Old Parish House (College Park, Maryland)

Coordinates: 38°58′45″N 76°55′52″W / 38.97917°N 76.93111°W / 38.97917; -76.93111
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Old Parish House
Old Parish House (College Park, Maryland) is located in Maryland
Old Parish House (College Park, Maryland)
Location within Maryland
Alternative namesCollege Park Woman’s Club
General information
Address4711 Knox Road
Town or cityCollege Park, MD
CountryUnited States
Coordinates38°58′45″N 76°55′52″W / 38.97917°N 76.93111°W / 38.97917; -76.93111
Completed1817
OwnerCity of College Park

The Old Parish House, built in 1817, is a historic building in College Park, Maryland. The house is a registered Prince George's County Historic Site[1] and is one of only two surviving buildings of the Riversdale estate. It is currently owned by the City of College Park and is used as a public meeting place and rented for special events.[2]

History[edit]

The Old Parish House was initially a dairy barn for the Calvert's family Riversdale estate. Since 1872 it served as a church, and after the St. Andrew's church building was completed in 1930, as a parish hall. The St. Andrew's church building has a stained glass window in the foyer commemorating the gift of the Old Parish House to the congregation in 1892. [3]

In 1957 it was purchased by the College Park Woman's club and used as their headquarters. In 1998 it was sold to the city of College Park and made into a public meeting and special events site.[4]

Architecture[edit]

It is one-story high with a gable roof, segmented arched windows and side walls supported by brick buttresses[4] that were added after 1912.[1] Major renovations were completed in 2021. These included the repair and replacement of the roof, ceilings, and windows, as well as the removal of the paint on the exterior masonry followed by the cleaning, repairing, and replacing of bricks and mortar.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (April 1, 2011). "Illustrated Inventory of Historic Sites and Districts, Prince George's County, Maryland". M-NCPPC. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  2. ^ Maring, Eric (Oct 30, 2020). "The Old Parish House: College Park's music temple". Streetcar Suburbs News. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
  3. ^ a b Bryant, Kathy (November 1, 2021). "Restoring the Old Parish House, brick by brick". Streetcar Suburbs News. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  4. ^ a b Jones, Devry Becker (March 21, 2019). "Old Parish House Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 2024-01-01.