Public Art in Silver Spring. Development does sometimes bring good things.

The transformation of Silver Spring into a real viable urban center brings the good with the bad. Mostly good in my opinion. Except for the extra traffic and loss of some low cost eateries, most people would agree with me that downtown Silver Spring in the last decade has become a very nice place to hang out. My wife and I bought our first home in the old North Woodside neighborhood in 1982. At that time-even though we were close to the downtown Silver Spring area we spent very little time there. What had been an energetic and viable downtown shopping area had mostly faded by then. The wonderful old Hecht Company department store closed up soon after we moved to Woodside and with the exception for J C Penny's and our favorite Thai eatery, we just went elsewhere when looking for fun. However in the past decade since the AFI Theater opened in the restored Silver Theater, I would say that 90% of our entertainment time is spent in the downtown area. With the revitalization has come some fine public art projects. I discovered this nice short documentary about the excellent public art in the downtown area and would like to share it with everyone.. This documentary was sponsored by docsinprogress which is a great site that helps both experienced and  promising documentarians (I made that up.) gain exposure.

A visit to the National Park Seminary in Forest Glen

These days the redevelopment of the National Park Seminary is old news to many long term Silver Spring residents. I personally think it is one of the most successful cooperative efforts between developers and the community to both preserve and enhance a historical property that we have seen in a long time. Once an exclusive girls boarding school and then purchased by the army during World War II for the care and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, by the early 1980s. most of the National Seminary campus had fallen into disuse and decay. It can be argued that the army allowed a local treasure to decay over the past three decades but it is also true that if the property were not owned by the government it would have not been preserved at all and developed long ago into some sort of residential housing.

Two years ago some of the detached homes on the property were placed on the market. All of these unique homes were in horrendous shape and needed total rehabilitation.  Eventually they were purchased and today all save one home have been rehabbed. Part of the problem is that most of these properties were designed and built to accommodate the different sororities at the school and were not designed as residences. As a result most of these homes were not only in poor condition but were what we call "functionally obsolete." due to the floor plans. The challenge was how to preserve the unique interiors while designing  spaces that could accommodate single families.

Did it work? Well, I suggest that you go visit the site and see for yourself. It is a great place to take a walk. The main buildings of the site had previously been converted to condos and now that the single family homes are  restored the place just oozes charm. There is one home remaining that is in private hands and needs to be restored but all others are completed or near completion. A major restoration of the old Gymnasium is now under way. It is a massive project due to the sad condition of the space but should look stunning when it is complete. Forest Glen is one of the nicest communities in Silver Spring and due to the redevelopment of the downtown area home values have been rising at a nice pace.. One of the restored seminary homes (the Swiss Chalet) is currently on the market for sale, and another (the Windmill Home) is offered for rent.  If you have further interest, you can visit my web site to see what other properties are selling for in Forrest Glen and it's surrounding neighborhoods.

The Silver Spring Library Continues to Grow

I can't help but get a little excited when I drive up Wayne Ave and see how the construction on the new Silver Spring Public Library is progressing. It will be a while before it opens (perhaps a year) but from the design and photo published it is going to be a lovely structure and add to the excitement of downtown Silver Spring. The new Metro Purple Line  is slated to go right by the library and there is to be a stop there. Hopefully, that will draw a lot of patrons as the Purple Line will run from Bethesda through Silver Spring and on to parts of Prince Georges County. My local library is the old White Oak Branch located near the intersection of New Hampshire Ave. and Colesville Rd. That particular branch has gotten a little old in the tooth but I love it dearly and spend a lot of time there. I have always loved libraries ever since I was a little kid. Lately I have been checking out a lot of books on tapes and the movie collection at the White Oak Branch has grown quite extensive. I expect the new branch will offer a whole lot more for all county residents.

For more information about the new downtown branch you can go to the Montgomery County Website associated with it.

Sears Catalog Homes

This home is located in my old neighborhood of North Woodside. I always admired this cedar sided home and was surprised to find out that it was a Sear's Kit Home. Usually, Sear's homes in Silver Spring look more like bungalows and this is one of the only examples of this type that I know of in this area. When I lived in North Woodside over 25 years ago the home was run down and in need of repairs. But it has since been lovingly restored and shines like a jewel.

There are quite a few Sears homes in this neighborhood. Sears catalog homes are found in many neighborhood in our area. The homes were usually ordered directly from Sears and the home plans and all of the parts were shipped by rail. For this reason most Sears homes are found near a railroad line. You can find them in towns such as Takoma Park, Hyattsville and Rockville as well as Silver Spring and the District of Columbia. It was not unusual for the buyer to construct the home on their own but most purchasers hired a local contractor to put the home up for them. The homes are unusually well built and durable. Most are all wood construction but Sears did sell a variety of homes including some high end homes that featured brick and stone.

Is your home a Sears home? You can go the the Sears Archives and check out the various models and years that they were offered for sale. However, you have to be careful as there were other stores offering catalog homes in competition to Sears. JC Penny and Montgomery Wards also sold home but not as many and not for as many years as Sears. Many of these homes were very similar to those sold by Sears.

Oh, almost forgot. In the catalog this home was called The Cedars and sold for $2236.00

Move to Keller Williams Capital Properties

Hey all,

I have been away from this blog for a while. Primarily because I have made a move from my old company to Keller Williams Capital Properties in Bethesda. My new company is so appealing and exciting. The model is completely different from the old "brick and mortar" institution that I have work with for so many years, and I am convinced that the training and support  the company offers will help me move into the next age of real estate. As for you my clients and prospects the change will not be so dramatic in that the things that I have done and know to work over my 28 year career are moving with me. However, Keller William's culture will allow me to offer my customers and clients a more modern bent on their real estate transactions. There is a a lot for me to learn but I look forward to it with excitement.