MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY … › secure › medusa › PDF... · Historic Montgomery County Property Atlas maps reveal a number of dwellings, a church,

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY FORM

NR Eligible: yes

no ~

Property Name: Pilgrim Church Tract Inventory Number: M: 36-73

Address: Garfield Avenue also 8850 and 8900 Brookville Road Historic district: ~ yes no

City: Silver Spring Zip Code: 20910 County: Montgomery

USGS Quadrangle(s): Kensington ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--

Property Owner: Multiple Tax Account ID Number: Multiple

Tax Map Parcel Number(s): Multiple Tax Map Number: HP61 ~~~~~~~~~

Project: Purple Line Agency: Maryland Transit Authority

Agency Prepared By: Dovetail Cultural Resource Group

Preparer's Name: Danae Peckler Date Prepared: 5/10/2012

Documentation is presented in:

Preparer's Eligibility Recommendation: Eligibility recommended x Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B c D Considerations: A B c D E

Complete if the property is a contributing or non-contributing resource to a NR district/property:

Name of the District/Property:

Inventory Number:

Site visit by MHT Staff yes X no

Eligible: _ yes

Name:

Description of Property and Justification: (Please attach map and photo)

Introduction/Location

Listed:

Date:

F G

yes

The subdivision known as the Pilgrim Church Tract is situated on the north side of Brookville Road in Silver Spring, Maryland, and contains one block of lots laid around Garfield Avenue. Properties within this 10-acre subdivision are currently zoned for commercial and industrial purposes. The land in the Pilgrim Church Tract was divided from the 50-acre farm of Edward Birgfield in 1890 and sold to Bishop Perkins and Julius Burrows, investors from Kansas and Michigan, respectively (MCDB JA 21:14). At the time, this tract was located near the historic communities ofLyttonsville and Linden--residential areas that began to develop in the late-nineteenth century after construction of the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad. In July 1892, Perkins and Burrows filed a plat that subdivided the tract into 12 lots when they sold Lot 1 to the Pilgrim Baptist Church at Linden (MCDB JA 34:15; MCPB B, Plat No. 39).

Today, the Pilgrim Church Tract is filled with 16 lots, several of which have been expanded, combined, and re-subdivided since the 1960s. The area is almost entirely covered by paved parking lots and late-twentieth-century warehouses and storage buildings, some of which stretch across multiple lots. Trees line the perimeter of the tract and a few of the dividing property lines within it.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW

Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended ;;<:._ Criteria: A B c D Considerations: A B c D E F G

MHT Comments:

Dae

NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

M: 36-73 Pilgrim Church Tract

Page 2

Poured concrete sidewalks line either side of Garfield Avenue with an occasional grassy median along the roadway.

Historic Context

Situated north of the District of Columbia in Montgomery County, Maryland, the area that is now Silver Spring remained undeveloped farmland until the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The area's development was sparked by construction of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad in 1873 and furthered by the expansion of streetcars, bus routes, and improved roadways during the first decades of the twentieth century. The earliest subdivisions in the area were platted in the 1880s, including Takoma Park (circa 1883), Kensington (circa 1886), Forest Glen (circa 1887), Capitol View (circa 1887) and Woodside (circa 1889)--all of which were situated along the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O. One stop along this railroad was the station at Linden, a 32-acre residential subdivision first platted in 1873 (MCDB EBP 11 :33). Subsequent "additions" were made to the Linden subdivision as adjacent property owners divided or sold their land to developers in an effort to cash in on the new growth.

Records from the early-nineteenth century indicate that much of the land around the Pilgrim Church Tract belonged to descendants of Daniel Carroll, one of the few statesmen to have signed both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. In the lateeighteenth century, Carroll contributed land from his family ' s holdings in Maryland to help establish the District of Columbia (Webb and Wooldridge 1892: 108). In 1801 , the executors of Daniel Carroll's estate conveyed a "Part of Joseph 's Park," containing 88 acres to one of Carroll's grandsons, Charles Courts Jones (MCDB I:370). The land remained in Jones' family until a portion was sold to a local farmer, Edward Birgfield, in 1882 (EBP 25:406). At that time, the land was sold as two parcels, one containing over 10 acres and another with more than 36 acres.

In 1890, the Birgfields sold the 10-acre tract to Bishop Perkins and Julius Burrows, two investors from out of state (MCDB JA 21: 14 ). Earlier that year, these same businessmen had purchased land adjacent to the Linden development, creating "Perkins and Burrows Addition to Linden" in April 1890 (MCPB A, Plat No. 58). In 1891 , Perkins and Burrows partnered with Edward Mullineaux to develop another 4-acre tract adjacent to Linden (MCPB B, Plat No. 20) .

