Annapolis Roads on Chesapeake Bay
1925 – 1934
The Architecture
Proposed
Hotel – Front Elevation Rendering
(Courtesy of the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site)
The hotel, referred
to in architectural plans as “The John Paul Jones,” was to be the
main focus of the development and as early as 1923, the office of
John Russell Pope had prepared designs for the hotel.i
Perhaps best known for his work on public buildings such as the
Baltimore Museum of Art, University Hall at Johns Hopkins University,
and the University Baptist Church, Pope was very active as a
residential architect, though Annapolis Roads was his only known
residential development project. Daniel Higgins, who managed the
business affairs of the firm, was the main contact for the project
from Pope’s office.ii
The John Paul Jones
was to be a four story Colonial Revival style hotel was to be in a U
shape, with the opening of the “U” facing towards the waterfront.
A small entrance lobby wing extending 63 feet with a Porte Cochere
was planned for the front of the hotel opposite the commanding view.
The ground floor was to have a matching 38 foot by 128 foot ballroom
and dining room in each of the wings reaching towards the water, with
an enclosed porch capping each of these ends. The interior of the “U”
was lined with a covered walkway outside both the ballroom and dining
room. At the base of the “U” was to be a 38 foot by 84 foot
lounge. There would also be card rooms, shops and offices, as well as
a 38 foot by 53 foot grill room planned for the ground floor near the
entrance. An 82 foot by 41 foot kitchen wing was to be placed to the
left side of the hotel when viewed from the entrance.iii
Gallagher felt it
best to locate the hotel set back from the bluff overlooking the
water on the site of what is now L’Altura.iv
He thought that, “the importance of the hotel [she was] proposing
[called] for an environment such as is provided by this natural
wooded and picturesque water frontage.”v
He also believed “that it would be wiser for [her] not to develop
so much of this land in house lots but to include a fair measure of
it in the general grounds of the hotel.vi
Gallagher also suggested placing the hotel “as to look a little
south of east and down the Chesapeake. In this way it would be
possible to avoid a too direct view of the tall towers of the
government wireless station which, while interesting, rather hurts
than otherwise the natural scene.”vii
Development
in Vicinity of Hotel
(Courtesy
of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmstead National
Historic Site)
With Armstrong
wishing to subsidize the construction of the hotel with the sale of
cottage lots, she set about preparing for a real estate office to be
built on the property and suggested two positions on the property. viii
Apparently her real estate men objected to an early proposal to
locate the office near the entrance gate and felt that the “steady
stream of cars going to Bay Ridge” on Saturdays and Sundays would
produce enough “dust and noise [to] make that site undesirable.”ix
“As the purpose of the office [was] to serve as office and rest
room for prospects, [they believed] it [would] be more advantageous
to have it near the center of the property.”x
Armstrong planned to begin construction of the building in
mid-September 1926. The structure was to be a copy of the Old
Treasury building on State Circle in Annapolis and the office of John
Russell Pope prepared a front elevation drawing of the building.xi
Gallagher suggested it be built “at the end of the main drive and
where there should be a wide turnaround before the entrance of the
hotel. This turning space [would] be useful…, especially with the
office facing upon it, which [seemed to him] the natural position for
it.”xii
But despite her communicating active pending plans to Gallagher to
build this office in the fall of 1926, it was never built, once again
illustrating the severe under capitalization of the project.
Proposed Real
Estate Office – Front Elevation Rendering
(Courtesy
of James G. Gibb)
The Beach clubhouse was apparently
built under the supervision of the Munsey Trust Company and was built
in 1928 on the site planned for the John Paul Jones Hotel.xiii
It was a four-story white wooden building, with four levels of decks
on the bay side of the structure but only one story at the landward
side as it was built into the steep face of the embankment.xiv
The clubhouse featured a dining room and grill, which were enjoyed
year round.xv
It also featured locker rooms and showers, which occupied two of the
floors.xvi
Shortly after midnight June 8th, 1953, it was consumed in
a fire of undetermined origin, which started in the top floor housing
an office and furniture.xvii
Beach
Clubhouse facing West 1929
(Courtesy
of James G. Gibb)
Beach
Clubhouse facing East 1929
(Courtesy
of James G. Gibb)
Tiled
Esplanade of the Beach Clubhouse circa 1929
(Courtesy
of James G. Gibb)
Beach
Clubhouse
(Courtesy
of James G. Gibb)
Beach
Clubhouse
(Courtesy
of James G. Gibb)
The “tavern” (also know as the
golf clubhouse) was a brick/stucco Colonial Revival building with a
gambrel roof designed in 1927 by the office of John Russell Pope. The
building was built sometime between November 1927 and May 1929.
