HPA No. 2002-614 (In re. Rosedale)

HPA Number: 2002-614
Building Name: Rosedale
Address(es): 3501 Newark St. NW
Date of Order: 08-Apr-03

Summary:

Applicant sought approval of an application to subdivide the six-acre Rosedale property into eleven lots of record. Rosedale, an important 18th Century estate, is an individually designated historic landmark listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites ("Inventory") and the National Register of Historic Places ("NRHP"). It is also a contributing property located within the Cleveland Park Historic District, which is included in the Inventory and NRHP. After approval of the subdivision, the Applicant planned to construct single-family residences on eight of the eleven lots, restore the eighteenth-century farmhouse and guest cottage for residential use, and preserve the three-acre south lawn in perpetuity as a nature conservancy. The Applicant also planned to demolish three intrusive three-story institutional dormitory buildings and their associated parking lots. The Historic Preservation Review Board ("HPRB") unanimously adopted the Staff Report and Recommendation of the Historic Preservation Office, which determined that the proposed subdivision was consistent with the purposes of D.C. Law 2-144. The Mayor's Agent held that the subdivision was necessary in the public interest by virtue of being consistent with the purposes of the Act.

Consistent with Purposes of the Act:

The Mayor's Agent determined that the subdivision of the Rosedale property was consistent with the purposes of the Act on a number of grounds. First, the Applicant's proposal contemplated full restoration of the farmhouse and guesthouse and their adaptive reuse for residential purposes. Second, the demolition of the non-conforming institutional structures on the property and the removal of the associated parking lots would significantly enhance the character of the entire landmark property. Third, the donation of the three-acre south lawn to a national organization would ensure the area's preservation in perpetuity as a nature conservancy. Finally, the proposed construction of eight single-family residences would be visually and physically removed from the landmark farmhouse and would not detract from either the farmhouse or the landmark property as a whole.

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