Architecture in Woodside Park and
About the Authors
Throughout the years Woodside Park has often received recognition for its homes and gardens.
Many articles have already been cited throughout this history. Another relatively early example
was a story in the Washington Post of March 29, 1936, which described Woodside Park and one
new house in particular. It said, in part:
The individual style and pleasing construction of the typical Montgomery County residence is
outstanding. Pastoral surroundings blend with the fine type architecture chosen. There is no set
architectural style; but there is a set high standard of building excellence apparent even in the more
modest-appearing houses.
Even the most casual visitor will be fascinated by the quaint beauty of each dwelling. Homes are
nestled among tall, friendly trees; well kept walks and lawns lead into them. Occasionally they are in
neighborhood groups that take pride in their collective environment.
The chief recreation of Woodside Park residents is daily enjoyment of their own property. It is the
inspiring avocation of developing their flower beds, caring for the fine lawns, planting shrubs and
planning new improvements that make their small estates a paradise. Almost everyone in this area
has made a hobby of gardening as the soil is rich and fitted to almost any type of activity.
In this delightful suburban area, where children are safe, yet within easy access to transportation,
schools, churches, shops, and parks, exists a home life far removed scenically from the turmoil of the
city streets, yet situated in a spot that will eventually be cut into a straight line down Sixteenth street,
northwest into the Capitol.
Although the prose may have become a little more restrained over the years, the neighborhood
and the published reports concerning its homes and gardens have remained the same. For
example, just over 30 years later in the spring of 1967 the Sunday Star published a color photo of
the azalea gardens on the corner of Alton Parkway and Noyes Drive. In May 1968 the
Washington Post ran in its real estate section a half page color photo of 1200 Woodside Parkway
(corner of Alton Parkway), surrounded by azalea, dogwood and tulip blooms. Woodside Park
was cited as one of the Washington area's best neighborhoods by Washingtonian magazine in its
October 1978 issue. The neighborhood was cited as remaining "a bit of the country inside the
Beltway, with large trees, wall-to-wall azaleas, and meandering roads that have no sidewalks."
Woodside Park's neighborhood spirit was also mentioned. In March 1991 Washingtonian again
featured Woodside Park in an article called "4 Bdrms, Good Schools." The significance of
Woodside Park as a 20th Century historic area was discussed in a front page article in the
Washington Post real estate section on December 3, 1988. On October 23, 1989, the Tudor
house at 1234 Pinecrest Circle was pictured on the front of the "Washington Home" of the
Washington Post and discussed extensively. Even the Smithsonian Institution has recognized the
special nature of Woodside Park. In June 1989 the Smithsonian Resident Associates program
sponsored a bus tour called "The Tale of Two Suburbs" of Woodside, "the railroad suburb," and
Woodside Park, "the automobile suburb." The history and architecture of the two adjoining
neighborhoods were featured on the tour. Another bus tour of Woodside Park was held in
September 1992 as a part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Silver Spring. The
Washington Post's Real Estate section on November 14, 1992 listed Woodside Park as one of
four "hot" neighborhoods in Montgomery County for the soon-to-be "power elite" of the new
administration of President Clinton.
One reason the neighborhood is desirable is the varied architecture of its
homes. Many types of homes are found in Woodside Park. Their
architecture and significance were discussed extensively in the "Maryland
Historical Trust State Historic Inventory Form" prepared by historian
Andrea Rebeck for Woodside Park in November 1987; much of what
follows is taken directly from that document. The original Woodside Park
subdivision contained approximately 415 homes in 1987. Of these, 293 or just over 70% were
built before World War II. These houses represent nearly every style and type popular in
Maryland in the first half of the 20th Century. There are bungalows, a four-square house, both
brick and frame Colonial Revival houses, Dutch and Spanish Colonial Revival houses, Tudor and
English or Cotswold cottage houses, and Cape Cod houses. They range from relatively humble
structures to mansions, but whether built of wood, brick, stucco, or stone, these houses exhibit
some of the finest craftsmanship of their era. Woodside Park's post-war houses are also
exemplary; they include California ranch, split-level and bi-level houses, as well as one strikingly
modern house and many brick Colonial Revival and Cape Cod houses. The large lots on which
they sit provide ample space for viewing and appreciating them.
