Cumberland, Maryland
From Archiplanet
Contents |
Overview of Cumberland, Maryland
Architectural History of Cumberland, Maryland
Washington Street
Some of Cumberland's most architecturally significant homes are located in the Historic District of Washington Street. Considered the elite residential area when the city was at its economic peak, Washington Street was home to the region's leading citizens including the president of the C&O Canal. Significant public buildings include the Allegany County Courthouse, Allegany County Library, and Emmanuel Episcopal Church, located on the site of Fort Cumberland. It features early gothic architecture with three large Tiffany windows, fort tunnels, and ammunition magazine cellars. [1]
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
The Emmanuel Episcopal Church, standing at the eastern end of the Washington Street Historic District, is one of Maryland's most outstanding examples of early Gothic Revival architecture. The church is situated on the former site of Fort Cumberland, and earthwork tunnels remaining from the fort run under the church. The church was constructed around 1850 and designed by well-known Philadelphia architect John Notman. It is modeled after St. Paul's Church in Brighton, England. The design is typical ecclesiastical architecture of the second quarter of the 19th century, especially that of the Episcopal Church.
The Cumberland Parish House was built in 1903 and designed by Cumberland native Bruce Price before developing a successful career in New York. Price chose elements of the popular Second Empire style for the Parish House, an eclectic style based loosely on French architecture during the reign of Napoleon. The Parish house features elements typical of this style, such as a projecting pavilion, tall windows and roof, and deep architectural details. Many other houses of the Washington Street Historic District resemble the Parish House, but also feature a mansard roof--this style's central characteristic.
The church and parish house sit on land that was originally Fort Cumberland, which served as a frontier outpost during the French and Indian War. The only building to remain from the fort is the small cabin that was used by George Washington as his headquarters when he was in the Cumberland area with his Virginia troops. It has been moved to nearby Riverside Park.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church and Parish House are located at 16 Washington St., and are contributing buildings to the Washington Street Historic District. Church services are open to the public, and the tunnels are open for tours during the Heritage Days festival in June.
Allegany County Courthouse
Although many church spires dot the Cumberland landscape, it is the Allegany County Courthouse that dominates this city's skyline. The building is prominently sited along Washington Street, which rises sharply from Wills Creek running through the heart of Cumberland. Historically, courthouses in America have been one of the most architecturally impressive buildings within a community. In this way, the architecture of the building was able to convey the authority of a local government, as well as instill respect and recognition.
Designed in 1893, the Courthouse was the first major commission of local architect Wright Butler. Butler based his design for this public building on the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. The massing and detail of the Courthouse are typical of this late 19th-century style, developed from the works of architect Henry Hobson Richardson . Characteristic of this style, the Courthouse combines the use of brick highlighted with stone belt courses and presents a uniform rock-faced exterior finish. The building's ribbons of windows set deeply into the walls, and large arched entry are also typical Richardsonian features. Less typical is the Courthouse's tower buttressed with round columns that rises above the three-story building. One of the pinnacle examples of a H. H. Richardson's work is the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which Cumberland's Courthouse strongly resembles.
Western Maryland Train Station
Image:Western maryland train station.jpg
Queen City Hotel and Station
The Queen City Hotel was located was one of Five Combination Station-Hotels Built by the B&O during the 1870s. It was Designed by Thomas N. Heskett of the RailRoad's Road Department, was Italianate in Style, and was opened for the Accommodation and Entertainment of passengers in 1872. Though No Longer in existence, The Queen City was one of the last Remaining Grand, Railroad Hotels in the US in the early 1970s. Efforts to preserve this ornate, Victorian-era Structure was one of the classic preservation battles of the early 1970s. The battle was lost when the building was demolished in 1972.
Buildings in Cumberland, Maryland
| Building | Address |
|---|---|
| 16 Altamont Terrace | NE corner of Altamont Ter. and Union St. |
| 200--208 Decatur Street | 200, 202, 204, 206, 208 Decatur St. |
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | Decatur and Frederick Sts. |
| B'er Chayim Temple | Union and S. Centre Sts |
| Bell Tower Building | Bedford and Liberty Sts. |
| Big Bottom Farm | Hazen Rd. |
| Butler, Wright, House | 205 Columbia St. |
| Canada Hose Company Building | 400--402 N. Mechanic St. |
| Chapel Hill Historic District, Cumberland, Maryland | Roughly bounded by Industrial Blvd., unnamed alley E of South St., and E. Oldtown Rd. |
| City Hall, Cumberland, Maryland | N. Center St. between Frederick and Bedford Sts. |
| Cumberland YMCA | 205 Baltimore Ave. |
| Decatur Heights Historic District | Roughly along Baltimore Ave., Decatur St., Davidson St., Frederick St. and Linden St. |
| Downtown Cumberland Historic District | Roughly bounded by Mechanic, Bedford, George, and Harrison Sts. |
| Emmanuel Church, Cumberland, Maryland | 16 Washington St. |
| First Baptist Church, Cumberland, Maryland | 212 Bedford St. |
| Greene Street Historic District, Cumberland, Maryland | Greene St. bet. Spruce Alley and Riverside |
| Phoenix Mill Farm | NE of Cumberland off MD 220 |
| Public Safety Building | Frederick and Liberty Sts. |
| Washington Street Historic District, Cumberland, Maryland | Washington St. from Wills Creek to mid 600 block, including Prospect Square |
Buildings in the National Register of Historic Places
| Buildings of State Significance | Address |
|---|---|
| 16 Altamont Terrace | NE corner of Altamont Ter. and Union St. |
| 200--208 Decatur Street | 200, 202, 204, 206, 208 Decatur St. |
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | Decatur and Frederick Sts. |
| B'er Chayim Temple | Union and S. Centre Sts |
| Butler, Wright, House | 205 Columbia St. |
| Public Safety Building | Frederick and Liberty Sts. |
| Washington Street Historic District, Cumberland, Maryland | Washington St. from Wills Creek to mid 600 block, including Prospect Square |
| Buildings of Local Significance | Address |
|---|---|
| Bell Tower Building | Bedford and Liberty Sts. |
| Big Bottom Farm | Hazen Rd. |
| Canada Hose Company Building | 400--402 N. Mechanic St. |
| Chapel Hill Historic District, Cumberland, Maryland | Roughly bounded by Industrial Blvd., unnamed alley E of South St., and E. Oldtown Rd. |
| City Hall, Cumberland, Maryland | N. Center St. between Frederick and Bedford Sts. |
| Cumberland YMCA | 205 Baltimore Ave. |
| Decatur Heights Historic District | Roughly along Baltimore Ave., Decatur St., Davidson St., Frederick St. and Linden St. |
| Downtown Cumberland Historic District | Roughly bounded by Mechanic, Bedford, George, and Harrison Sts. |
| First Baptist Church, Cumberland, Maryland | 212 Bedford St. |
| Greene Street Historic District, Cumberland, Maryland | Greene St. bet. Spruce Alley and Riverside |
| Phoenix Mill Farm | NE of Cumberland off MD 220 |
Design and Building Firms in Cumberland, Maryland
| Archiitecture Firms | Address | Telephone number |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Architects, Inc. (TA), Cumberland, Maryland, USA | 35 North Centre St. | (301) 722-1100 |
