Historic Annapolis

Faced with the challenge of keeping a historic mansion warm for elderly residents while reining in costs, the nonprofit organization that operates the 18th-century Chase-Lloyd House in Annapolis is turning to 21st-century techniques to save the day. Chase Home Inc., an organization that runs the historic building as both housing for elderly women and a tourist attraction, recently contracted for an energy audit to determine if technology can help...

Sunday, April 7 5K Annapolis Walk The Maryland Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society sponsors its 5K Annapolis Walk from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, 500 Taylor Ave. in Annapolis. Walk begins at the stadium and will take participants on a tour throughout historic Annapolis, with a lunch sponsored by Bertucci's and Applebee's. Goal for the walk is to raise $1.2 million to support programs and research for the more than 6,000 people living with multiple sclerosis served by the Maryland chapter.

FOR THE PAST 40 years, the Historic Annapolis Foundation (HAF) has been the watchdog of preservation and the interpreter of the historical and cultural heritage of Annapolis. It's a private, non-profit organization that has enjoyed many successes, thanks to the involvement of its members, corporations and government agencies.Last Saturday night, HAF hosted an elegant fund raiser that began with cocktails at The Brice House and ended with dinner on the terrace of the William Paca House, which was saved from demolition by HAF in 1965.

A fledgling organization devoted to the history of the Continental Congress — and creating a permanent home in Annapolis for examining that period in American history — took steps last week toward its goal. The Annapolis Continental Congress Society announced that it will hold its second festival Sept. 14-18 in the city, according to Mark Croatti, director of the organization. The first festival was held last year. In addition, a 16-member board of directors of the National Continental Congress Center Founders' Association has been formed with the goal of finding a permanent home for the organization.

Gregory A. Stiverson, the most visible advocate of preservation in Annapolis, announced last week that he will leave in December when his four-year contract ends. Stiverson, president and chief executive of the Historic Annapolis Foundation, said he achieved his main goal with last month's grand opening of HistoryQuest at the St. Clair Wright Center. The foundation's board had spent a half-century discussing how to create a place where tourists, residents and the Naval Academy community could get an overview of the state capital's history.

The Historic Annapolis Foundation's chief executive resigned this week, noting philosophical differences over the nonprofit organization's direction. Brian Alexander, 51, unexpectedly announced he was leaving after two years as president and chief executive officer at a board meeting yesterday. "We just had philosophical differences about where we wanted to take the future," Alexander said yesterday. "I have a strong museum background and they want to focus on preservation." The 50-year-old foundation, which manages some of the city's most beloved landmarks and historic homes, chose Greg Stiverson, executive director of the Historic London Town and Gardens in Edgewater, to replace Alexander.

For years, the oldest public building in the state has been closed to visitors, its charming, renovated interior packed with boxes of files and shelves of reference books. It sits on the State House lawn and houses the makeshift research center of the Historic Annapolis Foundation, which has long been credited with saving the city's historic downtown. But Brian Alexander, the foundation's new head, is making plans to open this Old Treasury Building, a cross-shaped 18th-century brick structure, and three other historic buildings nearby for the first time in recent memory.

Slayton Show House chosen to be featured in magazine's tourThe Historic Annapolis Foundation's Slayton Show House has been selected by Traditional Home magazine to be featured on the magazine's 1997 Showhouse Tour.The house at 112 Duke of Gloucester St., which will be open for tours in Annapolis Friday through May 18, will be one of four prestigious show houses spotlighted on this national tour.Tickets for tours of the Slayton Show House will be $12 ($10 for prepaid or group tour purchases)

AS A LIFELONG resident of downtown Annapolis, Abby Hutchinson has a real appreciation for the city's history and its varied architecture. So when Historic Annapolis Foundation asked her and her husband, Jamie, if they would open their Murray Hill home for its 10th annual Annapolis by Candlelight tour of houses, they were delighted. "We love the area and really appreciate what Historic Annapolis has done for the city," Abby Hutchinson said. "We go on the house tour every year and love to see what other houses are like inside, so I was more than happy to open our house.

Trips Aviation sites -- including College Park's Aviation Museum -- mark the 100th anniversary of flight all year. page 18. Stage Director Bill Alexander talks about the Shakespeare Theatre's production of Henry 1V, Part 1, which stars Christopher Kelly as Prince Hal and Keith Baxter in the titular role. page 12. Outside Prepare for outdoor treks to Kenya, Nepal or Peru -- or just stay in shape -- practicing rock climbing at Earth Treks facilities in Timonium and Columbia. page 30. PICK OF THE WEEK What: "Maryland's First Silver: Eighteenth-Century Annapolis Silver," an exhibit that's part of the Historic Annapolis Antiques Show When: Tomorrow-Sunday Where: E. Leslie Medford Armory on Hudson Street in Annapolis Why: Because now is your chance to see some state artifacts, including these two teaspoons, given to the Historic Annapolis Foundation by Mrs. J.M.P.