Unlike many contemporary subdivisions in which a single developer sells completed homes on
new lots, many builders worked in Woodside Park. The developers initially had their own
affiliated construction company, the Woodside Homes Corporation, but it built only a few homes
and had considerable difficulty selling the ones it did build. Wynnewood Park's Thomas E. Jarrell
& Company had the Stambaugh Construction Company, which employed builder Edward A.
Gaylor to do much of its work. These affiliated builders did not work exclusively in their related
subdivisions; for example 1408 Highland Drive had a "Stambaugh Built" plaque embedded into its
front walk until the walk was replaced in the 1990s even though the Stambaugh Construction
Company was affiliated with Wynnewood Park's developer, not Woodside Park's.
Many different styles of houses were constructed in Woodside Park, as noted above.
Bungalow
The bungalow is a type of house to which many styles were applied, ranging from Spanish
Colonial to Swiss Chalet. The style originated in California as an outgrowth of Japanese
influences. By the 1920s hundreds of bungalow were being built throughout the developing areas
of the county. These houses are characterized by asymmetrical elevations; an open, informal plan;
low pitched overhanging roofs; shed or gabled dormers; and the inclusion of the porch as an
integral part of the massing and design of the building. An excellent example of the type is 1509
Highland Drive. 1509 Highland was built prior to 1931. It is a one and one-half story, side gabled,
frame structure, with a cross-gable porch wrapping around the front and side of the house.
Projecting from the roof of the house is a gabled dormer whose roof pitch follows that of the
porch below. The wide, overhanging eaves are supported by knee braces. The house is similar to
the "Corona," a catalog house offered by Sears & Roebuck between 1916 and 1922.
The bungalow at 1226 Noyes Drive actually is a Sears house. It is the
"Kilbourne" model offered in some Sears home catalogs between 1921
and 1929 for from $2,500 to $2,780 (1997 equivalent: $22,250 to
$25,900). This particular "Kilbourne" was built in 1925 for Robert L. and
Flora Petzold, who lived there until 1958. As was fairly commonly done
with Sears homes, the design was flipped left to right from the home and
plan shown in the catalog as the home was actually built in Woodside Park. The basic "Kilbourne"
design has five relatively large rooms (living room, dining room, kitchen, and two bedrooms) and
one bath. The front porch has a steeply pitched gabled roof supported by tapered piers and
exposed roof rafter tails. Construction of three rooms on the second floor (attic) is optional. The
fireplace is flanked by windows in the living room and there is a French door between the living
and dining rooms. As the 1926 catalog put it, "The Kilbourne bungalow satisfies every family that
has built it. Judge for yourself! The photograph and floor plan show the reason why the Kilbourne
is such an outstanding value. See its sloping roof, the dormer, the overhanging eaves, the fireplace
chimney, the large porch, and the massive porch pillars!"
Other good examples of bungalows in Woodside Park are 1437 Highland
Drive, the now-modified home of builder John Faulconer; 1506 Highland
Drive, which was built in 1924; 9103 Woodland Drive; and 8916
Woodland Drive, which was also built in 1926 by John Faulconer. The
home at 1433 Highland Drive is a Prairie Style bungalow. Builder Robert
Murphy built it for his own use.
American Foursquare
Woodside Park contains one example of the American Foursquare type
house. 9104 Woodland Drive is a large, simple, two-story house, with
stucco exterior walls and a slate roof. The roof is low-pitched and has
double-window, hipped dormers projecting from it. Across the entire front
facade is a one-story hip-roof porch supported by square posts. The front
door, which is asymmetrically placed at the right end of the facade, is
glazed and has sidelights. A triple window is to the left of the door. Two double windows are on
the second story. All windows have six-over-one, double-hung wood sashes. Mrs. Marian Brown
has lived in the home since the mid-1930s. The original builder-owner was forced to sell it during
the Depression.
Colonial Revival
The 1876 Centennial kindled a fascination with America's colonial roots that is still strong today.
