Annapolis, past to present: Hammond-Harwood remakes gate

Winds were howling outside the Hammond-Harwood House as Hurricane Floyd made its way to Annapolis back in September 1999.

Inside, however, things were quiet as Carter Lively worked in his office - until a strange sound began to come from the fireplace.

Drip, drip, drip. Drip, drip, drip.

Rising from his desk, Mr. Lively walked to the sound's source. He removed a chair that was blocking the hearth and discovered something hidden in the back of the fireplace: a box stuffed with paper scrolls - scrolls he had never seen since becoming executive director of the house that March.

One scroll that looked older than the rest caught his eye. Indeed it was: The unraveled scroll contained six plans for the house's garden drawn by Alden Hopkins in the 1940s.

Mr. Hopkins ranks among America's greatest landscape architects. He helped define the Colonial Revival garden style in the early 20th century; he was Colonial Williamsburg's official landscape architect for many years; and he designed gardens for Woodlawn, Stratford Hall and the University of Virginia, among other places.

Mr. Hopkins was practicing in Williamsburg and working simultaneously at UVA when he designed the Hammond-Harwood House's garden.

He submitted his plans for it in 1949, the same year it was finished and the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland presented the house with its brick wall along Cumberland Court.

"The garden has changed since then, although not by much. What it is now is what has evolved," Mr. Lively said.

Its plantings have matured and an herb garden has been added, as have several compressors.

One of the garden's most dramatic changes, however, is the condition of its white wooden gate, which opens to Cumberland Court.

"The gate is a work of art," Mr. Lively said. "It was designed by Hopkins, down to the hardware. All of the ironwork was made on Duke of Gloucester Street - in Williamsburg."

But 50 years of everyday use, weather damage, and negligent drivers - several cars have hit the gate - took a collective toll on its appearance and stability. This prompted Mr. Lively to explore possibilities for its replacement about a year ago.

At that point he contacted the Annapolis Woodworkers Guild.

Since 1989, the nonprofit organization has undertaken many historic-related projects. Its members helped restore the State House cupola, built park benches for the William Paca House on behalf of the Historic Annapolis Foundation and created a bench, stand-up desk, trestle table and other items for Historic London Town.

The group is also providing much of the everyday grunt work at London Town, where a replica of the site's original settlement is being built.

The guild boasts over 200 members; while most are retired men, membership is open to anyone 18 and older.

Mr. Lively contacted the guild in hopes that it would build a replica of the gate, using Mr. Hopkins' original plan.

The Annapolis Woodworkers Guild board approved Mr. Lively's request and began work on the gate in October.

Guild President Michael Arndt is the project's chairman. His teammates include his son, Brad Arndt, Fred Goldstein, Gary Metzler, Harlan Ray, Doug Richardson, Richard Valentich and Vicki Kunde.

"To date, the team has spent roughly 150 hours on the project. Yet it hasn't been easy. The gate was designed by an architect with entirely too much time on his hands," Mr. Arndt said, while pointing out its intricacies.

Working at its woodshop in Severn, the team has followed Mr. Hopkins' design to the T. Each piece of the new gate, including its field panels, is identical to its original counterpart.

The amateur woodworkers are also using hardware, including hinges and hand-forged nails, which were custom-made at a blacksmith shop in Williamsburg.

They even had a company custom-mix the gate's original color: Pittsburgh Paint No. 27164, a dark red.

The team has, however, made two concessions to the original. The new gate's mortise and tenant joints will be sealed with a modern adhesive instead of lead. And, while the first gate was most likely made of mahogany, Mr. Arndt said the new one is built of Spanish cedar obtained from a Mennonite lumber mill in Hagerstown.

Mr. Arndt estimates that the gate's replica will be finished in about a month.

"We're at the sand it, paint it and hang it stage," he said.

With that in mind, make sure to see the original gate soon, either from Cumberland Court or from inside the garden during the house's normal hours or special events such as the Secret Garden Tour on Sunday.

For more information about the Hammond-Harwood House or the Secret Garden Tour, which will feature 14 exquisite gardens in Annapolis, call 410-263-4683 or visit www.hammondharwoodhouse.org. To learn more about the AWG visit www.awwg.org.

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Ginger Doyel is a writer and illustrator living in Annapolis. E-mail her at gdoyel@hotmail.com.

Published 06/02/04, Copyright © 2004 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.