolf and Tim Knobloch spoke for the Richard Montgomery Cluster. Mr. Thirolf stated that the Georgian architecture that characterizes Park Street School is already preserved at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. He urged the HDC to support the decisions of the Montgomery County Board of Education, the Montgomery County Council and the County Executive regarding reconstructing Richard Montgomery High School at the present site and to maintain the educational and recreational tradition of the site. He said that there were few choices available to accommodate all the needs of a new school on the site and he was concerned that construction might be delayed on the project because of the historic status.

Richard Montgomery High School Principal Mark Kelsch stated that transporting students off site for athletic events and practice made it extremely difficult to respond to emergencies and has already produced several problems. He also noted that the current building had over 30 entrances and exits and was extremely difficult to keep secure.

Sima Osdoby, Acting Executive Director of Peerless Rockville, said the school is unquestionably historic and is significant to the City of Rockville. She said the issue is how to preserve the Georgian design building and history as well as providing the best educational facility.

ADDITIONS TO THE RECORD BETWEEN JUNE 20 AND JULY 1 2000

On June 26, 2000, Janice Turpin, Ferrell Goff, and Bob Maddox for the Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville staff Judy Christensen and Cindy Kebba, and HDC Commissioners Craig Moloney, Andrea Hartranft, and Beth Rodgers toured the building. Staff prepared a memo of the tour

(Attachment D). A summary of the observations:

1. The building is in good structural condition with no masonry cracks or other obvious marks of settling or stress.

2. The windows have been changed with the top part of the window opening filled in to hide the dropped interior ceiling, which conceals modern utilities.

3. Several windows on the east façade have been filled in or altered.

4. The 1939 expansion addition on the south, also in the Georgian style, has been joined to the original building. The post WWII flat roofed addition on the south is separated in the basement level but integrally joined at the first and second floor levels.

5. The front additions have been applied to the exterior of the original structure and use doorways for entry. No walls appear to have been removed.

Staff contacted the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington, D.C. to try to obtain information on the architect of Park Street School, Howard Cutler. The AIA’s Achives librarian (Sarah Turner) was unable to find any information on Mr. Cutler, other than that he came to Maryland from Rochester, N.Y. in the 1930s. She was not able to determine if he designed any other school buildings in this area. Staff was not able to locate the original building plans for the Park Street School after contacting both Montgomery County and the Facilities Division of Montgomery County Public Schools.

STAFF ANALYSIS:

The general criteria for single site or unit historic designation in the City of Rockville reads as follows:

The selection of structures and sites constituting a Historic District, or recommended for Landmark status (structures and sites not part of a contiguous Historic District but deemed to meet District and Unit criteria) is based on social-historical and architectural significance. Structures representing styles, periods and methods of construction which have particular significance to Rockville will be given special attention. Integrity of workmanship and materials are considered. There are no date restrictions.

Staff finds that the Georgian-Style Park Elementary School at 201 Fleet Street is significant to the City of Rockville historically as the oldest public school building and architecturally as the only representative in Rockville of the classic Georgian-style educational facility. It possesses the architectural symmetry, brick beltcourses and detail, and arched dormer windows that are hallmarks of this style. The original structure with its stylistically compatible additions is easily distinguished from later additions.

As to architectural integrity, the classroom windows have been changed, which is not an alteration of the structural integrity and is considered reversible. A small number of windows have been filled with brick or altered into doorways. This does constitute substantial alteration, but the greatest portion of the fenestration pattern remains unaltered. The front façade has been obscured by a more modern addition and a corridor attaching the original structure to the adjacent and formerly detached "U"- shaped school building. A preliminary examination of the structure found that these front additions had been applied to the original façade and no walls had been removed. It is possible that these later additions may be removed and the building façade could be restored to the original appearance.

Citizen testimony pointed out that Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School is another example of this period of Georgian Style educational architecture, which has retained a high degree of original integrity. It is on Montgomery County's Master Plan of Historic Resources.

If the site is found to meet one or more criteria, determine the level of site significance and the structure and site condition.