Gradually, elements of English Colonial design such as fan lights and Palladian windows began to
appear on Victorian houses. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, architects were so adept at
designing in the Colonial Style that some of the houses of this era are almost indistinguishable
from their 18th century models. Builders found the styles easy to copy. Numerous Georgian,
Dutch, and Spanish Colonial Revival houses appeared in suburbs throughout the United States.
Woodside Park contains several examples of each.
Georgian Revival
The grandest of Woodside Park's Georgian Revival houses is 9033
Georgia Avenue. This house was built in 1926 for Mr. and Mrs. Charles
W. Williams. It is a large, two-story, five-bay brick house with a
side-gable roof. Three large, broken-pediment dormers project from the
roof and contain round-headed windows. The front facade is symmetrical
around the front door, which is surrounded by transom and sidelights and
sheltered by a broken-pediment porch roof supported by Tuscan columns. As is typical in this
style, the main block is flanked by one-story wings; a large open porch (known as a breakfast
porch) on the right and an enclosed sun-room (often called a living porch) on the left. The
Colonial image is completed by a straight walkway lined with boxwood shrubs leading to the front
door.
Another example is 9101 Crosby Road. This very large stone house with three car garage was
built in 1939.
1210 Highland Drive is another noteworthy faithful Georgian Colonial
revival home. The brick home was built in the mid-1920s for Samuel F.
Birthright. It has a quietly imposing symmetrical facade with porches at
either side of the house. The front entry is emphasized by a semicircular
porch with a half-domed copper roof. The plan of the house resembles its
colonial ancestors and has been changed very little since the house was
built. A center hall with an elegant staircase greets the visitor upon arrival. A parlor is to the right
and a smaller study is to the left. The dining room is behind the study.
Other good examples of the Georgian Revival style are 1205 Highland
Drive, a frame house built in 1926; 1311 Noyes Drive, a very nice stone
house advertised in the October 9, 1926 Evening Star for $15,850 (1997
equivalent: $142,500); 919 Highland Drive, which was built in 1934; 9020
Alton Parkway, which was built in 1940; and 1223 Woodside Parkway, a
Garrison Style Colonial Revival home built by 1941.
Dutch Colonial
Derived from the gambrel-roof houses built by the Dutch settlers, the Dutch Colonial house is
typified by the gambrel roof from which projects a large shed dormer containing two or more
windows. The builder's variant of this creates the appearance of a gambrel roof while actually
building a two-story, gabled-roofed rectangular box. The overhangs of the gables are sloped at a
steeper angle beginning a few feet down from the peak, and join the lower roof again just above
the eave. This "fake" gambrel can be detected by noticing that the cheeks of the dormer are in the
same plane as the end of the gable walls. Such construction was less expensive than building a
gambrel roof with a narrower shed dormer because it used simpler framing. A good example of
such a house is 1408 Highland Drive, a frame house which was built by Stambaugh Construction
in 1925 for Clifford and Louise Tyrrell. A large addition which respects the original style and
materials has been constructed on the rear of this house.
The house constructed by John J. Dolan in 1926 at 1430 Highland Drive
(corner of Woodland Drive) is another example. This house is unusual in
its materials. Its lower floors is brick and the upper floors are stucco and
half-timber. The house is also unusual in how it is sited. Its narrow front,
which has an open porch with massive plain stucco columns, faces
Highland Drive. In a typical Dutch Colonial house this would be a side
rather than the front. The longest dimension of the home, typically the front but in this case the
side, faces Woodland Drive, and the home seems to march down the hill in a grand fashion
revealing the former garage, now a sun-filled playroom, tucked beneath the house.
1420 Highland Drive is another good Dutch Colonial example, as is 1300
Noyes Drive. Another is the somewhat smaller 9112 Crosby Road, which
is relatively atypical of Woodside Park's Dutch Colonials because of its
brick exterior. There are other noteworthy examples in Woodside Park,
but some of the best of them have been covered with aluminum or vinyl
siding.
