The Historic Architecture of Annapolis - Part 5 - McDowell Hall

Mc Dowell Hall was designed in 1742 as the Colonial Governor's Mansion. Known as "Bladen's Folly," the incomplete structure was left to deteriorate. Thomas Jefferson in 1766 observed that in Annapolis "they have no public building worth mentioning except a Governor's House, the hull of which after being nearly finished, they have suffered to go to ruin." In 1784 St. John's College acquired the building and completed construction for use as the classroom, dormitory, and administrative college building. McDowell Hall was restored after a fire partially gutted it in 1909.
The building was agained restored in 1989, with Bohl Architects acting as the restoration architects. This six-story brick building includes 23,000 square feet of space for classrooms, assembly, and student union with a small food service facility. All interior woodwork and plaster cove moldings were restored. All necessary "modern" fixtures such as smoke detectors, sprinkler heads and lighting have been seamlessly integrated into the historic building.
Exhaustive research was conducted through files in the Maryland State Archives, college records, and on-site observations during the demolition phase of the renovations to determine the 1744 floor plan. The result was recognized by the 1991 Preservation Award of the Maryland Historical Trust, and the 1990 Award for Excellence in Architecture from the American Institute of Architects.

For more information on the restoration of McDowell Hall please visit http://bohlarchitects.com/McDowell_H/mcdowell.htm.

The Historic Architecture of Annapolis - Part 4 - Vitality of Retail Storefronts

Annapolis store fronts have a distinctive scale. The display windows are wide and allow visual penetration deep into the store. The doors are recessed from the sidewalk edge, coaxing passersby to step off the sidewalk for a closer look at additional display windows. The store fronts also have small roofs above the display windows, frequently with clerestory windows above. These roofs hold awnings and larger store signs that are visible from across the street.
Apart from the similar function of the display windows, the store fronts exhibit a great deal of variety due to modifications by retailers over time. There is also a great variety at the vertical plane of the property line. Most buildings are placed directly at the property line, and many store fronts project into the sidewalk right of way. This increases display area and visibility into the store.
Variety continues at the upper levels. There is a wide range of cornice heights on Main Street - from 14 to 38 feet above the sidewalk. The former building at 184-186 Main Street had a cornice height of 38 feet. Some cornices are heavily bracketed Italianate, while others are very plain with slightly recessed panels.

One interesting example of Annapolis retail architecture is the unique variation of depth in the wall plane at 203 - 207 Main Street (see photo above). Here the design takes a grand swing at referencing the Basilica (see photo at left), Palladio's masterpiece at Vicenza, Italy. The facade at 203 - 207 has it all (most): repetitive arches, symmetrically flanking oculus openings and grand gesture balustrade; however, the facade is flattened down to the point where the second floor colonnade has become a shallow perch and, rather than Carrara marble blocks, it is built of two wood frame walls. Still a clear expression of living above the shop, and the messy vitality of retail.

The Historic Architecture of Annapolis - Part 3 - Main Street Streetscape

Main Street in Annapolis is a horizontal composition from the top at Church Circle, down the hill to the City dock. The vertical spire of St. Anne's terminates the horizontal line at the top; at City Dock, the diagonal turns to a perfectly horizontal line, racing across the Bay to the Eastern Shore. The outward flare of the street at the bottom accentuates both the spike of church steeple, and the broad horizon on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay.

The flared horizontal composition made from many individual vertical elements, a great vertical spike on one end, endless horizon at the other, all bent to a natural topography, creates a dramatic play of optic chicanery achieved only occasionally in the best of eighteenth-century French garden design. The great secret of Annapolis: is this a studied exercise in esoteric sophisticated design, or is Main Street just the cart path from harbor to farm, with a Church on top of the hill?

The Historic Architecture of Annapolis, Maryland - Part 2 - State Circle

Annapolis State Circle is a unique streetscape that is also a microcosm of Annapolis. The street announces grand aspirations with the size of the circle (approximately 3.2 acres), but it is not a pure geometric circle or oval. The ‘circle’ is an irregular egg that follows the natural topography. The fact that there was no attempt to manipulate the topography into a more monumental base for the State House (see photo) is as significant as the fact that the State House dome does not define any actual center of the Circle. The State House dome is not precisely in the center of any of the radiating streets. The views up East Street, or Francis, or Maryland Avenue, will find the dome slightly off axis. This "near miss" is a fundamental characteristic of the built environment of Annapolis.

The near-miss exists at all levels in the city: urban plan, individual building, and building detail. The Nicholson urban plan of circles with radiating streets overlaying a 90 degree street grid leads to the idiosyncratic buildings at acute and obtuse intersections, such as the Maryland Inn, Farmers National Bank, buildings at the intersections of Fleet with Cornhill, Northwest with College Avenue, and Prince George with East. The construction of buildings over a long time causes the idiosyncratic juxtaposition of grand and modest. The startlingly abrupt contrast of the twentieth century buildings between the Paca House and the James Brice house with those two older and grander buildings; and the way Cumberland Court slices out the Hammond Harwood House side garden are just two of many examples. Everywhere there are “near-misses” in building details: the way the round headed second floor window trim of the James Brice house collides with the bracket roof cornice, the way the same cornice terminates at each side with a haphazard brick corbel in place of the forgotten pilasters; and at the garden side of the James Brice House there is the start of a black brick header chevron pattern that is started, then abandoned before the second floor. All of these “near-misses” are attempts at grand gestures that get derailed in the practical ride of complex daily urban life. This is the great charm of Annapolis. It is grand, formal, monumental, and simultaneously modest, haphazard, and unceremonial.

