Historic Properties Form

Maryland Historical Trust Inventory No. PG: 72-009-43

Maryland Inventory of

Historic Properties Form

1. Name of Property (indicate preferred name)

historic Prince Albert Washington House

other      

2. Location

street and number 949 Eastern Avenue    not for publication

city, town Fairmount Heights    vicinity

county Prince George's

3. Owner of Property (give names and mailing addresses of all owners)

name Calvin and Anne W. Donelson

street and number 949 Eastern Avenue telephone      

city, town Fairmount Heights state MD zip code 20743-1305

4. Location of Legal Description

courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Prince George's County Courthouse liber 3190 folio 223

city, town Upper Marlboro tax map 65 tax parcel 21, 22 tax ID number 18 2014504

5. Primary Location of Additional Data

   Contributing Resource in National Register District

   Contributing Resource in Local Historic District

   Determined Eligible for the National Register/Maryland Register

   Determined Ineligible for the National Register/Maryland Register

   Recorded by HABS/HAER

   Historic Structure Report or Research Report at MHT

X Other: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George's County Planning Department

6. Classification

Category Ownership Current Function Resource Count

   district    public    agriculture    landscape Contributing Noncontributing

X building(s) X private    commerce/trade    recreation/culture 1 1 buildings

   structure    both    defense    religion           sites

   site X domestic    social           structures

   object    education    transportation           objects

   funerary    work in progress 1 1 Total

   government    unknown

   health care    vacant/not in use Number of Contributing Resources

   industry    other: previously listed in the Inventory

1
7. Description Inventory No. PG: 72-009-43



Condition
   excellent    deteriorated

X good    ruins

   fair    altered

Prepare both a one paragraph summary and a comprehensive description of the resource and its various elements as it exists today.

The Prince Albert Washington House is located at 949 Eastern Avenue in Fairmount Heights, Maryland. This single-family dwelling is located on the east side of Eastern Avenue on a grassy, sloping lot. The property features mature trees and shrubs. A metal chain-link fence lines the northern and southern boundaries of the property. A concrete walkway leads from the public concrete sidewalk and joins with the walkway from the driveway before approaching the central bay of the dwelling. A gravel driveway, located south of the dwelling, enters the property from Eastern Avenue and travels along the south (side) elevation of the dwelling before wrapping around to the rear (east) elevation. A shed is located east of the dwelling near the northern boundary of the property.

Dwelling

Constructed in 1924, this one-and-one-half-story, three-bay, Craftsman-style, single-family dwelling has a bungalow form. The design of the house was called the “Westly,” a mail-order kit house sold by Sears, Roebuck and Company.¹ Set on a solid parged concrete foundation, the wood-frame dwelling is clad with vinyl siding on the first story and cedar wood shingles on the upper half-story. A side-gable roof covered with asphalt shingles caps the dwelling and is finished with deep, overhanging eaves and wood brackets. An interior brick chimney with a corbeled cap rises from the eastern (rear) slope of the dwelling. A large, centrally placed, front-gable dormer projects from the western slope of the roof, above the façade. The wood-frame dormer is clad with cedar wood shingles. The front-gable roof of the dormer is covered with asphalt shingles and finished with deep, overhanging eaves. The face of the dormer is pierced by a centrally placed, single-leaf wood door with lights, which is flanked by 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. The door and window openings have square-edge wood surrounds. The dormer opens onto a balcony, which has a balustrade composed of square wood balusters flanked by solid wing walls covered with cedar wood shingles.

