Skip to Main Content

Maryland's National Register Properties



Photo credit: Amy Worden, 09/1991 		Lawyers Hill Historic District
Inventory No.: HO-610
Date Listed: 11/3/1993
Location: Elkridge, Howard County
Category: District
Period/Date of Construction: 1730-1941
Architect/Builder: Architects: R. Snowden Andrews; Brognard Okie; Robert Stead; George Worthington; Addison Worthington
Resources: 53 (20 contributing, 20 non-contributing)
Description: The architecture in the Lawyers Hill Historic District encompasses a broad array of styles ranging from 1738 Georgian Colonial to 1941 Georgian Revival. The collection of Victorian domestic architecture (c. 1841 to 1880) clustered around the Lawyers Hill Road and old Lawyers Hill Road area is unparalleled in the county. While the houses are similar in terms of mass, proportion and materials, no two are exactly alike. As a result the Lawyers Hill landscape reads like a chronology of American architectural history, with each house reflecting the style of the time and expressing the individuality of its builder. There are variations of the American Gothic Revival form, (including an unusual example of a castellated Gothic estate), Italianate, Queen Anne, and Shingle-style structures. There is also a range of Colonial Revival houses, from craftsman era rustic cottages to more formal Georgian, and mass-produced Dutch Colonial models from the early 20th century. While the inhabitants of the Hill, by 19th century standards, were considered wealthy, their homes did not reflect ostentatious lifestyles. Houses were often architect designed and usually included room for servants quarters, but in general the scale remained in keeping with the rural landscape. Some of the later cottages, especially those designed by Philadelphia architect Brognard Okie, more closely resemble rustic camping lodges then country estates. Typically, the mid-19th century houses were built in the traditional Gothic tri-gable L form with an eaves-front orientation. Construction is predominantly wood, both post and beam and balloon frame, with wood siding, usually clapboard, shingles, or board and batten. Roof materials included wood shingles, metal, or slate. Some of the houses feature decorative Queen Anne shingle patterns. All of the pre-1900 buildings have random fieldstone foundations. Most of the tri-gabled buildings have a traditional arrangement of corbeled chimneys; two interior brick chimneys at the either end of the roof ridge and a third chimney at the rear of the wing. Craftsman-era houses have large stone end chimneys typical of the Colonial revival movement. Significance: The Lawyers Hill Historic District is significant for its diverse collection of Victorian-era architecture and for its role as a 19th century summer community and early commuter suburb for prominent Baltimoreans. Although the area historically known as Lawyers Hill was divided into two sections by I-95 in the 1960s, there have been virtually no other adverse impacts on either section and the area as a whole has retained its historic character. The architecture on the Hill reflects the dramatic series of social and economic changes occurring in the nation between 1730, the earliest of the properties which became Lawyers Hill, and 1941. But the Hill's unique character is based on its concentration of 19th century domestic dwellings located in the center of the community along Lawyers Hill and Old Lawyers Hill roads. The structures represent a range of 19th century residential architectural styles. While the buildings vary in style, they are closely related in setting, scale, and materials. Lawyers Hill is also significant for its landscape architecture and community planning. Houses were built to fit the contours of the hillside and blend with the natural landscape. Most of the buildings are set back at least 100 yards from the narrow and winding roads, evoking the spirit of the pre-auto era. The natural and man-made landscape has been allowed to mature, shrouding the houses in foliage and creating thick canopies over the roads. With the opening of the Thomas Viaduct in 1836, the Patapsco Valley south of the river was easily accessible to Baltimoreans. Many of the first residents were respected lawyers and doctors active in many of the professional and cultural organizations still vital in the state today. During the 1840s, as railroad service improved, Lawyers Hill residents began commuting to Baltimore on a daily and weekly basis, establishing the community as the state's first railroad commuter suburb.

District Resources (53) (20 contributing, 20 non-contributing)

From associated listing in National Register nomination form. C = Contributing, NC = non-contributing, blank = not evaluated.

AddressStatusResource Name and MIHP (if any)
6581 Belmont Woods DriveCHO-151 -- Rockburn
6440 Elibank DriveCHO-452 -- Tutbury (Forbes House)
6450 Elibank DriveCHO-797 -- Tutbury Gardeners Cottage
6460 Elibank DriveCHO-451 -- Hoogewerff-Donaldson Cottage (Elibank, Worthington House)
6464 Elibank DriveCHO-940 -- Hoogewerff-Donaldson Cottage Quarter
6060 Old Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-447 -- Mavcroft (Atwell House)
6064 Old Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-747 -- Maycroft Tenant House & Detached Kitchen
6130 Lawyers Hill RoadCHursley Gatehouse
6061 Old Lawyers Hill RoadCEdgewood Cottage
5970 Baltimore Washington Boulevard (US 1)CHO-449 -- Old Grace Church Rectory, site
6053 Old Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-448 -- Red Hill House (Hemphill House)
6176 Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-444 -- Lift-a-Latch
6219 Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-443 -- Roheleder House, site (Mac Sherry Place)
6170 Lawyers Hill RoadC 
6195 Lawyers Hill RoadC 
6017 Old Lawyers Hill RoadC 
6162 Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-446 -- Dobbin-Warner House & Gate House
6204 Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-378 -- Armagh (George Dobbin House, Libertini House)
6090 Lawyers Hill RoadCHO-381 -- Elk Ridge Assembly Rooms
6005 Old Lawyers Hill RoadCFairy Knowe
6554 Belmont Woods RoadNC 
6560 Belmont Woods RoadNCHO-393 -- Morning Choice (John Malkmus House)
6566 Belmont Woods RoadNC 
6565 Belmont Woods RoadNC 
6567 Belmont Woods RoadNC 
6570 Belmont Woods RoadNC 
7585 Belmont Woods RoadNC 
6446 Elibank DriveNC 
6061 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6063 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6166 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6067 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6071 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6086 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6089 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6199 Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6011 Old Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6014 Old Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6017 Old Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6018 Old Lawyers Hill RoadNC 
6074 Old Lawyers Hill RoadC/NC 
6117 Lawyers Hill RoadC/NCHO-445 -- Murray-Miller House (Bonnie Wood)
5840 Claremont Drive (formerly 6051 Lawyers Hill Road)C/NCHO-798 -- Claremont
6235 Lawyers Hill RoadC/NCHO-389 -- Edward Stead House (The Gables, West View)
6555 Belmont Woods RoadC/NCHO-43 -- Belmont (Moore's Morning Choice)
5925 River RoadC/NCHO-387 -- Hockley (Chittick House, Fosters Fancy)
6036 Old Lawyers Hill RoadC/NCHO-141 -- The Lawn
6060 Lawyers Hill RoadC/NCWayside
5519 Lawyers Hill Road HO-379 -- Badart Gardens & Barn (Latrobe Estate)
6480 Elibank Drive HO-1093 -- Elibank (Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church Cemetery)
6078 Old Lawyers Hill Road HO-380 -- Doughtery House (Misses Dobbins House, Thomas Dobbins House)
6085 Lawyers Hill Road HO-845 -- Schultz-Haupt Farm, site
6831 Montgomery Road HO-885 -- Daniel M. Murray Jr. House

 

Return to the National Register Search page