Kensington Cabin: Public Hearing Draft
Kensington Cabin: Public Hearing Draft
Kensington Cabin
10000 Kensington Parkway, Resource #31/41
Montgomery County Planning Department
Maryland‐National Capital Park and Planning Commission
September 2010
Public Hearing Draft
KENSINGTON CABIN, 10000 Kensington Parkway, Resource #31/41
An Amendment to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation in Montgomery County
ABSTRACT
This document contains the text, with supporting illustrations, for an amendment to the Master
Plan for Historic Preservation, as amended; being also an amendment to the Kensington Sector
Plan (Planning Board Draft October 2009); the 1978 Sector Plan for the Town of Kensington and
Vicinity and an amendment to the General Plan for the Physical Development of the
MarylandWashington Regional District within Montgomery County, Maryland, as amended. This
Amendment considers the nomination of one resource to the Master Plan for Historic
Preservation and/or addition to the Locational Atlas and Index of Historic Sites.
SOURCE OF COPIES:
The Maryland‐National Capital Park and Planning Commission
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910‐3760
www.montgomeryplanning.org/historic
THE MARYLANDNATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION
The Maryland‐National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi‐county agency created by
the General Assembly of Maryland in 1927. The Commission’s geographic authority extends to
the great majority of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties; the Maryland‐Washington
Regional District (M‐NCPPC planning jurisdiction) comprises 1,001 square miles, while the
Metropolitan District (parks) comprises 919 square miles, in the two counties.
The Commission is charged with preparing, adopting, and amending or extending The General
Plan (On Wedges and Corridors) for the Physical development of the MarylandWashington
Regional District in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The Commission operates in each
county through Planning Boards appointed by the county government. The Montgomery
Planning Board is also responsible for updates to the Locational Atlas and Index of Historic Sites
in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Maryland‐National Capital Park and Planning Commission encourages the involvement and
participation of individuals with disabilities, and its facilities are accessible. For assistance with
special needs (e.g., large print materials, listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.),
contact the Community Outreach and Media Relations Division, 301‐495‐4600 or TDD 301‐495‐
1331.
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MASTER PLAN FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The Master Plan for Historic Preservation is a functional master plan with countywide
application. The plan and the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 24A of the Montgomery
County Code, are designed to protect and preserve Montgomery County's historic and
architectural heritage. When a historic resource is placed on the Master Plan for Historic
Preservation, the adoption action officially designates the property as a historic site or historic
district, and subjects it to the further procedural requirements of the Historic Preservation
Ordinance.
Designation of historic sites and districts serves to highlight the values that are important in
maintaining the individual character of the County and its communities. It is the intent of the
County's preservation program to provide a rational system for evaluating, protecting and
enhancing the County's historic and architectural heritage for the benefit of present and future
generations of Montgomery County residents. The accompanying challenge is to weave
protection of this heritage into the County's planning program so as to maximize community
support for preservation and minimize infringement on private property rights.
The following criteria, as stated in Section 24A‐3 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, shall
apply when historic resources are evaluated for designation in the Master Plan for Historic
Preservation:
1. Historical and cultural significance
The historic resource:
a. has character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural
characteristics of the County, State, or Nation;
b. is the site of a significant historic event;
c. is identified with a person or a group of persons who influenced society; or
d. exemplifies the cultural, economic, social, political or historic heritage of the County
and its communities; or
2. Architectural and design significance
The historic resource:
a. embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction;
b. represents the work of a master;
c. possesses high artistic values;
d. represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack
individual distinction; or
e. represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community,
or County due to its singular physical characteristic or landscape.
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Implementing the Master Plan for Historic Preservation
Once designated on the Master Plan for Historic Preservation, historic resources are subject to the
protection of the Ordinance. Any substantial changes to the exterior of a resource or its environmental
setting must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission and a historic area work permit
issued under the provisions of the County's Preservation Ordinance, Section 24A‐6. In accordance with
the Master Plan for Historic Preservation and unless otherwise specified in the amendment, the
environmental setting for each site, as defined in Section 24A‐2 of the Ordinance, is the entire parcel on
which the resource is located as of the date it is designated on the Master Plan.
Designation of the entire parcel provides the County adequate review authority to preserve historic sites
in the event of development. It also ensures that, from the beginning of the development process,
important features of these sites are recognized and incorporated in the future development of
designated properties. In the case of large acreage parcels, the amendment will provide general
guidance for the refinement of the setting by indicating when the setting is subject to reduction in the
event of development; by describing an appropriate area to preserve the integrity of the resource; and
by identifying buildings and features associated with the site which should be protected as part of the
setting. It is anticipated that for a majority of the sites designated, the appropriate point at which to
refine the environmental setting will be when the property is subdivided.
