[IHHAAC Update] Prince George's "recycled treasure house" wins official historic medallion

[IHHAAC Email Newsletter]

DATE: July 23, 2008	CONTACT:  	David Turner, Chairman
						(202) 307-9075

BRONZE MEDALLION AWARDED TO 
"A HOME OF MANY MANSIONS" ON THE POTOMAC 

Prince George's County - Tulip Hill, a colonial style house with
baluster columns used for the first inauguration of President Franklin
Roosevelt, brick gateways from a 1950 White House renovation, a Tiffany
window designed for the original Herbert Wadsworth home on DuPont
Circle, and a glorious 14-acre setting on the Potomac River is the most
romantic recycled home in Prince George's County.  On July 15, the house
was honored by the County's Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), and
the home's owner, Nancy Poore Tufts, was presented with a medallion
plaque by County Councilmember Tony Knotts (District 8).

Celebrating her 98th birthday this month, Tufts was joined at the
ceremony by Maryland National Capital Park and Planning staff members
and a gathering of neighbors and friends.

In 1920, Ms. Tufts' father, an Army medical doctor, bought the acreage
in Fort Washington as a fishing camp, and in 1939, 
construction began on the 14-room residence.  Working on a shoestring,
Ms. Tufts and her mother shopped for 
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bargains at architectural demolition sites around the region.  As a
result, Prince George's County gained a structure built with a trove of
east coast historical treasures and cultural artifacts.  The two women
traveled to other cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York
in search of doorways, fanlights, grills and other items for the home.
In the living room is an Italian carved mantel from an old home at
Baltimore's fabled Eutaw Place.  Ms. Tufts' mother found the mantle
laying in the mud in a junk yard.  On the exterior of the house are
bricks from the old Poli Theater, torn down to make way for the Federal
Triangle development. 

Councilman Knotts said the medallion will be permanently mounted on the
house's wall, but "it also honors the spirit of Nancy Tufts for her
stewardship of Tulip Hill over the decades."  He noted the house was
dubbed "A House of Many Mansions" in a  Washington Star Pictorial
Magazine article in December 1949.  The plaque was provided by Prince
George's County Executive Jack Johnson, as well as by a contribution
from the Potomac Valley Citizens Association in Fort Washington.  "It's
very heavy," said Tufts as she received the plaque and thanked the
Preservation Commission and its staff.  She said she hoped that all
property owners willing to undertake the strenuous process of nominating
a historic site will receive similar honors.  "For the sake of the
future, our County is wise to encourage citizens to save heritage
sites," said Tufts.   

Nancy Poore Tufts is not new to historic preservation.  She has been a
supporter of the ancient Broad Creek vicinity in Fort Washington, and
led community efforts to retain a rural lifestyle still present there
today.  The land surrounding Tulip Hill became historically significant
decades ago when she imported and planted a special strain of bamboo
used to feed the National Zoo's famed panda bears. 

The Tulip Hill home is not only a wonderful piece of architecture, but
it is the embodiment of the spirit of the time in which it was built.
It was a different era in the 1930s and '40s, people were more frugal
and recycling was a way of life.  They searched for items that had
served well, could be put to a new purpose and have a new life.
Homeowners took pride in hands-on building of their homes and put a lot
of their own handiwork and creativity into them.  "This type of
architecture reflects a gracious era when fine details were
appreciated," said Joan Creighton, one of Tufts' neighbors.  "Tulip Hill
captures that gone-by era, as does its steward, Nancy Poore Tufts."
(Article prepared by Joan Creighton)

Photo caption: Nancy Poore Tufts, owner of Prince George's recently
designated Tulip Hill historic property, receives the official brass
medallion from County Councilman Tony Knotts (District 8) and Historic
Preservation Commission Chairman David Turner.  

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