The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) has completed the rehabilitation of the Woodlawn House in Edgewater, Md., and opened the historic structure to visitors for the first time. The house, which overlooks rolling farmland on the research center’s 2,640–acre campus near the Chesapeake Bay, dates to 1735.
The rehabilitation included the establishment of a welcome center and a new permanent exhibit, the Woodlawn History Center, which traces the history of the house and surrounding land from Native American settlement to the present day. The house consists of three sections: the original 1735 kitchen, a circa-1841 three-story brick structure, and a 1970s wing.
Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, provided fast-track site engineering services to support the rehabilitation of the historic site. In order to meet a funding deadline requiring an unprecedented turnaround, Dewberry’s site/civil team mobilized resources quickly to provide a complete exterior improvement package including surveying, civil engineering, and landscape architecture within 90 days.
“The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center appreciates Dewberry’s fast response in preparing a project bid and leadership in coordinating the exterior site work for restoration of the 1735 Woodlawn historic house – the oldest building in the Smithsonian Institution,” says SERC Director Tuck Hines.
“Given the historic value of not only the house but also the land and a unique arboretum-like tree collection and archaeological resources, it was imperative that the team arrive at a solution that respected the historic authenticity of the property as well as visitors’ experiences,” says Kathy Poole, RLA, LEED AP BD+C, senior project manager with Dewberry. Prior to joining Dewberry, Poole’s design firm oversaw the landscape architecture for the project.
Since 2012, Dewberry has teamed with Ewing Cole on building, infrastructure design/engineering, and planning projects across the SERC campus, providing surveying and civil, structural, and water/wastewater engineering. The firm is currently working on two additional projects on SERC’s campus: the Green Village Scientist Housing and consolidated facilities maintenance.
In 2010, SERC took ownership of the property from the Kirkpatrick-Howat family, who previously occupied the home. Since that time, citizen scientists from SERC’s all-volunteer Environmental Archaeology Lab have excavated more than 200 artifacts, which are now on view at Woodlawn. The history exhibit highlights how the land’s inhabitants, from Native Americans to SERC scientists, have reshaped the terrain through the years.
“This exhibit tells the stories of different people and how they transformed the world around them,” says Jim Gibb, head of the Environmental Archaeology Lab, in an article on SERC’s SHORELINES blog. “The shapes of the lands, forests, and waters of this area are the products–intentional and unintentional–of the people who lived here.”
GWWO Architects designed the building renovation, alongside SERC, the archaeological research team, and the Smithsonian Institution Exhibits team. Severn Construction Company served as the general contractor. Ewing Cole served as the prime for the site work; and delivered select mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services. TLC Engineering provided fire protection engineering.
The Woodlawn History Center is now open to visitors on Saturdays from 10 am through 12:30 pm.
