33rd Annual Maryland Preservation Awards
2008 Award Recipients
The Maryland Preservation Awards are presented annually by the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Historical Trust. The Trustees are appointed by the Governor of Maryland and represent all regions of the state. The awards honor outstanding achievements in historic preservation, architecture, archaeology, museums, cultural conservation, education, and related fields and represent the best of preservation in Maryland. Awards are made in six categories: Stewardship, Service, Project Excellence, Educational Excellence, Heritage Book, and the Calvert Prize.
To learn more about these categories and past recipients click here.
For more information about the Maryland Preservation Awards please contact Elizabeth Hughes at (410) 514-7604.
Calvert Prize
Charles L. Wagandt
In 2008 the Calvert Prize was awarded to Charles Wagandt for his lifelong work to preserve significant historic resources across Maryland. Charles L. Wagandt is the great-grandson of mill owner W.J. Dickey and began his preservation career in Baltimore working with Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation to preserve the textile mill in Dickeyville. He bought the 70-acre mill village of Oella from the Dickeys in 1973, developed a master plan for the area, and rehabilitated almost every salvageable historic structure, including log cabins many considered to be beyond repair. In a most important move, he lobbied to get public water and sewer systems installed in the unforgiving, rocky hillside community where raw sewage had flowed into the Patapsco River. His primary focus in the mill village renaissance was to preserve the Oella Avenue streetscape, the backbone of the community; he embraced many “Smart Growth” principles long before the term came into popular use. Wagandt also worked to preserve the natural and scenic beauty of the Patapsco River Valley, integrating history, architecture, and nature with economic development, championing a movement now commonly known as “heritage tourism.” In addition to his work in Oella, Wagandt was a founding member of the Friends of Patapsco, was instrumental in the relocation of the George Ellicott House, and helped organize a group to locate Benjamin Banneker’s homesite in 1979. Wagandt joined the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Historical Trust in the 1970s and served as Treasurer from 1978 to 1981 and Chairman from 1981 to 1986. During his time as a MHT Trustee, Wagandt was instrumental in securing the acquisition of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, and helped lead the transformation of the MHT from a quasi-public organization to a full-fledged state agency.
Preservation Service
Catherine Ebert Baltimore County
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Ms. Ebert moved to Prospect Hill in the Long Green Valley almost 20 years ago determined to restore and preserve the historical significance of this late 18th century property. She rehabilitated all of the rooms in the residence, replaced the roof with slate, and even discovered the hallway’s original paint color. She put considerable effort into restoring Prospect Hill, but her commitment to preservation did not end at her property line. In 1996, she founded the Long Green Valley Conservancy and has since preserved over 2,500 acres in the historic core of the valley. |
Educational Excellence
COMSAT Charette Rockville, Montgomery County
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Internationally-renowned architect Cesar Pelli designed COMSAT Laboratories in 1978 and the building with its gleaming aluminum skin and uniquely modern design has become a visual landmark along I-270. As one of a few buildings in Montgomery County designed by a master architect, the Modern Movement in Maryland survey included it as a significant resource. When the property was sold to a developer who proposed demolition of the COMSAT building for mixed-use residential, commercial, and office development, Montgomery County preservationists and civic organizations, including the Clarksburg Civic Association, Montgomery County Preservation Commission and Montgomery College, united to save this significant landmark of the recent past. This award is presented in recognition of this dedicated and intense community effort not only to preserve a Modern Movement landmark but at the same time to raise public awareness of our more recent historic resources. |
Montgomery County Rural Heritage Byway Tour Montgomery County
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The Montgomery Rural Heritage Byway Tour consists of a 60-mile drive through Upper Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve that was developed as a part of the State Department of Tourism’s Scenic Byways Program. In addition to the guided driving tour, a video Podcast incorporates material from written documents, and audio and visual media to provide a lively tour narrated by a speaker who adds detail to the landscape —something that is not always possible in a brochure. The video Podcast is the first of its kind in a State Heritage Area and a number of organizations are looking to Heritage Montgomery’s project as a model.
Project Excellence
Restoration of Davidge Hall University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore
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Jeptha Hayman House Somerset County
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The Lustine Center Hyattsville
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Built in 1807, Davidge Hall is the oldest anatomical hall in continual use for medical education in the English-speaking world. The project team was hired by the University of Maryland Medical Center to restore the Hall’s 200-year-old windows and doors. The project team preserved as much original material as possible and replaced deteriorated fabric with new materials that replicated the original in profile, substance and appearance. 
Built in 1836, the Hayman House was built by Daniel Benson in 1836 and has been owned by a member of the Benson family for more than 170 years. Upton, a descendant of Daniel Benson, purchased the property after the death of her grandparents and oversaw the complete restoration of the house with the assistance of architectural historian Paul Touart and general contractor Woody Howard.
Real estate developer EYA, working in partnership with Martinez & Johnson Architecture, Hyattsville Preservation Association, and local government officials turned this iconic 1950s auto dealership on Route 1 into a community center, complete with a gym, juice bar, art gallery, public meeting rooms, and business center. The Lustine Center was built in 1950 as the flagship showroom for the Lustine-Nicholson Motor Company, one of the largest Chevrolet dealerships in the country at mid-century. The two-story showroom, with its dramatic canopies, large, glass doors, and dynamic curves was unlike any other building along “Motor Mile” as Route 1 was known at the height of the automobile age. The development team preserved this mid-century landmark and turned it into the centerpiece of a 25-acre redevelopment project in the heart of Hyattsville Arts District.
This page updated: October 9, 2012
2008 Award Winners
Calvert Prize |
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Preservation Service |
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Educational Excellence |
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Project Excellence
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