Spanish Colonial Revival
About 1925, the Spanish Colonial Revival Style became a craze in the United States. A mixture of
styles derived from the Mediterranean countries, it is typified by an asymmetrical and sometimes
complex elevation, low-pitched tile roofs, stucco exterior walls, round-headed windows, twisted
columns, multi-colored medallions mounted in the exterior walls, wrought iron balconies, and
steel casement window. Woodside Park contains two excellent examples of this style, 1000
Mansion Drive, which was built in 1926 on the foundation of the original Noyes mansion, and the
smaller one-story 1003 North Mansion Drive, which was advertised as "Villa Carmen." These
houses retain their original mottled-pastel-on-grayish tan exterior coloring.
Italian Renaissance
The home at 1011 North Noyes Drive is an example of Italian Renaissance
architecture, which was especially popular in the 1920s. These homes
typically feature ceramic tile roofs with wide eaves supported by
decorative brackets and upper story windows which are less elaborate than those on the first
floor. The lot for this home was sold in 1926 to Howard W. Kacy, who had the home constructed
for his own use.
Gothic Revival
Woodside Park has one example of a castellated Gothic revival home,
9207 Crosby Road.
Tudor
Woodside Park especially excels in Tudor houses, which were popular in the 1920s. Whether built
of stone, wood, or brick, these homes combine many Medieval English elements in an informal
way to create considerable visual interest. Their use of rough textured materials and lush plantings
(especially ivy) creates an effect of antiquity.
An excellent Tudor example is "Pinecrest,"1227 Pinecrest Circle, which was built in 1928 by
architect Graham H. Woolfall for his own use. The home consists of complex gabled roof forms,
masterful half-timbering, and stuccoed white walls. The grouped casement windows are of wood,
not metal, and the house contains several Medieval details such as the crude tapered columns
supporting the entrance porch. It is well sited on its lot on one of Pinecrest Circle's curves so that
the house's shape changes dramatically as one rounds the corner. Another Woodside Park resident
and architect, Frank G. Beatty, designed an addition to the house that was totally in keeping with
the original Woolfall design for a later owner of the house, Charles A. Horsky.
Nearby stands 1234 Pinecrest Circle, which was completed in 1929 by
architect Warren R. Seltzer, who also worked in the Office of the
Supervising Architect of the Treasury with Graham Woolfall. Mr. Seltzer's
Woodside Park home was featured in Building Age magazine in 1929. In
1989 a substantial addition was constructed to the home's left and front in
a way that makes the addition virtually impossible to distinguish from the
original construction. Indeed, the stone used to accent the addition's exterior walls matches the
accenting stone of the original section of the house. This stone, which was excavated near
East-West Highway when Connecticut Avenue was extended, contains unusual iron deposits that
have long since rusted out to leave soft red streaks. The stone accenting the addition came from
original stone that had been used to build a small backyard fish pond and from extra stone left
over from when the home across the street at 1227 Pinecrest Circle was built.
Alton Parkway also contains important Tudor
homes. 9104 Alton Parkway is a more formal
example of the style. This large house presents
two steep gables to the street and has intricate half
timbered upper floors above a stone main floor.
Across the street and well sited up the hill is 9105
Alton Parkway. This home was built for Clarence L. Hubbard. The home has superb stonework,
roundheaded doors, a spiral staircase, a raised dining room overlooking the living room and even
an unusual round stained glass window which was taken from a theater in Washington.
There are other noteworthy Tudor homes in Woodside Park as well. 1211 Woodside Parkway is a
large example of a Cotswold Cottage Style house. It is front gabled with brick and stone accents,
and its long, sloping roof line terminates in a garden wall which attaches to a garage of matching
design and materials. This was the home of J. Reginald Boyd illustrated in an earlier chapter.
Other Tudor houses with matching garages include 1015 Noyes Drive, 1016 North Noyes Drive,
and 1108 Highland Drive, which was designed for his own use by architect Arthur L. Blakeslee.
Another Tudor home, 9017 Fairview Road, deserves special mention for its extraordinary
stonework.
Cape Cod
The Cape Cod Style house was to the 1940s and 1950s what the
bungalow had been to the 1890s and 1920s--an attractive usually smaller
house that was built in large numbers. The style derived from the
one-story, gable-roof houses common in New England but also found in
mid-Atlantic colonies including Maryland in the 1600s and 1700s.
