What’s Up? Media is introducing, a new column. Welcome to the first installment of focused conversations with community personalities as we approach the third decade of the 21st century. These conversations are framed around the foundation question of: How will and should the City of Annapolis evolve, culturally and in all municipal facets? We are starting with Robert Clark, the president and CEO of Historic Annapolis, Inc., since 2012.
What is your overarching vision for the City of Annapolis? Our vision as an organization is to be a leading community resource in preserving and promoting the historic character of Maryland’s capital city, and provide opportunities that allow the public to better understand, enjoy, and experience our collective history for generations to come. We hope to apply this vision to all eight wards of the City of Annapolis by creating connections among all aspects of the community—historic sites, restaurants, shops, hotels—using history as the common denominator. Everyone should be versed in why this city and its specific places matter and feel free to share it often with residents and visitors alike. Living a modern life in a historic town is truly unique and Historic Annapolis plans on proudly promoting that for years to come.
How much does history really matter?If you’re in Washington or Baltimore and wake up on a Saturday or Sunday morning and the weather looks clear, you can jump in your car and be here in 45 minutes. People come for all the reasons I stated earlier, and I’m certain some will come for the history.
The architecture, the “built environment,” looks largely as it did 300 years ago. Obviously, many things have changed, but people like that human scale. The city has been very proud and protective of the built environment. That’s why we have the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), which is the regulatory arm of the city to make certain that we stay true to our history. What is your take on tearing down historic Confederate statues and others of people with an unsavory past, such as the now-removed memorial at the state house to former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, who presided over the Dred Scott decision, for example? That’s a hard question for me. I had the great pleasure to serve on the board, and actually, I was chair of the board for two years, at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. I don’t want to say I’m a scholar, but I’ve been a fan of Mr. Jefferson’s for a very long time, and I know a lot about him. I clearly have mixed feelings about how now there are those who think we can rewrite history.
I had lunch recently with a councilman who went to Washington and Lee. He talked about how Robert E. Lee, while he was president of the university, created the law school and the commerce school there. I think those are good things. If you did that, they might make a statue for you. I don’t know. That’s for others to decide.
What is the relationship between what you do and the commission that you just mentioned? Do you work hand-in-glove?We’re a nonprofit, dedicated to being advocates and stewards of preservation. We have no enforcement powers. We are a resource to the HPC, which is one of the city’s many commissions. The HPC has enforcement powers by its charter and by the ordinances. The design guidelines have evolved over decades—what’s permittable and what’s not. We have thousands of photographs, maps, and slides, and when people submit an application to do something on a property, the HPC wants to know what has happened to that property over time. Our archive is a valuable resource. Soon you’re going to be able to sit in your home and bring up images of these buildings online. We have interns and other scholars scanning all this material in to a database. That’s going to be a very active and useful resource. Where does one draw the line concerning what’s historic and what’s not? We’re sort of caught in the 18th century, for lots of reasons. The Annapolis Yacht Club recently experienced a terrible fire, so when the HPC weighed in on their new design, the commission wanted it to look like it did, not because it’s historic, but because it became iconic—more “modern historic.” People were used to seeing that. It sits in nicely with the water.
It looked like a pagoda, even to the harbor tour guides. Yes. But history is in the eyes of the beholder, I guess. It seems as though two fronts have developed in this city: the preservationists and the developers. The latter are those taxpayers and politicians who see nothing wrong with building the tax base, seemingly no matter the cultural cost. How do you feel about that? We are pro-development, and we’re pro-development in the historic district. What we’re not “pro” of is tinkering with zoning laws and regulations that have been in place, ordinances that protect the human scale that I mentioned previously. Not to single out one project, but if you look at what we know historically as the [waterfront] Marriott Hotel, the scale doesn’t make any sense at all. One of our founders, St. Claire Wright, fought that project tooth and nail when it was built, and she succeeded in getting it two floors smaller. But still, she lost. If you look at an aerial view of the city from Eastport to the City Dock, you think, “What is that thing?” In addition to being ugly architecture, the scale is just so out of whack.