The Historic District Commission has been created by the Mayor and Council of the City of Rockville with the charge to designate and clearly define Historic Districts within the City. The establishment of such Districts as stated in the Annotated Code of Maryland shell be for the purpose of:

1. Safeguarding the heritage of Rockville and Montgomery County by preserving districts which reflect their cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history;

5. Promoting the use and preservation of Historic Districts for the education, welfare and pleasure of the residents of Rockville and Montgomery County.

In recommending the establishment of Historic Districts, the Commission has established criteria, which include the judgment that such districts will fulfill the above statement of purpose, and will fulfill the following more specific criteria either as cohesive districts or as separate individual sites and structures hereinafter referred to as landmarks.

The eligibility as a Historic District can be ascribed to a contiguous group of buildings, structures, appurtenances, environmental settings, sites, objects, and spaces, which reflect the following qualifications:

1. Location: Areas which consist of a contiguous grouping of buildings, sites, objects and spaces, a majority of which continue to exist within the area where they were first created in a mutual relationship of traditional acceptability.

2. Design: Areas which have a sense of cohesiveness expressed through a similarity and/or variety of detail relatedness, architectural or otherwise, based upon the abstracts of aesthetic quality. These include scale, height, proportion, materials, colors, textures, rhythm, silhouette, siting, etc.

3. Setting: Areas which are readily definable by man-made and/or natural boundaries and/or which have a major focal point or points within the given area.

4. Materials: Areas which have a sense of cohesiveness expressed through a similarity and/or variety of material relatedness based upon traditional material use which contributes to a sense of locality.

5. Workmanship: Areas which have a sense of homogeneity reflective of quality aesthetic effort of those periods which represent the majority percentage of the units which comprise the District.

6. Feeling: Areas which impact human consciousness with a sense of time and place.

7. Association: Areas which relate nationally, state-wise or locally, to the lives of individuals, to events created by these individuals and/or to those visual aesthetic qualities which reflect the feeling of time and place.

UNIT CRITERIA

Social-Historical Significance

1. Structures and sites associated with events significant in Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, or national history and social development.

2. Structures and sites associated with the lives of persons making significant contributions in Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, or national history.

3. Structures and sites associated with the development of the culture of a particular Local ethnic group.

Architectural Significance

1. Structures attributed to architects and/or builders of acknowledged local or national importance.

2. Structures of distinctive quality as evaluated by recognized authorities.

3. Structures that are definitive examples of a particular style, period, or method of construction,

4. Structures which are among the last surviving examples of a particular style, period or method of construction.

5. Structures which embody the distinctive characteristics of a particular style, period or method of construction and which possess those characteristics of visual relatedness which collectively create a sense of the whole within a district (or help deem a structure or site outside a district worthy of Landmark Status through:

Scale: Local traditional scale relationships between space and façade defining it and the component parts within that facade as they relate to man and which reflect the majority of the visual elements in the area contributing to the feeling of District.

Proportion: Local traditional height-width relationships of facade and the component parts within that facade, which reflect the majority of the visual elements in the area contributing to the feeling of the District.

Rhythm: Local traditional solid-void relationship of the facade and the component parts within that facade which reflect the majority of the visual elements in the area contributing to a feeling of District,

Massing: Local traditional methods of handling the component elements of a structure which dictate the visual impact of mass and which reflect the majority of the visual elements in the area contributing to a feeling of District.

Materials, Colors, and Textures: Local traditional materials, colors, end textures reflective of or similar to those of the majority of the other visual elements in the area.

Design: The reflection or potential reflection of local traditional design characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction that embodies quality aesthetic effort representative of the time, place, period of construction and the majority of the visual elements in the area, or that represents the work of a known artisan, craftsman or architect, Local or otherwise.

Association: Significant events and/or individuals whose activities are linked with the building, structure, site or object which have made a contribution to the nation, state, or locality.

Sites of distinctive quality as examples of landscape architecture or planned open space as evaluated by recognized authorities.

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Bibliography:

Statement of Historic District Criteria: Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 66B 18.01 (b).

District Criteria: National Register, Proposed District Criteria.

Unit Criteria: National Register, Proposed Unit Criteria; and Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, City of Baltimore, Criteria for Landmark and Special Lists.