CH-544 Parkway Motel, La Plata's Peddler's Paradise Architectural Survey File This is the architectural survey file for this MIHP record. The survey file is organized reverse- chronological (that is, with the latest material on top). It contains all MIHP inventory forms, National Register nomination forms, determinations of eligibility (DOE) forms, and accompanying documentation such as photographs and maps. Users should be aware that additional undigitized material about this property may be found in on-site architectural reports, copies of HABS/HAER or other documentation, drawings, and the “vertical files” at the MHT Library in Crownsville. The vertical files may include newspaper clippings, field notes, draft versions of forms and architectural reports, photographs, maps, and drawings. Researchers who need a thorough understanding of this property should plan to visit the MHT Library as part of their research project; look at the MHT web site (mht.maryland.gov) for details about how to make an appointment. All material is property of the Maryland Historical Trust. Last Updated: 11-21-2003 CAPSULE SUMMARY Parkway Motel (CH-544) 5955 Crain Highway, Charles County Constructed circa 1940, the Parkway Motel, now known as La Plata's Peddler's Paradise, is one of seven motels surveyed as part of the Maryland 301 Transportation Corridor Survey. The 1 Parkway Motel is characteristic of the motels built along Crain Highway in the middle of the 20 h century, although it does not reflect the stylistic influences of the period for this building type. The motel consists of four one-story buildings with no added amenities. The traveler could pull his car under the porte-cochere, which is attached to the front of the small registration office. Rising from the porte-cochere is a large sign, which originally read "Parkway Motel." The sign added a vertical dimension to an otherwise horizontal building mass. After registering at the office, the traveler would be directed to one of the three motel buildings. These buildings featured rooms laid side-by-side in a continuous row. The three motel buildings feature stucco walls, flat roofs, one-story porches, and parking directly at the front of the individual rooms. A paved driveway winds around the motel buildings. Constructed in the 1940s. the motel complex consists of four buildings, all of which are one-story in height. The centrally located office varies in design when compared to the three motel room buildings. The office has a front gable roof with a stepped parapet and is constructed of brick laid in stretcher bond. The three motel buildings feature stuccoed walls, flat roofs and one-story porches. MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST Inventory No. CH· c:;44 MD INVENTORY OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES =================================================================== 1. Name of Property =================================================================== hi st or ic name .....P..... a... r.......,k.;;w..,a~y___..M.;....,_Q._.t_,e~J-------------------------­ common/ other name I.a Plata's peddler's Paradise =================================================================== 2. Location =================================================================== street & number 5955 Crain Highway not for publication city or town T..=i Pl.=it;::i vicinity_ state Maryland code MD county Charles Crnmty code 1 7 zip code __...2._.0.._6........,4...,6..._ ________ =================================================================== 3. State/Federal Agency Certification N/A =================================================================== =================================================================== 4. National Park Service Certification N/A =================================================================== =================================================================== 5. Classification =================================================================== Ownership of Property (Check all that apply) _x__ private public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property (Check only one box) _x__ building(s) district site structure object Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing ~ _Q__ buildings _Q__ _Q__ sites _Q__ _Q__ structures _Q__ _Q__ objects ~ _Q__ Total Is this property listed in the National Register? Yes Name of Listing No __.x...._ __ Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Parkway Motel Inventory No. CH· 544 5955 Crain Highway Page 2 Charles County, Maryland =================================================================== 6. Function or Use =================================================================== Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Cat: DOMESTIC Sub: __.._H,...o.,_t....... e ...l ______ Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Cat: COMMERCE/TRADE Sub: Specialty Store =================================================================== 7. Description ================================================================= Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Vernaclllar Materials (Enter categories from instructions) Foundation Soljd· Concrete Block Roof Front Gable· Asphalt Sbjngle· Flat· Not Vjsjble Walls Masonry· Brjck Stretcher Bond· Masonry· Concrete Stucco other Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property.) See Continuation Sheet No. --1...=.l Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Parkway Motel Inventory No. CH· 544 5955 Crain Highway Page 3 Charles County, Maryland =================================================================== 8. Statement of Significance =================================================================== Applicable Nat.:..onal Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing) Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. -- B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. -- c Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. __ D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark "X" in all the boxes that apply.) __ A owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. B removed from its original location. C a birthplace or a grave. D a cemetery. E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. F a commemorative property. G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Parkway Motel Inventory No. CH· 544 5955 Crain Highway Page 4 Charles County, Maryland ================================================================= Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) ArcbjtectJJre Commerce Period of Significance 1940-1974 Significant Dates c 1940 1 974 Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) Cultural Affiliation _..u~n~d~e-f.......... i~n~e~d..__~~~~~~~~~~ Architect/Builder ___..U~n~k~n~o~w,......n~~~~~~~~~~~~ Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property. ) See Continuation Sheet No. --8....=.l Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Parkway Motel Inventory No. CH· 544 5955 Crain Highway Page 5 Charles County, Maryland =================================================================== 9. Major Bibliographical References =================================================================== (Cite the books, articles, legal records, and other sources used in preparing this form.) Beecher, Mary Ann. "The Motel in Builder's Literature and Architectural Publications," In Roadside America: The Automobile in Design and Culture, edited by Jan Jennings. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press for the Society for Commercial Archeology, 1990. Brown, Jack D., et. al. Charles County Maryland: A History. New Jersey: Custombook, Inc., 1976. Carley, Rachel. The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 1994. Charles County Land and Will Records. Charles County Courthouse and the Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland. Jakle, John A., Keith A. Sculle, and Jefferson S. Rogers. The Motel in America. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. Margolies, John. Home Away From Home: Motels in America. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1995. McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. The People's Chronology is licensed from Henry Holt and Company, Inc. Copyright © 1995, 1996 by James Trager. All rights reserved. "Postcards from Americana." www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/card.html, accessed 22 November 1999. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Rivoire, J. Richard. Homeplaces: Traditional Domestic Architecture of Char 1 es County, Maryland. Crownsville, MD: Maryland Historical Trust, 1990. Watson, James Douglas. Prince George's County Past and Present. Washington, D.C.: Federal Lithograph Co., 1962. Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Parkway Motel Inventory No. CH· 544 5955 Crain Highway Page 6 Charles County, Maryland =================================================================== 10. Geographical Data =================================================================== Acreage of Property 3 908 Acres