Save the Watson House

The Watson House is centered between two other houses in Silver Spring that have already been designated historic. The Wilbur House (c. 1887) at 1102 Edgevale Road is an example of Second Empire architecture.  The pre-Civil War Condict House, or Grey Rocks, at 9315 Greyrock Road, shows Gothic Revival architecture.  These other two houses have received their historic designations because of their architectural significance and because of their essentially unaltered exteriors.  Although the Watson House was built much later, it also retains characteristics of historical significance.

The Watson family made historically significant personal contributions to Silver Spring and to the United States while living in the house.  Family members included an early Silver Spring developer, inventors, patent attorneys who took cases to the US Supreme Court, and a US Patent Commissioner.

The Committee to Save the Watson House, a large Silver Spring neighborhood group, believes this house qualifies for historic designation.  If it receives this designation, it will tie three historic homes together in an enclave to preserve an area that is unique and will form a bond reaching back more than 150 years in an area that is walking distance from Downtown Silver Spring.

Silver Spring is a prime area for development.  The people who lived in the Watson House since 1957 passed away two years ago.  Unfortunately, the heirs propose to raze the house, destroy the wooded area and replace them with five new houses, a new road, and possible expansion of an existing cul-de-sac.  The Committee to Save the Watson House has worked actively for many months to obtain historic designation for the property but has yet to earn the support of the Montgomery County Planning Department.

The Committee members focused first on establishing the historic significance of the Watson House architecture.  They are beginning to verify the large amount of information available regarding the lives of residents of the Watson House.

German settlers in Pennsylvania extending back to the 1600s introduced Dutch Colonial architecture to this country.  The style faded but enjoyed a revival in the early twentieth century.  There are several distinguishing features of Dutch Colonial architecture which the Watson House retains, essentially intact.  One feature is symmetrically placed ¼ round windows.  Many similar homes of the period did not have these windows.  If some did, they were usually replaced in later years, sometimes with modern windows or with vents.  Few houses had the swooped (or "kick") roofline that the Watson House retains.  This style roof was discontinued from construction around 1920 because it was too labor intensive to build.

When this information was presented to Montgomery County's Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), staff preservationist Clare Kelly determined that the house had no architectural significance.  In her December 12, 2007 Memorandum to Historic Preservation Commission, Ms. Kelly stated, "There are sources of similar Dutch Colonials in Chevy Chase, Takoma Park, and Silver Spring."  It took many attempts by the Committee before it could obtain any information on the addresses of these other houses to which Ms. Kelly referred.  After receiving the information, Committee visited members visited each address in Chevy Chase, Takoma and Silver Spring.  They photographed each structure and ascertained the presence or absence of those features which distinguish a house as Dutch Colonial.  Of the many houses they found, none were equivalent to the Watson House for varied reasons, usually alterations or additions.  This makes the Watson House the oldest and most high-style example in the area that encompasses Woodside Forest and Woodside Park.

At the January 9, 2008 HPC hearing, four commissioners voted to support the Planning Department's Staff recommendation against nomination for inclusion to the County's Master for Historic Designation.  The two commissioners who voted in favor of the nomination mentioned visiting the site.  Three commissioners had been unable to attend the hearing which occurred two weeks prior to deliberations, so they abstained after a short deliberation over documents that included a letter from the estate's representatives disputing the significance of the house.  

During the period preceding this hearing, the Committee received conflicting information from HPC staff.  These discrepancies affected the Committee's ability to respond to HPC requests.  HPC received many letters after the Committee learned of the discrepancies.  In their letter to HPC, the estate's representatives requested that HPC not consider the letters outlining the results of the discrepancies.  The matter went before the planning board again on March 6, 2008 however the final decision will be made by the City Council at a date to be determined.

The Watson House, Wilbur House and Condict House all sit within a cluster on the original Condict lot and all were used at one time or another by members of the Condict or Watson families.  They create a picturesque enclave of vernacular and high style domestic architecture representing three distinct architectural influences.  These influences are existing structures symbolizing three different periods of Silver Spring development prior to the subdivision of Woodside Park.  They document the transformation of the mid-nineteenth-century rural landscape to the development of Woodside Forest in the twentieth century.  If the Watson House is demolished, it will be lost to history forever. If this historical enclave is allowed to remain intact, it will continue to transport the passerby to other centuries.