National Park Seminary, American Bungalow, 2885 Dewitt Circle, Silver Spring, Montgomery County, MD
Summary
Significance: The American bungalow is one of five buildings erected during the Cassedy's first year of construction in 1898. It was the first of eight sorority houses on campus. It was the home of the Alpha Epsilon Pi sorority. Its shingle siding, broad overhanging roof, wide veranda and central dormer exemplifies the bungalow style of architecture. The bungalow was a popular form of suburban architecture from the 1890s through the early twentieth century. Because of its ubiquitous presence, it became an emblem of the American home. Judging by the great wealth of the NPS students, this modest dwelling were probably not going to be their future house design. They were like playhouses on the NPS campus. They were idyllic representations of home in which the young women perfected their domestic skills. Their small scale and prototypical suburban house and garden designs added essential domestic elements to the large academic institution whose primary aim was to train young women to be ideal mothers and wives. They were constructed in a variety of eclectic designs. Most styles highlighted the innate, natural qualities of the building materials and were intended to blend well with the natural surroundings. The American bungalow was the most conventional of all the sorority houses built on the NPS campus.
Survey number: HABS MD-1109-H
Building/structure dates: 1898 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1919-1922 Subsequent Work
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