Georgina Stark was reminded of her grandparents’ 16th century home and the 12th century era church she grew up in back home in Cotswolds, England, when she and husband Robert purchased their home in Berwyn Heights last year.
But unbeknownst to the Starks, their home also held much historical significance.
Known as the Schniedman-Seal House, the Stark’s home received county Historic Preservation Commission approval July 15 to become a county historical site. Former owner Harvey Schniedman was the town’s first mounted police officer and lived in the home with wife Sara from 1929 until 1983.
Georgina Stark received a letter in June 2007 from Howard Berger, planner coordinator for the county Planning Department’s Historic Preservation Section, that said the county was updating its Historic Sites and Districts Plan, and would send out a traceries firm to examine her home’s architecture and take photographs. The home was designated as a historical resource in 1992 because it was one of 20 original homes in the community created from a mail-order pattern, making it eligible to become a historical site after a thorough report on its historical significance and a hearing before the county’s Historic Preservation Commission. The designation protects the home from demolition.
The design for the two-and-a-half story, three-bedroom 1888 Queen Anne Victorian-style home came from a mail-order pattern from R.W. Shoppell’s Cooperative Building Plan Association of New York City. It is one of 20 built with similar architecture through the Charlton Heights Improvement Company. Charlton Heights, the town’s original name, was changed to Berwyn Heights in 1896.
Some criteria the Historic Preservation Commission use to determine a site’s historical significance are whether the home represents a specific construction design, is linked to an influential individual or group and stands out in the neighborhood because of its individuality. The Schniedman-Seal House was deemed historic because it exemplifies Queen-Anne architecture and is a familiar house in the community, among other reasons.
Stark said she had no idea about the history of the home before moving in but had a love for old houses and was willing to put work into making it into a home for her husband and 20-month-old son, Ewan.
‘‘I would hate to think that when we move that a developer can come and tear it down,” Stark said. ‘‘At least we know it will be preserved.”
Stark said she and her husband can alter the interior as much as they want but if they want to change exterior elements such as the roofing, siding or windows, they have to apply for a permit through the county before making any alterations. For restoration work inside the home such as restoring the oak wood flooring, the couple is eligible for local and state tax credits.
Design elements noted in the Historic Preservation Commission’s evaluation included fish-scale shingles which look like half circles stacked and arranged in rows beneath the roof, and carved wooden posts fat at each end and thin in the middle—called ‘‘turned balusters”—that make up the porch railing.
Stark and her husband bought the home in April 2007 for $389,000 from Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo. Remembering how the sunlight from the windows filled each room and the staircase, Calvo, who lived in the home for five years, said he is thrilled the home will be preserved and hopes the process of which homes are designated historical sites will speed up.
‘‘We don’t want to lose these properties; once they’re gone and we can never get them back,” Calvo said. ‘‘They’re priceless.”
Berger said that prior to a housing boom after World War II, development was ‘‘stagnant” in Berwyn Heights, therefore making houses such as the Schniedman-Seal home stand out. Berger said there are many others built similarly in Route 1 corridor communities such as Hyattsville, Edmonston and Riverdale Park. Berger said the home is one of 10 historical sites in the Berwyn Heights and there are currently two homes listed as historical resources.
Berger said there are about 325 historical sites and more than 150 historical resources in the county. The Historic Preservation Section plans to update the Historic Sites and Districts Plan this fall and look at about 100 historical resources that could be eligible for historical site status.
Stark said she could not help but wonder what life was like for the families that lived there before hers and was reminded during Thanksgiving last year. She said even if her family does not remain in the house forever, she hopes whoever the next owner is appreciates the home’s age and architecture.
‘‘It’s really amazing to think there have been 125 Thanksgivings here,” Stark said. ‘‘I feel like we’re not just the homeowners, we’re a part of the history of the house.”
E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net