Although the style can be used for inexpensive houses with attics that may
be used for living space, most Woodside Park examples are much more substantial and roomy and
are built of brick and have slate roofs. The second floor in these houses was often designed from
the beginning for habitation and a small true attic may be found above the second floor.
A good example of this type is 1401 Woodside Parkway. This home was
designed and built in 1937 by architect Frank G. Beatty. His widow,
Louise Beatty, lived there until 1995. The home won the Washington
Board of Trade's Diploma of Merit as of "superior design among the
buildings erected in the year 1937." The home was described as a
"charming one and one-half story brick residence in the Virginia manner."
The central one and one-half story portion of the house is flanked on both sides by one story
wings. The wing on the right serves as a large garage with entrance at the rear. The wing's use as
a garage can not be detected from either the front or the side of the house. The home has a
number of clever design features such as a mail slot by the front door that opens to a chamber
within the wall. A small door built into the wall allows access to the mail.
The home at 1221 Woodside Parkway is another outstanding Cape Cod.
Built in 1941, this home is a one-and-one-half story side gable house with
a garage wing to the left balanced by a small one story wing on the right.
An external brick chimney rises at the right end of the main block and two
small gable-roof dormers are mounted on the slate-covered main roof. The
front door, surrounded by classical detailing, is flanked by
eight-over-eight, double-hung wood windows with paneled shutters.
Another example is 9114 Crosby Road. This house, which was designed by A.W. Smith and
completed in 1940, has interesting wood dentiles under the eaves. The facade is brick, as is typical
of the style in early mid-Atlantic and Southern planation houses. The brick is set in American
Bond; every seventh row of brick is all headers. There is classic detailing above and around the
door. The front is symmetrical with slightly arched and shuttered eight-over-eight windows on
either side of the door and three smaller six-over-six windows in dormers mounted in the slate
roof. An exterior chimney is on the right. The interior also follows the floor plan found in these
houses in colonial Maryland plantations.
The home at 1229 Noyes Drive is another
distinguished Cape Cod style home. This house
was constructed some time between 1935 and
1941 by a builder for his own use and is reportedly modeled after the
Smith's Fort Plantation house built in the 18th Century on the James River opposite Jamestown,
Virginia.
Modern
Woodside Park contains numerous homes of various modern styles
ranging from builder adaptations of the International style to California
ranch, contractor modern, and contemporary. The Beitzell homes on the
north side of the 1000 block of Woodside Parkway (1013, 1015, 1019,
1021, and 1023) are examples of builder adaptation of the International
style. These homes are clearly different from their more traditional
neighbors, but they are not extreme in their adoption of the International style.
A post-war group of Beitzell homes illustrates the California ranch style.
The homes at 9109, 9113, 9117, and 9121 Fairview Road were
constructed in 1950. The style itself was originated by several California
architects in the 1930s. These often asymmetrical rambling one story
houses maximize the facade width, which is often further extended by a
built-in garage or carport. The style gained considerable popularity in the
1950s and 1960. The Beitzell Fairview Road examples were selected by the Washington Post for
its "Homes of 1950" series. The home at 8920 Fairview Road is another example of this type, as
is the home at 9109 Crosby Road.
Woodside Park has contemporary homes. The most notable example,
which was designed and built by its architect-owner S. Thomas Stathes in
1972, fits perfectly on its site at 1213 Noyes Drive. The home has a large
living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen on the first floor and
three bedrooms on the second floor. A 1997 addition, also designed by
Mr. Stathes, added an office at the rear.
A somewhat more traditional appearing example is 1221 Noyes Drive.
This Acorn manufactured home was built in 1991.
Post-World War II Houses, Renovation, and Construction of Additions
About 30% of the houses in the original Woodside Park subdivision were built after World War
II. Many houses were constructed in the late 1940s, when building materials again became
available, and in the 1950s.