Public improvements can profoundly affect the integrity of a historic area. Section 24A‐6 of the
Ordinance states that a Historic Area Work Permit for work on public or private property must be issued
prior to altering a historic resource or its environmental setting. The design of public facilities in the
vicinity of historic resources should be sensitive to and maintain the character of the area. Specific
design considerations should be reflected as part of the Mandatory Referral review processes.
In many cases, the parcels of land on which historic resources sit are also impacted by other planned
facilities in the master plan; this is particularly true with respect to transportation right‐of‐way. In
general, when establishing an environmental setting boundary for a historic resource, the need for the
ultimate transportation facility is also acknowledged, and the environmental setting includes the entire
parcel minus the approved and adopted master planned right‐of‐way. However, in some specific cases,
the master planned right‐of‐way directly impacts an important contributing element to the historic
resource. In such cases the amendment addresses the specific conflicts existing at the site, and suggests
alternatives and recommendations to assist in balancing preservation with the implementation of other
equally important community needs.
In addition to protecting designated resources from unsympathetic alteration and insensitive
redevelopment, the County's Preservation Ordinance also empowers the County's Department of
Housing and Community Affairs and the Historic Preservation Commission to prevent the demolition of
historic buildings through neglect.
The Montgomery County Council passed legislation in September 1984 to provide for a tax credit against
County real property taxes in order to encourage the restoration and preservation of privately owned
structures located in the County. The credit applies to all properties designated on the Master Plan for
Historic Preservation (Chapter 52, Art. VI). Furthermore, the Historic Preservation Commission
maintains current information on the status of preservation incentives including tax credits, tax benefits
possible through the granting of easements on historic properties, outright grants and low‐interest loan
program.
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THE AMENDMENT
This Amendment considers the nomination of one resource to the Master Plan for Historic
Preservation and/or addition to the Locational Atlas and Index of Historic Sites. If designated on
the Master Plan, the resource would be protected by the County’s Historic Preservation
Ordinance, Chapter 24A of the Montgomery County Code.
Resource # Historic Name Location
31/41 Kensington Cabin 10000 Kensington Parkway
• Built in 1934 as a park recreation building and community center, Kensington Cabin was a
collaborative effort of the Town of Kensington and the Maryland‐National Capital Park &
Planning Commission. Blanch Armstrong, Kensington’s Woman’s Club, initially conceived
of the park and community center in 1924. M‐NCPPC Landscape architect Roland Rogers
drafted a park plan in 1929 and M‐NCPPC engineer Irving Root requested funds for the
recreation building in 1934.
• Kensington cabin is one of the earliest park structures built by or for M‐NCPPC, founded in
1927. Built in the New Deal era, the cabin was begun with funding from the Civil Works
Administration and completed with MNCPPC funds.
• The log structure is an outstanding example of a rustic park building exemplifying
“parkitecture”, a concept of rustic architecture promoted by the National Park Service in
the 1930s. Characteristic features include whole log construction, stone chimney and
rustic bracketed door hood.
• Kensington Cabin is an established visual feature of the local landscape and namesake of
the Kensington Cabin Local Park.
• The resource meets criteria 1a, 1d, 2a and 2e.
• The recommended environmental setting is the 4.28 acre lot, being Lot 1 of Block 13. The
cabin is located within the 100 year flood plain. It is anticipated that protective actions
may need to be taken for Kensington Cabin to minimize potential flood damage.
• Changes to the site that are considered normal park operations including installation of
playground equipment may be done through staff‐level review and do not require a
Historic Area Work Permit.
1
Kensington Cabin faces east toward Silver Creek and Kensington Parkway.
Current view, above, and 1964 view, below.
2
View north
View of Kensington Cabin at park entrance from Kensington Parkway
3
The recommended environmental setting is the 4.28 acre lot, being Lot 1 of Block 13.
4
ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS
County Council
Nancy Floreen, President
Valerie Ervin, Vice‐President
Phil Andrews
Roger Berliner
Marc Elrich
Mike Knapp
George Leventhal
Nancy Navarro
Duchy Trachtenberg
County Executive
Isiah Leggett
The MarylandNational Capital Park and Planning Commission
Samuel J. Parker, Jr., Chairman
Francoise Carrier, Vice Chairman
Commissioners
Montgomery County Planning Board Prince George's County Planning Board
Francoise Carrier, Chairman Samuel J. Parker, Jr., Chairman
Marye Wells‐Harley, Vice Chairman Sylvester J. Vaughns, Vice Chair
Joe Alfandre Sarah A. Cavitt
Norman Dryefuss Jesse Clark
Amy Presley John Squire
Historic Preservation Commission
Thomas C. Jester, Chairman Jorge Rodriguez
Sandra Heiler Craig D. Smith
William Kirwan Paul Treseder
Margaret Maher M’Lisa Whitney
Leslie K. Miles
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Public Hearing Draft
Kensington Cabin, 10000 Kensington Parkway, Resource #31/41
An Amendment to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation:
September 2010
Montgomery County Planning Department
www.montgomeryplanning.org