COSCDA Sterling Achievement Award in

Housing

National Park Seminary

Submitted by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development

National Park Seminary Originally built as vacation retreat in 1880s as “Ye Forest

Inn” Converted to Women’s Finishing School (called National

Park Seminary), which added whimsical architecture to campus. Later became a women’s college.

Converted to military hospital in WW II Set for by Army for demolition, bought for $1 by “Save our

Seminary” to redevelop as mixed income project. DHCD financed 19 SRO housing units for the homeless

operated by Catholic Charities DHCD also financed 56 unit MF rental property for low-

income households, as well as 10 market rate units (total project cost of $21,321,262 for all DHCD units).

National Park Seminary Project also includes 90 new infill

townhomes (all sold for between about $650,000 - $850,000) as well as 111 luxury condominiums (last units selling for between about $400,000 and $900,000).

Project also includes 13 single family homes, typically selling in excess of $1 million.

Total project cost of about $151 million (started in 2005, completed in 2009)

Project also includes 12 acres of parkland, and is in walking distance to subway.

National Park SeminaryHistorical Photos

Upper Left – Dancing around the Maypole

Lower Left – Theater (interior destroyed by arson)

Top - Caryatid

National Park Seminary Sample Interiors Before

Rehabilitation

National Park Seminary“Architectural Follies” Before

Rehabilitation

Dutch Windmill before (converted to single family home)

Japanese Pagoda (covered to community office)

National Park Seminary Before Rehabilitation

Top – Infill Flemish Style Townhouses next to older Flemish Building

Right – Italian Villa before (converted to condos)

National Park Seminary Rehabilitation

Top Left – Gothic Ballroom (exterior)

Bottom Left – English Tudor apartment building

Top – Spanish Mission Condominiums

National Park SeminaryLow-Income Apartments

Upper Left – Sample Low-Income Apartment under construction

Lower Left – Sample floor plan of low-income unit

Top – Apartment Building undergoing rehabilitation

National Park Seminary Ballroom Before and After

National Park SeminarySample After Pictures

Exterior of Gothic buildings (now condos)

Exterior of single-family home

National Park Seminary After