These post-war Woodside Park homes, like their predecessors, were often superior examples of
their type. The home at 1424 Highland Drive is an example. In this home, its architect and owner,
Arthur L. Anderson, sought to "strike a balance between traditional exterior appearance and
contemporary interior planning," as the Evening Star's feature article on the house on August 8,
1953 put it. Another major point about the house was that it was air conditioned, which
apparently was unusual in the early 1950s, even though several of the homes built in Woodside
Park in the late 1930s and in the 1940s before World War II were air conditioned. The Star
reported that Mr. Anderson had been able to cool the house for an average of 62¢ (1997
equivalent: $3.70) a day in electricity costs. The Star also noted that the home had an
"intercommunications system with four stations," another unusual feature. The article described
the home's Spanish tiled terrace and plantings as well as its electrically heated planting bed for
starting plants early in the spring. Among other projects, Mr. Anderson designed the Eig Building
at 8641 Colesville Road and Calvary Lutheran Church at 9545 Georgia Avenue.
There was considerable in-fill construction in the 1960s and 1970s. On
Alton Parkway, 9108 was built in 1960 and 8912 was built in 1962. The
homes at 8800, 8802, and 8804 Alton Parkway were built in 1966. On
Burton Street, 1215 was built in 1973 and 1211 and 1213 were built in
1978. Three houses were built on Clement Place, 1203 in 1966; 1206 in
1967; and 1213 in 1979. The home at 9109 Crosby Road was built in
1961. On Dale Drive, 1107 and 1213 were built in 1961, 1311 was built in 1962, and 1103 and
1105 were built in 1965. On Highland Drive, 1428 Highland Drive was completed in 1961. This
red brick dwelling, which appears to be a one-floor ranch type home, actually has five distinct
levels and 14 rooms. It was designed by owner Helen Dolan Sherbert. Also on Highland Drive,
1431 was built in 1962, 1206 was built in 1970, and 1212 was built in 1978. The home at 1206
Highland Drive was built by Robert Clagett, the son of Joseph D. Clagett, a builder active in
Woodside Park in the 1930s. The home was partly factory assembled. The home at 4 Noyes
Court was built in 1961. Four new houses were built on Noyes Drive (1013 in 1963, 1213 and
1222 in 1973, and 1214 in 1975). The homes at 1219 and 1221 Pinecrest Circle were built in
1968 by Robert Clagett. These two homes were constructed on a lot that originally was the back
yard of 1210 Highland Drive. The garage of 1210 Highland Drive, which exited onto Pinecrest
Circle, became the garage of the new home at 1219 Pinecrest Circle. The home at 9018
Woodland Drive was built in 1973. Lastly, the home at 1010 Woodside Parkway was built in
1967.
The latest major period of home construction in Woodside Park began in the mid to late 1980s as
most of the few remaining unbuilt lots were developed. Most of these newest houses were built in
classic styles but sometimes used modern exterior materials such as aluminum siding as well as
brick. 1009 South Mansion Drive, for example, was built in 1986 and is a return to the Colonial
Revival Style with a few eclectic touches, such as classic detailing at windows and doors and a
Gothic Revival central gable. 1008 North Mansion Drive, built at the same time by the same
builder (Carter, Inc.), is similar, but with different detailing. Both of these houses have brick
fronts, but the rest of their exteriors are siding. The houses at 1408, 1410, 1412, and 1414
Woodside Parkway were constructed in 1989 by Carter, Inc. and are somewhat larger. Many of
the newer houses, such as 1503 Dale Drive (1990), 9217 Midwood Road (1980), and 9203
Crosby Road (1988), were built with brick or wood and blend in with their older neighbors in
terms of both material and style. Both 9203 Crosby Road and 1503 Dale Drive (1990) were built
by Carter, Inc., as was 8911 Alton Parkway (1988), which is similar to the Crosby Road home.
Other new houses include 1610 and 1612 Grace Church Road, which were built in 1990 on lots
subdivided from the original large lot at 9111 Georgia Avenue. In 1993 new homes were built on
vacant lots at 9019 Woodland Drive, 1207 Dale Drive, and 1311 Dale Drive. The new home at
1207 Dale was advertised for $350,000 in January 1994 (1997 equivalent: $376,700). It was
designed by architect Harry Adreon and built by John L. Matthews, Inc. on a difficult site. The
home at 1212 Pinecrest Circle was also built in 1993. This three-story Colonial was custom
designed by an architect for Jamie and Lynn Blech, who acted as their own general contractor and
hired subcontractors to built the home.