Though originally suggested to be located using lots 18 through 22
along Carrolton Road on the Golf Course side (now part of Section A),
it was eventually sited on lots 11, 11A, 12 and 12A of Section C
adjacent to Otter Lake. It stood until about 1970 when it was torn
down.xviii
Design for
Tavern – Front Elevation Rendering
(Courtesy
of James G. Gibb)
Gate Walls
and Gatehouse (gate shown in the up position)
(Courtesy
of Bill Gibbs)
All plans for
residences or other buildings were to be submitted to John Russell
Pope or his office and this provision was placed in the contracts of
all lot sales.xxii
In most cases, individual owners bought cottage lots directly from
The Annapolis Roads Company. The owner would then have a cottage
designed and built once those plans were approved. In the Case of the
cottage at 1205 Eden Lane, which was bought by Irwin S. Porter, a
Washington architect, he most likely designed the cottage himself.xxiii
Two lots were purchased from Home Improvement Company of Baltimore,
which apparently had an arrangement to purchase the lots directly
from The Annapolis Roads Company and re-sell them to individuals with
a cottage. The re-sale occurred and the cottage was completed at a
later date. These two lots were D6 purchased by Arthur C. Grafflin of
Baltimore and D19 purchased by Clinton S Bradley of Pittsburgh.
Porter
and Lockie served as local consulting architects with Bradbury and
Mohler providing home construction.xxiv
Porter Summer
Home (Built November 1928 – April 1929)
(Courtesy
of Bill Gibbs)
i
Percival Gallagher to Rella Armstrong February 26, 1926
ii
Ibid.
iii
Plan 7591-6, The John Paul Jones, Annapolis, MD, First Floor Plan
Sheet 1; Scale 1/8"=1'.
iv
Percival Gallagher to Rella Armstrong February 26, 1926
v
Percival Gallagher to Rella Armstrong March 1, 1926
vi
Ibid.
vii
Ibid.
viii
Rella Armstrong to Percival Gallagher August 29, 1926
ix
Ibid.
x
Ibid.
xi
Ibid.
xii
Percival Gallagher to Rella Armstrong September 9, 1926
xiii
The Washington Post, June 9, 1953, pg 20.
xiv
Ibid.
xv
The Washington Post, March 24, 1929, pg S7; The Washington Post,
June 9, 1929, pg M23.
xvi
The Washington Post, June 9, 1953, pg 20.
xvii
Ibid.
xviii
James G. Gibb, “Designing Annapolis Roads, 1926-1934,” The
Bay Breeze (Winter 2002), pg 3.
xix
Agreement between Armstrong Company , the Munsey Trust Company and
the Annapolis Roads Company April 1929.
xx
Ibid.
xxi
Agreement between Armstrong Company , the Munsey Trust Company and
the Annapolis Roads Company April 1929.
xxii
Agreement between Armstrong Company , the Munsey Trust Company and
the Annapolis Roads Company April 1929.
xxiii
Anne Arundel County Circuit Court (Land Records) FSR 43, pg 28.
xxiv
The Washington Post, May 11, 1928, pg 4
xxv
James G. Gibb, “Annapolis Roads Development, 1926-2003,” The
Bay Breeze (Winter 2004) pp 6-7.
xxvi
The Washington Post, March 24, 1929, pg S7
xxvii
The Washington Post, April 14, 1929, pg M25
xxviii
The Washington Post May 19, 1929, pg M21
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