What caused the height and bulk ordinance to be written was that hotel. Rodney Little, who was head of the Maryland Historical Trust at that time, stood on the City Dock and said that this should never be permitted to happen again. We’ve now lived within that ordinance for decades. Some property owners and business people, aside from the hotel, think many of the regulations are absurd. What incentive is there for people to own historic properties in this city, if they’re going to have to deal with what they see as over-regulation? Several of these buildings have been here for a very long time. Some combination of Historic Annapolis and the Maryland Historical Trust holds easements on these properties, interior, and exterior. Nobody can buy into these properties without knowing those easements are in place. It’s not a surprise, and it’s not a disappointment. One of the reasons preservation has been so successful in our community has been the easement process.
I can’t imagine anybody standing in the way of someone making something better. The City Dock is a good example. There aren’t many historic buildings in that location, so there are not going to be a lot of easements, either. For the most part, people are free to purchase those properties and dress them up, or tear them down and build something else. That’s all legal, and it’s all supported within the ordinance—as long as whoever develops a property sticks within the existing guidelines. How iron-clad are those easements? Could they be changed?I think the answer is generally no because the easements are in place. The mayor and the city council determine what the ordinances are, and which ones should exist. The height and bulk ordinance that we’re talking about here has been hotly debated recently. We get engaged in that conversation because one man’s modest request for change is another man’s disaster. And we stay part of that conversation. The only thing we say is, “Just make sure it’s legal. Stick to the height and the bulk ordinance that exists.” I think it’s very appealing to think of a boutique hotel sitting there. It just can’t be taller than the ordinance limits.
Mayor Buckley jokingly referred to building a Ferris wheel when he was running for office. His opponent seized on that and put it on his mailers that went out just before the election. That didn’t quite work out. Apparently, it doesn’t matter to the electorate.I think Mayor Buckley is very energetic and enthusiastic. He suggests he’s going to do things, and that’s very appealing. The previous two administrations didn’t seem to get a lot of things done. I think that the mayor’s got some very exciting ideas, almost all of which we support. I don’t know that the Historic Preservation Commission would ever okay a Ferris wheel. I admire the mayor for being a bold thinker and a doer. He’s committed to his ideas. I think, as long as there’s good collaboration between the citizen leadership and the citizens, we should end up with a good result.
Should Annapolis redevelop the blacktop parking lot into a pedestrian-friendly extension of Susan Campbell Park? If so, how should it be done? The redevelopment of the City Dock area, including the blacktop, would be a positive for the City. Something that is more pedestrian-friendly and maximizes access and enjoyment of the water. Exactly what that will look like will be a decision made by various stakeholders completed through an open and public process. We look forward to being a part of the process.
What other physical enhancements/recommendations do you suggest to improve the overall look and feel of the downtown area? HA advocates for maintaining the human scale and historic character of the City including keeping the viewshed to the water as open as possible. One specific thing, that would greatly improve the overall look and feel of downtown would be to bury the various electrical poles and lines. This was done on Main Street years ago, but not the side streets that also host spectacular historic views of the State House, the water, church steeples, and the Naval Academy Chapel dome.
What was the outcome of the October public forum concerning City Dock? What was the big takeaway? And how does this translate into your overall vision for the City of Annapolis?We were very pleased with the attendance of the two-day ULI [Urban Land Institute] process. The standing-room-only attendance and positive comments from a full range of stakeholders left us feeling optimistic. The biggest takeaway is that this is a community process with the majority agreeing something more attractive and positive needs to be done with City Dock that takes our historic assets and prominent location into consideration. While Historic Annapolis will be playing a lead role, we are not the sole decision makers in what will ultimately happen. We are looking forward to getting the ULI final report that will give us and our partners, including the City, a path forward.
To read more of our interview with Robert Clark, including a preview of Historic Annapolis’ new, permanent and city-wide exhibit “Annapolis Revealed” visit whatsupmag.com.