A one-story, full-width integrated porch stretches across the façade (west elevation) on the first story of the dwelling. It is sheltered by the principal western slope of the roof. The porch rests on a solid foundation that is faced with a stone veneer. The roof of the porch is supported by Craftsman-style, paneled wood columns set on piers with a stone veneer. The porch is finished with square wood balusters and a small flight of concrete steps in the central bay. The façade of the dwelling is pierced by a centrally located, single-leaf, paneled wood door with multiple lights. The door is flanked by paired 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. All openings on the façade have square-edge, vinyl-clad surrounds.
The north (side) elevation of the dwelling, which is three bays deep, features windows on each story. The basement is pierced by a one-light, wood awning window. The two westernmost bays on the first story contain 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1 vinyl muntins. The easternmost bay contains a paired one-light vinyl casement window. All first-story windows have square-edge, vinyl-clad surrounds. The upper half story features centrally placed, paired 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. The central bay is flanked by shorter 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. These windows have square-edge wood surrounds.
The south (side) elevation is three bays deep like the north elevation, with three window openings on each story. The two westernmost bays on the first story contain 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. The easternmost window opening contains paired 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. All first-story windows have square-edge, vinyl-clad surrounds. The central bay of the upper half-story contains paired 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. The central bay is flanked by smaller 1/1, vinyl-sash windows with false 6/1, vinyl muntins. These windows have square-edge, wood surrounds.
A two-story, full-width addition, which is one-bay deep, is located on the rear (east) elevation of the dwelling. According to the current property owner, the addition was constructed c. 1963. The wood-frame addition is clad with cedar wood shingles set on a solid concrete-block foundation. The foundation on the south side has been parged. The southeast corner of the foundation has been pierced by a small single-leaf door that has been clad with cedar wood shingles. The shed roof that caps the addition extends from the principle eastern slope of the main block and is covered with asphalt shingles. The first story of the addition was originally an integrated porch, of which a brick pier is still visible on the southeast corner. The porch was enclosed c. 1980 and is now clad with wood weatherboard siding. The first story of the north and south elevations are each pierced by one window opening, which contains triple one-light, vinyl casement windows with square-edge, vinyl-clad surrounds. The central bay of the rear elevation contains paired one-light, vinyl sliding doors. The northern bay contains a band of four one-light, vinyl casement windows, while the southern bay contains a band of five one-light, vinyl casement windows. The rear elevation of the second story is fenestrated with two vinyl awning windows with two lights.
A wood-frame deck extends from the rear elevation of the dwelling. Set on wood posts, the deck is finished with square wood balusters. It is accessed by a flight of wood steps from the south side.
Shed
A one-story, three-bay shed is located east of the dwelling and is sited near the northern boundary of the property. Constructed in 2001, the shed is composed of concrete blocks and is set on a solid concrete-block foundation. The upper gable end is clad with cedar wood shingles. A side-gable roof of corrugated metal caps the shed. The roof is finished with wide, overhanging eaves. The façade (south elevation) is pierced by a centrally placed, paneled, vinyl door with a three-light transom. The roll-up door is flanked by paired one-light, sliding vinyl windows with false vinyl shutters and a metal sill. The west (side) elevation is fenestrated with a one-light, fixed vinyl window.
integrity
The Prince Albert Washington House retains a moderate level of integrity of design, workmanship, and materials as a result of the large addition to the east (rear) elevation of the main block. Additionally, the application of vinyl siding to the first story of the dwelling as well as the replacement of the original windows and doors has affected the integrity of this resource. The building maintains a high level of integrity of feeling, location, setting, and association. This resource is a good example of a Craftsman-style bungalow, which was constructed from a mail-order kit in Fairmount Heights.
The shed is considered a non-contributing resource due to its recent construction date.
Overall, the Prince Albert Washington House and its associated resource maintain a moderate level of integrity.

8. Significance Inventory No. PG: 72-009-43

Period Areas of Significance Check and justify below
   1600-1699    agriculture    economics    health/medicine    performing arts

   1700-1799    archeology    education    industry    philosophy

   1800-1899 X architecture    engineering    invention    politics/government

X 1900-1999    art    entertainment/    landscape architecture    religion

   2000-    commerce recreation    law    science

   communications    ethnic heritage    literature    social history

   community planning    exploration/    maritime history    transportation

   conservation settlement    military X other: Local History




Specific dates 1924 Architect/Builder Sears, Roebuck and Co./Prince Albert Washington




Construction dates 1924, 1963, c. 1980

Evaluation for:

   National Register    Maryland Register    not evaluated

Prepare a one-paragraph summary statement of significance addressing applicable criteria, followed by a narrative discussion of the history of the resource and its context. (For compliance projects, complete evaluation on a DOE Form – see manual.)

Statement of Significance

The Prince Albert Washington House was constructed in 1924 at 949 Eastern Avenue in Fairmount Heights, Maryland. Fairmount Heights, an early-twentieth-century, working-class suburb, was intended for African American residents who commuted daily to Washington, DC. The dwelling was constructed in 1924 by Prince Albert Washington, a Department of the Interior employee and World War I veteran. Washington, ordering his home from the Sears, Roebuck and Company, began construction in 1922. Completed two years later in 1924, the dwelling has remained in the Washington family since its construction. The current owner is Anne W. Donelson, the daughter of Prince Albert Washington. Together, with her husband, Calvin C. Donelson, Anne Donelson has owned the property for 49 years. The Prince Albert Washington House is a good example of a mail-order catalog house. Although it has been enlarged with a large rear addition and has been partially reclad with synthetic siding, the Craftsman-style bungalow does retain sufficient integrity to convey its significance as an early-twentieth-century, kit-house dwelling constructed in the West Fairmount Heights subdivision of the Town of Fairmount Heights.

