Planning Board recommends historic designation for former home of civil rights leaders and a residence that inspired the creation of Special Olympics
WHEATON, Md. – The Montgomery County Planning Board , part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) , on Thursday, May 22, recommended county historic designation for the Wheaton house where civil rights activists Elsie and Romeo Horad lived and for Timberlawn, the North Bethesda house where Eunice Kennedy Shriver launched a day camp for children with intellectual disabilities that inspired the creation of Special Olympics.
“Both of these properties represent the courageous work of enterprising individuals who fought for marginalized people to achieve equality and acceptance in society,” said Planning Board Chair Artie Harris. “The Planning Board is proud to preserve and celebrate the places where the Horad and Shriver families made a tremendous difference in shaping a better Montgomery County and world.”
Designation of resources to Montgomery County’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation requires review by the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), the Planning Board, and ultimately, a vote of final approval by the Montgomery County Council. The Planning Board’s historic designation recommendations for the Horad House and Timberlawn follow the HPC’s recommendations in 2024 to historically designate them. The County Council will soon consider each property for designation. The Historic Preservation Office within the Montgomery County Planning Department , also part of The M-NCPPC, provided comprehensive research and prepared designation reports for each property’s respective reviews.
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The Horad House
The Romeo and Elsie Horad House, a 1938 Georgian Revival brick house at 2118 University Boulevard West in Wheaton, represents the efforts and achievements of the African American married couple and their relatives to improve conditions for African Americans in the Washington, DC region.
In the 1930s and 40s, Romeo demanded and lobbied for improved educational facilities and infrastructure for Black communities in Montgomery County, ran a groundbreaking candidacy for the Montgomery County Council, and coordinated voter registration of African Americans in Maryland. A lawyer and realtor, Romeo’s efforts led to a series of pioneering court cases challenging the legality of racially restrictive covenants.
Elsie was a DC public school teacher and joined Romeo in their civil rights advocacy, holding leadership roles in the Montgomery County Colored Republicans and galvanizing community support for candidates who supported racial integration. All these actions occurred while the Horad family resided at the house, which served as a social and political meeting place. The residence further serves as a reminder of the former African American community established at the turn of the twentieth century in Wheaton. Learn more about the Horad family’s story .
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The property was nominated for designation as part of its inclusion in the boundary for Montgomery Planning’s University Boulevard Corridor Plan . More information and resources related to the Horad House are on Montgomery Planning’s Horad House webpage , and in a Third Place blog post . Community members are also encouraged to visit a historical marker accessible for public viewing near the home in Wheaton Veterans Plaza. Watch the video of the marker unveiling .
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Timberlawn
This North Bethesda home is where, in 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a sister of then-president John F. Kennedy, launched Camp Shriver, a day camp that inspired her to help create Special Olympics and revolutionize physical recreation for people with intellectual disabilities.
When President Kennedy appointed Sargent Shriver, Eunice’s husband, as the inaugural director of the Peace Corps in 1961, the couple relocated their family to the Timberlawn estate at 5700 Sugarbush Lane, which the family rented from 1961 to 1968 and from 1970 to 1978. The house, open fields, riding trails, and farm served as their family home and an extension of their offices.
The house’s architecture is noteworthy for its distinctive characteristics as a Georgian-Revival-influenced country estate designed in 1900. It’s also a remarkably intact sample of master architect Arthur Berthrong Heaton’s early and mid-career work. Timberlawn’s current homeowner sought the historic designation.
Learn more about the Timberlawn property and read the Timberlawn designation report . Watch a video about Timberlawn .
More about the historic designation process
When a property is approved to be historically designated in Montgomery County , all changes to the exterior of the property must be reviewed by the HPC before issuing any permits. Designation in the Master Plan for Historic Preservation :
For updates and link to press release, see here: https://montgomeryplanning.org/?p=63076