Little Washington (78-039) Little Washington is a small mid-twentieth-century neighborhood located north of the community of

Westphalia in central Prince George’s County. Little Washington is bounded by Washington Avenue on

the north, Douglas Avenue on the northeast, Sansbury Road on the southeast, South Cherry Lane on the

south, and D’Arcy Road on the southwest.

Historic maps document that Little Washington was rural until the platting of the first subdivision in

1941. Martenet’s Map of 1861 shows virtually no development in the area that became Little Washington.

By 1878, the Hopkins Map documents a few dwellings constructed to the north and west of the present-

day neighborhood.

Little Washington was platted in three separate sections from 1941 to 1949. The first section, along Alms

House Road (now D’Arcy Road) was platted in 1941 by Leon E. Tayman of Upper Marlboro. Section 1

contained nine lots, ranging in size from 0.32 acres to 0.88 acres. Lots were long and narrow, with

approximately 100 feet of frontage along the main road.1 In 1947, Tayman platted Section 2, off of Alms

House County Road on a newly established road, known as South Cherry Lane. Section 2 included 22 lots

on approximately 16 acres. Lots on the north side of Cherry Lane were very long and narrow, while those

on the south side were shallower with the same frontage.2

Little is known about subdivider Leon Tayman. He was a resident of Upper Marlboro, and the 1930

census notes that he was born in 1886 and lived with his parents, one brother, several nieces and nephews,

and a domestic servant. Tayman’s profession was listed as an agricultural day laborer.3 In 1949 after the

death of his wife, Tayman sold an undeveloped portion of his land to Charles Reithmeyer and Willy

Grusholt, who subsequently platted Section 3 of Little Washington. Section 3 included 41 lots on almost

27 acres of land located between Alms House Road on the west and Sansbury Road on the east.4

Reithmeyer and Grusholt worked together on several other residential developments in Prince George’s

County including North Forestville (1946-1950) and Old Towne Village (1964-1965).5 Similarities in

building form and design of several buildings in Little Washington and in North Forestville suggest that

Reithmeyer and Grusholt, or another development company, likely acted as operative builders,

constructing several houses for sale in their new subdivisions. In Old Towne Village, a townhouse and

condominium development, Reithmeyer and Grusholt acted as community builders for a fully planned

community that included a pool, golf course, and tennis court.6

There are currently no designated Historic Sites or Historic Resources in Little Washington.

Windshield Survey A windshield survey of Little Washington was conducted in November 2007. The survey area consists of

approximately 100 primary resources. The flat land of the community is improved by buildings that date

from circa 1941 to the present. The majority of buildings are wood-frame construction built between 1941

and 1955. Buildings in the survey district are typically located close to the road. The first houses

1 Prince George’s County Land Records, Circuit Court, Plat Book BB 14:93.

2 Prince George’s County Land Records, Circuit Court, Plat Book BB 14:94.

3 U.S. Federal Census, 1930, Maryland, Prince George’s County, Mellwood, District 31, sheet 5A, line 15, Leon

Tayman. 4 Prince George’s County Land Records, Circuit Court, Plat Book WWW 16:43.

5 “First Olde Towne Village Units Are Shown,” The Washington Post, 28 August 1965; “Olde Towne Captures

Colonial Era’s Charm,” The Washington Post, 12 December 1965. 6 Prince George’s County Land Records, Circuit Court, Plat Book WWW 84:31-33.

Little Washington (78-039) 2

constructed in the neighborhood have Bungalow forms and are typically small, one-and-a-half-story

front-gabled dwellings with a one-story entry porch or portico. The predominant architectural style in

Little Washington is the Modern Movement, with a variety of minimal traditional, split-level, and ranch

houses. Regardless of when constructed, the dwellings in Little Washington have minimal ornamentation.

The community is surrounded by industrial development, however building use in Little Washington is

exclusively residential.

Little Washington is located immediately east of the Capital Beltway (I-495) and because of its

convenient location, a new residential development is being planned north and west of the neighborhood.

“D’Arcy Park North and South” is located on the site of a former rubble landfill and will contain 1,000

units of housing, including townhouses, multi-family condominium buildings, and twin dwellings.7

Historic District Evaluation Little Washington does not meet the criteria for designation as a Prince George’s County historic district,

nor does the community meet the criteria as a National Register historic district. The community does not

have the physical features essential to convey its historic significance as a World War II-era residential

subdivision that would qualify it for listing, either locally or nationally. While several buildings in Little

Washington have similar designs and reflect the construction by a single developer or real estate

company, the neighborhood lacks cohesiveness. The increasing industrialization and suburbanization in

the surrounding area has detracted from the community; as a result, Little Washington has lost its

integrity of association, feeling, location, and setting. An increasing number of houses in Little

Washington have been altered by large additions, which frequently overwhelm the original structure.

Many houses have been reclad with modern materials including permastone and vinyl siding, which has

resulted in a loss of materials and workmanship. There are other communities in Prince George’s County,

such as Edmonston Terrace, that have retained their integrity and are better examples of suburban

architecture and development in the mid-twentieth century.

Information on Little Washington and Leon Tayman was gathered through land records, newspaper

research, census research, database searches, and review of secondary resources. It is likely that many

original residents still remain in the neighborhood and a sense of community and neighborhood history

may be revealed through oral history.

Prepared by EHT Traceries, Inc.

November 2007

7 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, “Detailed Site Plan, SDP-06080, D’Arcy Park North,”

http://www.mncppc.org/pgco/planning/pdf/10-25-7/DSP-06080.pdf; Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning

Commission, “Detailed Site Plan, SDP-06079, D’Arcy Park South,” http://www.mncppc.org/pgco/planning/pdf/10-

25-7/DSP-06079.pdf.

Little Washington (78-039) 3

Little Washington, 2005 Aerial

= 2007 survey area

Little Washington (78-039) 4

Little Washington, Martenet, 1861

= 2007 survey area

Little Washington (78-039) 5

Little Washington, Hopkins, 1878

= 2007 survey area

Little Washington (78-039) 6

Little Washington, 1938 Aerial

= 2007 survey area

Little Washington (78-039) 7

Looking south, 9107 South Cherry Lane (EHT Traceries, 2007)

Little Washington (78-039) 8

Looking northwest, 9149 South Cherry Lane (EHT Traceries, 2007)

Little Washington (78-039) 9

Looking south, 9001 South Cherry Lane (EHT Traceries, 2007)

Little Washington (78-039) 10

Looking south, 9017 South Cherry Lane (EHT Traceries, 2007)

Little Washington (78-039) 11

Looking west, 9009-9005-9001 South Cherry Lane (EHT Traceries, 2007)

Little Washington (78-039) 12

Looking east, 9106-9112-9118 Lincoln Avenue (EHT Traceries, 2007)

Little Washington (78-039) 13

Looking northeast, 9126 Washington Avenue (EHT Traceries, 2007)

Little Washington (78-039) 14

Looking northwest, 9100-9038-9032 Washington Avenue (EHT Traceries, 2007)