Faced with the challenge of keeping a historic mansion warm for elderly residents while reining in costs, the nonprofit organization that operates the 18th-century Chase-Lloyd House in Annapolis is turning to 21st-century techniques to save the day. Chase Home Inc., an organization that runs the historic building as both housing for elderly women and a tourist attraction, recently contracted for an energy audit to determine if technology can help...

It wasn't until Karen Koch saw pictures of her house in a local magazine that she realized how terrific it was. Last spring, she agreed to a photographic house tour for a friend, who was the editor. "I saw the pictures and I thought, 'Damn. It looks good.'" Soon she will see if everybody agrees. Her 1920s four-square in Annapolis' Murray Hill community will be among the 10 homes open Nov. 4 and 5 for the 20th annual Annapolis by Candlelight house tour. "We've put so much blood, sweat and tears into this house," said Koch, the owner of Miss Nancy's Fancy Bakery in Annapolis.

At the Maryland Historical Society, they're calling it the Great Cupcake Caper. Before being arrested by police on Saturday and charged with stealing dozens of historical documents, author and collector Barry H. Landau had brought cupcakes for the center's employees. They figure he was trying to ingratiate himself with the staff, much as he has for decades with political and Hollywood elite. And it may be a calling card of sorts. As the investigation into the thefts continued to broaden Tuesday, officials at another state historical society said they had been visited multiple times in the past by Landau and his alleged conspirator, who brought Pepperidge Farm cookies for the staff and aroused suspicions with their "odd" behavior.

When James Holliday, an African-American who was born a slave but died an Annapolis homeowner, gathered for meals with his family in their brick home just off State Circle in the late 19th century, they dined on fine dishware — each plate with its own ornate pattern or crisp white finish. With what was then considered a prestigious job as a messenger for the superintendent at the U.S. Naval Academy, Holliday could afford to buy his family fancy plates in accordance with Victorian etiquette as relayed in books and newspapers.

A four-alarm fire in an historic Annapolis retail district just a block from the State House damaged two buildings and put on a show for tourists, but a quick response by firefighters appeared to have held losses to a minimum. The Saturday afternoon fire broke out in a space between the buildings at 54 and 56 Maryland Ave. at a time when the capital city was crowded with visitors to a love-themed city festival and the annual croquet grudge match between St. John's College and the Naval Academy.

T he newspaper ad, were it to run today, might appear in a lost-and-found column, wedged between yard sales and apartments for rent. Yet it could hardly say more about the spirit of an age. "Ran away from the Subscriber living in Annapolis, a young Country-born Negro Man named Harry," it said. "He is of a yellowish Complexion, near 6 Feet high, brisk and active. Had on and took with him a Wig, a new Felt Hat, a grey Pea Jacket, red Waistcoat and Breeches ... "Whoever takes up the said Negro, and delivers him to me, at Annapolis, shall have THREE POUNDS Reward.

Annapolis Mayor Dean L. Johnson added his two cents yesterday on what should be done with the Anne Arundel Medical Center building when the hospital moves in 2001 from its prime downtown site to the city's outskirts: demolition.Johnson said he hopes hospital officials will pick a development plan that involves tearing down the eight-story building when they announce their choice in late September.Their decision will resolve a tense debate over redevelopment of the 5-acre site in the heart of the state capital.

The best of the old and the new have been blended together with style and savvy in a thoroughly modern yet historic show house in the heart of Annapolis.Volunteers from the Historic Annapolis Foundation and interior designers from Maryland, Washington and New York have transformed a neglected 18th-century rowhouse into a designer showcase that is just right for a family of the '90s."Every historic structure does not have to be a museum," said Sharon Kennedy, executive co-chair for the Slayton Show House.

$186,000 in grants offered to four groups in Four Rivers The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority has approved more than $186,000 for four grant project proposals within Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County. The grant money totalling $186,916 will support regional heritage-related projects totaling more than $397,000. All grants are matched at the local level. In addition to receiving $100,000 for operating and program assistance, Four Rivers helped the following local heritage-related organizations in obtaining MHAA funding: * The Annapolis Maritime Museum will receive $50,000 to support an interactive exhibit entitled Oysters on the Half Shell, the first component of its new Bay Experience Center in the reconstructed McNasby Oyster Company building in Eastport.

It was a historic moment, but the picture on the front page of Wednesday's Sun showing President Bush smiling as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shake hands during the Mideast summit at the Naval Academy in Annapolis was probably only minutes from not existing, at least in my camera. The Sun was awarded a pass for me to be among a handful of photographers allowed into Memorial Hall to cover the historic event. But to pick it up I needed to get from the Navy football stadium, where I received my basic credentials to the Navy basketball arena, by 8:45 a.m. A major early morning traffic accident, layers of Secret Service checkpoints and bomb-sniffing dogs slowed my progress.