Historic Context

Fairmount Heights is an early-twentieth-century, African-American suburb located just outside the easternmost corner of the District of Columbia in Prince George’s County. The community is roughly bounded by Sheriff Road, Balsamtree Drive, 62nd Place, and Eastern Avenue. In the late nineteenth century, the area that would become Fairmount Heights was the site of several small farms owned by the Wilson, Silence, Hoover, Brown, and Wiessner families. These farms were purchased and consolidated by land speculators in the first decades of the twentieth century. Fairmount Heights contains six subdivisions platted between 1900 and 1923 by different developers. The first was platted as Fairmount Heights in 1900 by Robinson White and Allen Clark, two white attorneys and developers from Washington, DC. The initial platting contained approximately 50 acres that were divided into individual building lots, each typically measuring 25 by 125 feet.²

Robinson White and Allen Clark encouraged African Americans to settle in the area and the subdivision became one of the first planned communities for black families in the Washington, DC area. White and Clark ensured the lots were affordable, thus making home ownership attainable for many black families. The earliest dwellings were of wood-frame construction of modest size; however several substantially sized houses were also built.³ Early on, the neighborhood was home to several prominent African Americans including William Sidney Pittman, a noted architect and son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. Pittman took an active interest in the development of his own neighborhood. He formed the Fairmount Heights Improvement Company, whose purpose was to construct a social center for the community. Pittman oversaw construction of Charity Hall, which was used for social events, as a church, and as the community’s first school.⁴
In 1908, the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway opened, providing easy access for commuters into Washington, DC. Residents of Fairmount Heights used the neighboring Gregory Station, located in Seat Pleasant.⁵ Because of the early success of the subdivision and new transportation options available nearby, several new subdivisions were platted adjacent to Fairmount Heights. Waterford, a very small subdivision adjacent to the northeast corner of Fairmount Heights, was platted by J.D. O’Meara in 1907. Mount Wiessner was platted by the Wiessner family in 1909 and featured lots approximately 50 by 125 feet. In 1910, Elizabeth Haines platted North Fairmount Heights on approximately 15 acres of land. The Silence family platted West Fairmount Heights (also known as Bryn Mawr) in 1911 around the family farmstead.
Other African Americans, encouraged by the development in Fairmount Heights, soon settled in the area. In addition to the Pittmans, James F. Armstrong (supervisor of Colored Schools in Prince George’s County), Henry Pinckney (White House steward to President Theodore Roosevelt), and Doswell Brooks (supervisor of Colored Schools in Prince George’s County and the first African American appointed to the Board of Education) all constructed houses in the neighborhood. Fairmount Heights was also home to a growing professional community and many residents worked as clerks or messengers for the federal government. The increased growth in the community created a pressing need for a dedicated school, which resulted in the construction of the Fairmount Heights Elementary School. Designed by Pittman, the school opened in 1912.⁶ In 1920, developer Robinson White constructed 19 bungalows on 62nd Avenue in the original Fairmount Heights subdivision.⁷ Because of the large number of families moving to Fairmount Heights, the original school proved too small and a new larger school opened in 1934.⁸
In 1922, approximately 35 acres of farmland located east of Fairmount Heights was purchased by the Weeks Realty Company and platted as Sylvan Vista. The development marked the sixth and final subdivision making up the present-day Town of Fairmount Heights. Sylvan Vista had deep, narrow lots, generally measuring 25 by 125 feet, similar to the original subdivision of Fairmount Heights. The neighborhood was designed around a market circle with radiating streets. Although the lots were of similar size, the dwellings were generally smaller and more modest than the houses built in the earlier subdivisions.⁹
After several unsuccessful attempts to incorporate in the 1920s, the Town of Fairmount Heights was officially incorporated in 1935 with a mayor-council form of government.¹⁰ The town included all six subdivisions platted between 1900 and 1923. By the end of the 1930s, the new town consisted of a brick schoolhouse, four churches, a fire department, print shop, and several restaurants and stores.¹¹ The community continued to grow in the mid-twentieth century and was largely developed by the 1980s. Today the community remains predominantly an African American suburb.
A portion of the property now associated with the Prince Albert Washington House at 949 Eastern Avenue in Fairmount Heights was owned by Caroline A. Silence, a member of the Silence family whose farm would become West Fairmount Heights. Born in 1829 in Washington, DC, Silence was married to John T. Silence, a housepainter. Upon the death of John T. in 1902 and Caroline in 1903, all their property passed to their children: Alice R. Silence, John A. Silence, William Silence, George Silence, Anne Silence and Josephine Simmons (nee Silence) and Eugene L. Silence.¹² The heirs subdivided the property to create West Fairmount Heights, Bryn Mawr subdivision. Eugene L. Silence received Lots 15 through 40 in Block 12.¹³
Eugene L. Silence was born in 1873 in Washington, DC. In the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, he is listed as working as a skilled laborer and residing with his wife, Georgia, and children, Alice B., Emma B., and Caroline A. Silence in Prince George’s County, Maryland.¹⁴
In 1921, Prince Albert Washington purchased Lots 21 and 22 in Block 12 from Silence. Born in 1898 in Washington, DC, Washington was a World War I veteran. In 1920, he was working as a typewriter repairman and living with his parents, Charles S. and Annie C. Washington, and his brother, Edward.¹⁵ Construction of his house commenced in 1922 and was completed in 1924.¹⁶ At this time, he moved into his new home with his wife, Augusta. The home that Prince Albert Washington constructed has been identified as the “Westly,” a model sold by Sears, Roebuck and Company. The materials and plans for the dwelling cost approximately $2,460, according to reprinted mail-order publications.¹⁷ The 1930 U.S. Federal Census notes that Washington worked at the Department of the Interior, while residing in Fairmount Heights with his wife, Augusta, and daughters, Gloria A. and Annie E. Washington.¹⁸ The bungalow he constructed had an accessed value in 1930 of $8,000, which was comparable to neighboring dwellings.¹⁹
Upon the death of Prince Albert Washington, the property was bequeathed to his daughters, Gloria W. Lancaster and Annie W. Donelson. In 1960, the heirs sold the property to Clifford B. Saunders. ²⁰ The same day, Saunders conveyed the property to Anne Donelson, making her sole owner.²¹ Anne W. Donelson and her husband, Calvin, have resided at 949 Eastern Avenue since 1960. No further information regarding the Donelsons could be located.