A plat for the 10-acre tract they purchased from Birgfield was not filed until the summer of 1892, when they sold Lot 1 to the "Pilgrim Baptist Church at Linden" (MCDB JA 34:14; MCPB B, Plat No. 39). The next lot in the "Pilgrim Tract," or "Pilgrim's Park" as it was later noted, was sold to Minor Morris in 1896 (MCDB JA53 :419). In fact, Perkins and Burrows were slow to sell the lots in the Pilgrim Church Tract. The third sale from this tract was completed in October 1898 to Francis and Lewis White, and the fourth was to Malinda Newman, wife of Reverend Henry Newman, in June 1900 (MCDB TD 6:93, TD 14:256). However, these names appear on the circa-1892 plat and suggest that these families lived on their lots for a time before purchasing the land. Census records indicate that these individuals were African Americans, many working as day laborers, coachmen, laundresses, and servants (US Census 1900).

In a 1999 study of suburbanization in the state, it was noted that the Washington, D.C.-area was unique at the turn-of-the-century for having nearly the same percentage of the African American population living in its suburbs as white residents (KCI Technologies 1999). The Pilgrim Church Tract subdivision held sizable lots in a poorly drained area, and was likely associated with the nearby historic African American community ofLyttonsville. Samuel Litton (also spelled Lytton) purchased just over 4 acres on the east side of the Brookville Road, just south of what would become the Pilgrim Church Tract, in 1853 (MCDB JGH 2:33). This community derived its name from a free African American who had been living with and working for Francis P . Blair, one of the founders of the Republican Party and editor of the Washington Globe, as late as 1850 (Encyclopedia Britannica 2011 ; US Census). Sometime between 1890 and 1894, Samuel Litton passed away and his land was eventually sold to L. Cabell Williamson, a lawyer from Washington, D.C. In January 1901 , Williamson subdivided the land into 12 lots on a plat entitled


Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B c D Considerations: A B c D E F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date



Page 3

"Littonville" (MCPB 1 :36). Eight of these lots faced the Brookville Road and were located directly across from Garfield Avenue and the Pilgrim Church subdivision.

Historic Montgomery County Property Atlas maps reveal a number of dwellings, a church, cemetery, and a school building in this subdivision during the 1940s and 50s (Klinge 1949a, 1959b). In 1949, Kligne's Atlas records eight frame houses. Industrial zoning was permitted on two large parcels in the Pilgrim Tract by the Montgomery County Council in October 1956, and by 1970, little to no physical evidence of the community remained (NETR 2011; Washington Post 1956). Historic aerial images chart the change in use and its affect on the neighborhood, indicating that the industrial properties, authorized by the County Council in 1956, began to encroach upon the neighborhood as early as 1957 (NETR 2011). Today, the 16 lots within the Pilgrim Church Tract comprise an industrial park, and the area is entirely zoned for industrial purposes.

Architectural Description

According to current tax data, the 13 extant buildings within this subdivision were built between 1951 and 1988 (SDAT 2012). The majority are one- or two-story masonry buildings with vernacular styling. Many of these buildings have been expanded over the years and abut neighboring structures so as to maximize space available for parking and outdoor storage. Most of the lots are enclosed by tall fences, some with added security features.

More than half of the buildings are clad in a brick veneer, some with cinder block walls exposed along the sides and at the rear. A few of the buildings are entirely concrete block, like the circa-1958 buildings at 2700-2702 Garfield Avenue, and the contemporary building, likely built in the 1990s, that is clad in a textured cinder block at 2708 Garfield Avenue (SDAT 2012). The majority of these buildings are covered by either a low-pitched shed or flat roof that is surrounded by a parapet wall, but one sidegabled, storage shed sheathed in corrugated metal was recorded. One interior chimney was noted near the northeast corner of the building at 2702 Garfield Avenue.

Most of the industrial buildings in the Pilgrim Church Tract are designed to accommodate large trucks and automobiles, seen in numerous loading docks and garage bays. Many of these bays contain overhead aluminum garage doors, though some have been infilled over time. The buildings at either corner of Garfield ' s intersection with Brookville Road face east towards the main roadway. The fa9ades of these buildings have been altered to appear more commercial than industrial, as several older garage bays are now filled with display windows (8850 and 8900 Brookville Road). Garage doors are more common that single-leaf entries, but where present, these openings generally contain solid metal doors. Original windows in many of these warehouse buildings are multi-light, steel-framed units, usually filled with awning or hopper-type sashes. Replacement vinyl one-over-one and fixed , singlelight, metal-framed windows are common. Pent roofs and canvas awnings are frequently used to denote entryways, and many buildings have lighted plastic signs posted on the Garfield Avenue fayade to advertise their services.

Summary/Statement of Significance

The Pilgrim Church Tract is currently in use as a light-industrial park, and contains just no more than four or five buildings that meet the National Register of Historic Places age requirement. None of the remaining buildings have achieved significance through the additional Criteria considerations. While the land was developed as an African American community in the latenineteenth century, no physical evidence remains of this previous use to convey any historical associations .

Constructed in the later-half of the twentieth century, the Pilgrim Church Tract is one of a multitude of industrial parks developed



Criteria: A B c D Considerations: A B c D E F G

MHT Comments:





Page 4

in this period oftime within Montgomery County. The design and extant architecture of The Pilgrim Church Tract is not known to be the work of a master, nor is it an outstanding example of a particular style or development type. Therefore, it is recommended that this resource be considered Not Eligible for listing on the National Register under Criteria A-C. This resource has not been evaluated under Criterion D.