Time has not stood still for the houses constructed in the 1920s through the 1940s and 1950s in
Woodside Park. Most of these original homes have been renovated on the interior to meet the
need for modern kitchens, bathrooms, air conditioning, and other modern features not available
when the houses were built. Electrical systems have been "heavied-up." Coal furnaces have been
replaced with oil or gas, although in the late 1980s at least one basement still contained a supply
of coal that was apparently too much trouble to get rid of when the home's original furnace was
replaced. Exterior maintenance or replacement has also been required. In many cases original type
materials, such as slate for roofs, have been used even though their expense is greater. Although
exact replacement has not always been practical or even possible, Woodside Park homeowners
have usually been mindful of the nature of the original materials and have selected modern
materials which approximate the look of the original.
Although many of the homes in Woodside Park are quite large, another
characteristic of Woodside Park in the 1980s and 1990s is the frequent
construction of additions. These additions have sometimes been very
large, sometimes appearing almost as big as the original house. 1108 and
1222 Woodside Parkway and 1223 Noyes Drive are examples. In a few
cases houses have been added to more than once; 1320 Woodside
Parkway is one example. Except in those cases in which the entire front facade has been altered as
a part of the addition process or in cases where the original house has in effect disappeared behind
new construction (1223 Noyes Drive for instance), additions to homes in Woodside Park have
almost uniformly been in keeping with the architecture of the original houses as viewed from the
street. Some additions in the rear, particularly where the back of the original house was less
distinguished than the front, have used more modern architectural designs to meet their residents'
needs while preserving the original style of the house visible to public. Some of the other homes
which have had additions constructed include 9105 and 1911 Alton Parkway; 9108 and 9114
Crosby Road; 9110 Fairview Road; 1213 Noyes Drive, 1512 Grace Church Road; 1003, 1400,
1408 and 1423 Highland Drive; 9214 Midwood Road; 1108, 1115, 1220, and 1301 Noyes Drive;
and 1313 and 1316 Woodside Parkway.
The extensive construction of home additions throughout the neighborhood reflects the fact that
many Woodside Park residents and many home buyers who can afford new "up scale"
developments prefer an established down-county neighborhood and the special atmosphere of
Woodside Park. Rather than moving or buying elsewhere, they have found it more desirable to
live in Woodside Park and add needed or wanted space to their homes.
Another way of meeting additional space needs is to simply demolish the original smaller house
and construct a new one. This has been done in two instances. The first was at 1221 Noyes Drive
which originally contained a small Cape Cod home built in the late 1930s. This new home in a
sense represents a link to the past because it is an "Acorn" manufactured home and follows the
example set by Woodside Park's manufactured homes from Sears, Roebuck and Company.
The second instance of a new home replacing an old one involved the demolition of "Twin Gables
Cottage" at 1505 Grace Church Road. The original home was demolished in late 1995 and a large
new two-story home was enclosed on the site in about two work days by assembling large house
segments trucked to the site. This replacement construction, like the much more common
construction of additions to the original homes, demonstrates the continuing desirability of
Woodside Park as a place to live.
The description of the neighborhood penned by its developers in the 1920s to promote the sale of
lots has actually proved to be true. Woodside Park remains "the beauty spot of Montgomery
County" and one of Washington's most beautiful suburbs.
About the Authors
Robert E. Oshel
Robert E. Oshel is a native of Topeka, Kansas, who has lived in Silver
Spring since 1970 and in Woodside Park since 1975. He has a Ph.D. in
Government from The American University. Since 1993 he has served as
Research Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services'
National Practitioner Data Bank. He has published numerous articles on
medical quality assurance and malpractice. He is an amateur historian and
has lectured at the National Building Museum for the Society of Architectural Historians and been
published by the Montgomery County Historical Society. He is also a former treasurer and
president of the Woodside Park Civic Association.
Marilyn S. Slatick
Marilyn Shaw Slatick is a fifth generation native of the Washington area
and grew up listening to stories about Silver Spring. She has lived in
Woodside Park since 1968. Receiving a B.S. degree from The American
University, she is a research biologist at The George Washington
University Medical School. Her hobbies include family history,
watercolors, gardening, and birding.