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While this may look like a large house, the subject of this photo is actually the centerpiece of one of the most interesting places in Maryland.  This building began in the late 1800’s as a hotel getaway in Maryland.  It was located right off the railroad tracks and catered to those who lived in DC and sought some peaceful relaxation in the wooded suburb of Forest Glen.  

 

While it was a great idea to create such a getaway, this wasn’t the only one.  Within just a few years, many of these inns had gone out of business.  This particular inn had the good fortune of finding a new owner who was interested in turning the hotel into a girls finishing school.   What it became was the National Park Seminary.   Slowly through the ambitions of two owners, the school became very popular with the elite children of America.   More importantly, it expanded physically.  Stretching out on all sides from its original inn.  Buildings that weren’t connected by walls were connected by elevated, and covered, walkways so that the girls could safely move from building to building.   Many new buildings featured a different king of architecture.  Still standing is a Pagoda, an Italian Villa, a Coliseum, and a windmill.  

 

Why then, with all this interesting architecture, am I giving you a picture of the building in the center, which in relation to others, may be a bit boring.  The reason is because not many people are afforded this view.  It is the view from the original approach of the original train station to the “Main,” which is now obstructed by I-495 and its sound barriers.   It is a view you can’t get from driving behind or around the school but only by getting over the creepiness and walking around the place. 

 

Creepiness?   Yeah, well… you see the rest of the story isn’t so happy.   The school was closed down and annexed by the Army during WWII as part of Walter Reed hospital.  Around the 70’s the Army started to abandon certain buildings and parts of the grounds, leaving much of the place in disrepair and subject to vandalism.   Right now, after decades of mistreatment by the government, a team of private developers are turning it into condos.

 In the future, I’ll post more pictures of this place as it’s one of my favorites.   (I’ll include pictures of the house in Chevy Chase where I believe someone has brazenly placed stolen statuary from the Seminary right in their yard.)  In the mean time check out this site for more info, and for pictures of the other, supposedly “more interesting,” architectural elements on the campus.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 11:31 PM and is filed under Montgomery County, Silver Spring. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.