On April 17 and 18, 8 experts gathered in the Town of Bladensburg Town Hall to develop a viable adaptive reuse plan for the Town’s historic Bostwick House and Grounds. The property, which contains historic buildings from the 18th through 20th century, is conceived as the heart of the Town’s history, and as such, the Town wishes to rehabilitate it to the point to which it can be used to welcome the Bladensburg community and tell its history. Prior planning efforts had been conducted, but within a limited scope of potential. This Technical Assistance Panel was convened to catalyze a new way of thinking about the property and the house itself that is grounded in economic viability as well as historic meaning and preservation.

The Bostwick is geographically and historically in a prominent position within Bladensburg. The Panel developed recommendations for how the property can connect physically and programmatically to the surrounding Bladensburg community. However, easements and existing infrastructure challenges understandably present challenges to both the reality and perception of the viability of potential reuse strategies. Connecting the past to the present also meant that the rehabilitation of the historic structures on the property had to be balanced with the uses currently housed within them, including preservation courses from the University of Maryland and ancillary use by the Anacostia Watershed Society.

The Panel started by engaging stakeholders to the project, including municipal and county government officials, community organizations, local and state-level preservationists, residents, and conservationists. This input directly influenced the mindset with which the panel entered deliberations as the priorities and needs of those with a vested interest in the eventual use of the property took shape.

Building upon an extensive body of research and documentation, the Panel deliberated to determine the most effective strategy that would balance all the needs of the Town of Bladensburg, its residents, and all other future users of the property. The panel produced graphic representations of the recommended interventions, a detailed phasing of the recommended investments and rehabilitation efforts, and the economic tools that would help the Town achieve this vision.

At the end of the TAP, the Panel gave a presentation to the Town, including guidance on aligning the following key recommendations:

1. Leveraging existing Town assets
2. Partnering with a developer to build workforce housing
3. Relocating the Town’s Municipal Center to the Bostwick Property
4. Reactivating Bostwick during the development process

The Panel expresses their utmost gratitude to the Town of Bladensburg for the honor of helping shape the future of the Bostwick.

Follow the links below for more information and to see the TAP presentation.