9. Major Bibliographical References Inventory No. PG: 72-009-43

1880, 1910, 1920, 1930 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Subscription database. Digital scan of original records in the National Archives, Washington, DC. http://www.ancestry.com. Pearl, Susan G. “Fairmount Heights, Maryland, A History: From its Beginnings (1900) to Incorporation (1935),” M-NCPPC Planning Department, Prince George’s County, July 1991. Pearl, Susan G. “Prince Albert Washington House,” (PG: 72-9-43) Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Sites Inventory Form, 1993) Prince George’s County Land Records.

10. Geographical Data

Acreage of surveyed property 0.1435

Acreage of historical setting 0.1435

Quadrangle name Washington East Quadrangle scale: 1:24,000

Verbal boundary description and justification

The Prince Albert Washington House is located in Fairmount Heights on a 0.1435-acre parcel, historically known as Lots 21 and 22 in Block 12 of the West Fairmount Heights, Bryn Mawr subdivision (now Fairmount Heights). The western boundary is formed by Eastern Avenue. The northern and southern boundaries follow metal chain-link fences. The eastern boundary follows an allee of trees. The house has been associated with Parcels 21 and 22 on Tax Map 65 since its construction in 1924.

11. Form Prepared by

name/title Paul Weishar and Maria Dayton/Architectural Historians

organization EHT Traceries, Inc. for M-NCPPC Planning Department date March 2009

street & number 1121 Fifth Street, NW telephone 202.393.1199

city or town Washington state DC

The Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties was officially created by an Act of the Maryland Legislature to be found in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 41, Section 181 KA,

1974 supplement.
The survey and inventory are being prepared for information and record purposes only

and do not constitute any infringement of individual property rights.

return to: Maryland Historical Trust

Maryland Department of Planning

100 Community Place

Crownsville, MD 21032-2023

410-514-7600

Chain of Title

Prince George’s County Land Records

Will Under the Last Will and Testament of Caroline A. Silence, she did devise that her

WRS 1:309 property should be divided equally among her children: Alice R. Silence,

March 10, 1902 John A. Silence, William Silence, George Silence, Anne Silence and Josephine

Simmons, nee Silence and Eugene L. Silence.
Deed The Last Will and Testament of Caroline A. Silence is executed. Deed of partition

63:127 to create subdivision Bryn Mawr, West Fairmount Heights. Heirs of Caroline A.