References

Encyclopedia Britannica 2011 "Francis P . Blair." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Electronic database, http: //www.britannica.com/Ebchecked/topic/68743/Francis-P-Blair, accessed April 2011.

KCI Technologies, Inc. 1999 Suburbanization Historic Context and Survey Methodology, I-495/1-95 Capital Beltway Corridor Transportation Study, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland. KCI Technologies, Inc., Hunt Valley, Maryland. Electronic document, http://www.marylandroads.com/lndex.aspx?Pageid=214, accessed April 2012.

Klinge, Frank H. M. l 949a Property Atlas of Montgomery County. Revised 1953. Klinge Publishing Company, Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Copy on file at Montgomery County Historical Society.

1959b Property Atlas of Montgomery County. Vol. 2. Klinge Publishing Company, Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Copy on file at Montgomery County Historical Society.

Montgomery County Deed Books (MCDB) n.d. Montgomery County Land Records, misc. years. Archives of Maryland Online. Electronic database, http: //www.mdlandrec.net/msa/stagser/s 1700/s 17 4 l/cfm/index.cfin?CFID=40897808&CFTOKEN=975 59441 , accessed MarchApri l 2012.

Montgomery County Plat Books (MCPB) n.d. Montgomery County Land Survey, Subdivision, and Condominium Plats, misc. years. Archives of Maryland Online. Electronic database, http: //www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/stagser/s 1500/s 1529/html/OOOO.html, accessed March-April 2012.

Nationwide Environmental Title Research (NETR) 2011 Historic Topographic Maps, misc. years. NETR Online. Electronic document, http://www.historicaerials.com/, accessed April 2012.

State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDA T) 2012 Assorted Montgomery County Tax Records. Electronic database, http://sdatcert3.resiusa.org/rp _rewrite/index.aspx?county= l 6, accessed April 2012.

United States Census Bureau (US Census) n.d. Federal Census data. Misc. years. Electronic database, Ancestry.com, www.ancestry.com, accessed April 2012.

Washington Post [Washington, D.C.]



Criteria: A B c D Considerations: A B c D E

MHT Comments:



F G



Page 5

1956 New Fire Company Proposal Opposed. The Washington Post (1954-1959), Oct 17, 1956. ProQuest Historical Newspaper Collection.

Webb, William Bensing, and John Wooldridge 1892 Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. H.W. Crew and United Brethren Publishing House, Dayton. Google Books electronic database, http ://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ&printsec=copyright#v=onepage&q&f=false, accessed March 2011.



Criteria: A B c D Considerations: A B c D E F

MHT Comments:



G

Montgomery County, GIS Satellite Imagery

0 0.05 0.1 0.4

•:::::mCJ•••===i•••:vri1es 0.2 0.3

Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) Sliver Spring, Montgomery County, MD

Puro/'e -Line -- - - Kilometers 1.2 0 0.1 0.2 OA 0.6 0.8

J

USGS Kensington Quad, Revised 1979

0 0.125 0.25 0.5 0. 5 .. -0 0.15 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 1.5


Pu4ffoe Kilometers

1.8

Montgomery County Tax Map


WALT.ER REED HOSPITAL ANNEX

U n I I e d .S 1 0 I I I o I A • r i c a

M.N.C.P.8 P.C .

564/207

28 .32 Ac.• Toto I

P543

534/469

e.o2Ac .

P759

M.N.C. P. 8 P.C.

558154

392.189F'.

N 873

PT, PARCE:L '"'•

U.S. lllrtrlct Cour"t Co.se 173{)

106.79 Ac,

P394

Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73)

432633 F

P960

M: 36-73~lgrim Church Tract, Purple Line, Bethesda to Silver Spring Segme

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/2012

28 01.tif View of Garfield Avenue, Looking East

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/20I2 28 02.tif 2710-2702 Garfield A venue, Looking Southeast

M: 36-73 2012-3-Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73)

12700 Garfield A venue, Primary Elevation, 3/28/2012 28 03 .tif

Looking Southwest

M: 36-73 2012-3-Pilgrim Church Tract (M : 36-73)

18850 Brookville Road, Primary Elevation, 3/28/2012 28 04.tif Looking West

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/2012 28 05.tif View of Garfield Avenue, Looking East

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/2012 28 06.tif View of Garfield A venue, Looking East

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/2012 28 07.tif View of Garfield Avenue, Looking Northeast

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/2012 28 08.tif View of Garfield Avenue, Looking West

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/2012 28 09.tif 2621 Garfield Avenue, Looking Northeast

M: 36-73 2012-3- I Pilgrim Church Tract (M: 36-73) 3/28/2012 28 10.tif 8900 Brookeville Road, Looking Northwest

Dye-based HP HP Premium Photo Vivera Ink Paper, Gloss



Dye-based HP

I HP Premium Photo

Vivera Ink Paper, Gloss







I Memorex 80 min./700MB 52x Pro Gold Archival CDR






Memorex 80 min./700MB 52x Pro Gold Archival CDR




< (j

<O

(..)

Documents

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY … › secure › medusa › PDF... · Historic Montgomery County Property Atlas maps reveal a number of dwellings, a church,