The Historic Architecture of Annapolis, Maryland - Part 1 - The Doric Order

Classical architecture has always been used in ways that are distinct to Annapolis -- certainly adjusted for the Mid-Atlantic Tidewater climate and resources, but more importantly, always filtered through the lenses of the city's extraordinary architects: Joseph Clark, William Buckland, T. Henry Randall, Henry Powell Hopkins, and James Wood Burch. The golden period of Annapolis Georgian architecture favored the Ionic Order, especially for door surrounds and important woodwork detailing. But the Doric Order (Greek or Renaissance) seems to prevail consistently over time. The Ridout house back porch, McDowell Hall, the giant pilasters on the rear of the Hammond Harwood house, the Franklin Law Office at 17 State Circle, and the Franklin General Store at 206 Main Street (see photo) are Doric in proportion. The proportion of the town is more stout than the slender Ionic, possibly due to the nature of brick bearing wall construction.

State and Local Incentives for Energy Efficiency

To find out about incentive programs in your state visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency at http://www.dsireusa.org/.

Also, more information about energy efficient home improvements is available at http://www.energystar.gov/ and http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/index.htm.

New York State Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency

In addition to the Federal Tax Credits for energy efficient home improvements listed in yesterday's post, there are additional credits available to homeowners at the local level. Following are some of the credits available to homeowners in New York State:

Solar and Fuel Cell Tax Credit - Tax Credit of 25% of the cost for Solar-Electric (PV) and Solar-Thermal Systems up to a maximum of $5,000. Tax Credit of 20% of the cost for Fuel Cells up to a maximum of $1,500.

Energy Conservation Improvements Property Tax Exemption - Qualifying energy-conservation improvements to homes (such as Solar Water Heat, Photovoltaics and Geothermal Heat Pumps) are exempt from real property taxation to the extent the addition would increase the value of the home.

Solar Sales Tax Exemption - The sale and installation of residential solar-energy systems are exempt from the State’s sales and compensation use taxes.

Long Island Power Authority - Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program - LIPA offers incentives for its residential customers to increase the energy efficiency of their homes. The Cool Homes Program offers rebates of $250 - $600 per unit for energy-efficient central air conditioning systems and air-source heat pumps. The Geothermal Energy Wise Program provides rebates from $200 - $1,000 per unit for new and replacement geothermal heat pumps. Additional rebates are available for certain lighting fixtures, clothes washers, refrigerators, and dehumidifiers.

Long Island Power Authority - Solar Rebate Program - LIPA’s solar program offers rebates that are approximately 50% of the costs for a PV system. Also with LIPA’s Net Metering Policy, excess energy is bought back from the customer at the same retail rate charged for usage.

For more information please visit http://www.BohlArchitects.com/green.htm.

Green Your Home and Take Advantage of Obama's Stimulus Bill

Now is a great time to make energy efficient improvements to your home. Not only has the cost of construction reached an all time low, but the new Federal Stimulus Bill has increased energy efficiency or “green” tax credits for homeowners. If you have been thinking of renovating or constructing an addition to your home, you should also consider taking advantage of some of these programs. Not only will you save money on purchase and installation, you will continue to reap the energy cost saving benefits year after year.

The following Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency are part of the Obama Stimulus Bill.

Homeowners who make energy efficient home improvements (to existing homes) including energy efficient windows and doors, insulation, roofs, HVAC, water heaters (non-solar), and biomass stoves are eligible for a Tax Credit of 30% of the cost, up to a maximum of $1,500 for 2009 & 2010.
Homeowners who install geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind energy systems, and fuel cells (in new or existing homes) are eligible for a Tax Credit of 30% of the cost with no upper limit through 2016.

For more information on sustainable design visit our website at http://www.BohlArchitects.com/green.htm.

Declining Construction Costs

Construction costs are at an all time low. The cost of structural steel is 50% lower than its peak in July of last year. Copper and aluminum prices are similarly off their peak. Construction grade lumber prices have declined heavily. General Contractors are short of work, and skilled craftsmen and laborers are immediately available. This oversupply of labor and materials will not last forever. As the US and world economy recovers, these surplus supplies will shrink, and production pipelines will inevitably lag behind demand. Prices will increase, and even modest inflation will make today’s prices look like a steal.

If you are considering a construction project big or small, now is an excellent time to plan it. We have been providing architectural services for over 30 years, and we have never seen this steep a decline in demand. The decline will not last, and neither will this opportunity to build at such a great discount.

In the project pictured above we lifted the roof in order to add a new second floor. By maintaining and reusing the existing first floor, foundation and roof (with the now unattainable Buckingham slate roofing), we reduced landfill contribution, reduced consumption of new wood products, and hastened completion time. Visit http://www.BohlArchitects.com for more information.

Welcome to the Bohl Architects blog

Welcome to the Bohl Architects blog. In this blog we plan to discuss issues related to residential design and and construction. We'll also post updates on our projects and completed work.
The project shown here was recently featured in Chesapeake Life magazine. For more information please visit http://www.bohlarchitects.com/.