April 13, 1911 Silence convey to Eugene L. Silence lots fifteen through forty in block twelve.

Plat Book Subdivision of what was once Gainor Farm and called “Bryn Mawr, West

R.N.R. 2:5 Fairmount Heights.”

1911
Deed Eugene L. and Georgia E. Silence to Prince Albert Washington.

175:5

December 18, 1921

Will could not be located.
Deed Gloria W. Lancaster and Charles H. Lancaster, her husband, and Anne W.

2438:267 Donelson (nee Washington), heirs at law and next of kin of Prince Albert

February 8, 1960 Washington, deceased, to Clifford B. Saunders.
Deed Clifford B. Saunders, unmarried, to Anne W. Donelson.

2438:269

February 8, 1960
Deed Anne W. Donelson and Calvin Donelson, husband, to Clifton M.

3190:221 Eisele Jr., and Richard B. Bland.

July 29, 1965
Deed Clifton M. Eisele, Jr., and Richard B. Bland, Joint tenants to

3190:223 Calvin Donelson and Anne W. Donelson, his wife.

July 29, 1965


Photo: Prince Albert Washington House, Fairmount Heights, façade (west elevation), looking northeast. (December 2008)

Photo: Prince Albert Washington House, Fairmount Heights, façade (west elevation), looking southeast. (December 2008)

Photo: Prince Albert Washington House, Fairmount Heights, rear (east) elevation, looking west. (December 2008)

Photo: Shed, Fairmount Heights, façade (south elevation), looking northeast. (December 2008)

1 Susan G. Pearl, “Fairmount Heights, Maryland, A History: From its Beginnings (1900) to Incorporation (1935),” M-NCPPC Planning Department, Prince George’s County, July 1991.

2 Susan G. Pearl, “Fairmount Heights: A History From its Beginnings (1900) to Incorporation (1935)” (Upper Marlboro, MD: M-NCPPC, 1991), 1.

3 Susan G. Pearl, African-American Heritage Survey (Upper Marlboro: M-NCPPC, 1996), 64.

4 George Denny, Jr., Proud Past, Promising Future: Cities and Towns in Prince George’s County, Maryland (Brentwood, MD: George D. Denny, Jr., 1997), 171-172.

5 Pearl, “Fairmount Heights,” 12.

6 George Denny, Jr., Proud Past, Promising Future: Cities and Towns in Prince George’s County, Maryland (Brentwood, MD: George D. Denny, Jr., 1997), 171-172.

7 Denny, Proud Past, Promising Future, 172.

8 Denny, Proud Past, Promising Future, 173.

9 Pearl, “Fairmount Heights: A History,” 32.

10 Denny, Proud Past, Promising Future, 174.

11 Pearl, African-American Heritage Survey, 65.

12 Caroline A. Silence to Alice R. Silence, John A. Silence, William Silence, George Silence, Anne Silence, Josephine Simmons, nee Silence, and Eugene L. Silence, Prince George’s County Land Records, Will WRS 1:309.

13 Heirs of Caroline A. Silence to Eugene L. Silence, Prince George’s County Land Records, 63:127.

14 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Kent, Prince George's, Maryland, Series T624, Roll 567, Page 5B, Enumeration District 74, Image 502, Eugene L. Silence.

15 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, Series T625, Roll 209, Page 5B, Enumeration District 252, Image 297, Prince Albert Washington.

16 Anne W. Donelson, interview held at 949 Eastern Avenue, Fairmount Heights, Maryland, December 2008.

17 “Celebrating African-American History: Fairmount Heights, Prince George’s County, Maryland.” Office of Communications, February 2006, http://www.pgcps.org/~fmhts/Tribute_files/Fairmount%20Heightsbooklet.pdf (accessed February 3, 2009).

18 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Fairmount Heights, Prince George's, Maryland, Series 878, Page 3A, Enumeration District 48, Image 584, Prince Albert Washington.

19 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Fairmount Heights, Prince George's, Maryland, Series 878, Page 3A, Enumeration District 48, Image 584, Prince Albert Washington.

20 Gloria W. Lancaster and Charles Lancaster, Anne W. Donelson to Clifford B. Saunders, Prince George’s County Land Records, 2438:267.

21 Clifford B. Saunders to Anne W. Donelson, Prince George’s County Land Records, 2438:269.