Discover Takoma Park Maryland

Victorian Architecture B&O Railroad Parks Neighborhoods Education and Diversity

Takoma Park what is now Takoma Park MD and Takoma D.C. began as a late 19^th century railroad stop Victorian suburb known only as Takoma Park. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890. It is a planned commuter suburb located along the Metropolitan Branch of the historic B&O Railroad northeast of Washington, D.C.

History Takoma Park as one of first railroad-accessible suburbs in the D.C. area. At 350 feet in elevation, this new suburb was high enough to avoid the malaria and mosquitoes that plagued the nation’s capital.

Until 1997, the City straddled two counties with the eastern portion of Takoma Park located in Prince George’s County and the western portion in Montgomery County.

Preserving Historic Takoma Park among the first suburbs of Washington D.C., Takoma Park is the largest historic district in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Historic District was established in 1992, with Takoma Park its largest district in the County; it includes several residential and commercial neighborhoods such as Takoma Old Town and Takoma Junction. Takoma DC is also an historic district, making the area one of the only multi-jurisdictional historic districts in the region.

Residential and Commercial property owners in the Montgomery County Takoma Park Historic District require a Historic Area Work Permit prior to undertaking any proposed changes to the exterior of a structure or to the environmental setting of their site.

First American City to Allow Municipal Vote to 16-Year-Old Citizens

The National Register of Historic Places District for Takoma Park was designated in 1976 in Maryland and in the District of Columbia in 1983. Much of the original residential development was included in this district, which embodies a rich variety of American architectural late 19^th to early 20^th century styles.

Stream Valley Parks along Sligo Creek and Long Branch Creek cross the city and, along with other city parks, provide bike trails and play areas for the community.

Diversity Takoma Park is a community of many different cultures and interests. There is no one racial or ethnic category that represents a majority of the population. Over a quarter of the population was born in another country, mostly from Latin America and Africa. Residents can walk, bike, or take a short Metro or bus ride to many popular destinations.

US Main Streets and Historic Districts Itineraries

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Neighborhoods Takoma Park is largely residential, with a mix of single family homes and small and large apartment buildings. Homes range from historic bungalows and Victorians to modest colonials and ramblers. The largest commercial district is Takoma-Langley Crossroads, centered at the intersection of University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue. The Old Takoma business area is a neighborhood commercial district near the Takoma Metro station.

Education the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus of Montgomery College (a community college) and the campus of Washington Adventist University are in Takoma Park. Besides the excellent Montgomery County public schools, Takoma Park is served by several private parochial schools.

Hagerstown Maryland Commercial Historic District

The Hagerstown Commercial Core Historic District consists approximately of a one and a half by two block rectangle which includes the major retail center of town. The center of the district is the public square which is formed by the junction of Potomac and Washington Streets, the two major traffic arteries in the city. The district extends one half block east of the public square, north to Franklin Street, west to Summit-Jonathan Streets and east to Antietam Street. It is made up almost entirely of commercial buildings constructed or remodeled for retail purposes during the last 20 years of the 19^th century and the first 20 years of the 20^th century.

A 40-year period representing the peak of Hagerstown's prosperity

Exceptions to the commercial character of the district but integral to it are two prominently located government structures, the Washington County Courthouse built in 1874 and listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places, and the City Hall, built in 1939. Most of the buildings within the district retain the architectural characteristics of the period of their significance and provide a showcase of late 19^th and early 20^th century commercial styles.

Hagerstown became a major manufacturing city in Maryland. This industrial prosperity led to a commercial boom period which is illustrated by this historic district, in the stylistic continuity of the buildings representative of popular commercial styles of the turn of the century. Three major building types are found in the district: late Italianate two and three-story buildings with prominent bracketed cornices; elaborate baroque and neo-classical forms associated with the Beaux Arts style; and a very simple early 20^th century commercial style featuring strongly rectilinear forms.

The topography of the district slopes from north and west to the south and east. North Potomac Street between the square and Franklin Street has a substantial change in grade, leveling as it reaches the square. West Washington Street, West Antietam Street in the blocks west of the west boundary of the district rise sharply in grade, but level as they reach Summit Avenue. At the east edge of the district East Washington and East Antietam Streets drop in elevation between North Potomac and Jonathan Streets. Much of the district, except for its northeast corner, lies in a small plateau between grades.

A commercial center since the 18^th century for Washington County and the tri-state area which includes southern Franklin County, Pennsylvania and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, Hagerstown became a leading furniture manufacturer, flour and grist mills, organs and knit goods as well as a rail center with machine shops, steam railroad repair shops

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large hotels catering to rail and automobile travelers were built

Hotels like the Dagmar, built in 1910 and located at the southwest corner of the district, were built to serve rail travelers. Early advertisements emphasize its advantageous location opposite the B & 0 Railroad and near the Cumberland Valley and Norfolk and Western Railroad stations.

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