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Staff recommends designation of Myattico House in Hyattsville, noting historic covenants
Summary
Planning‑department staff told the council and planning board the Myattico House (6911 Wells Parkway) meets multiple county designation criteria; staff highlighted the house's French‑eclectic architecture and the subdivision's historic racially restrictive covenants.
Planner Casey Rowan presented the Myattico House at 6911 Wells Parkway in unincorporated Hyattsville as the second property under consideration and recommended it for county historic‑site designation.
Rowan described the house as a circa‑1949, 2.5‑story, three‑bay French‑eclectic dwelling on a 1.75‑acre parcel in the College Heights Estates subdivision. "These covenants detailed requirements for home design, siting and setbacks, and also included a racially restrictive covenant, which specifically excluded African Americans," Rowan said while summarizing the subdivision's historical record and the property's context.
Staff reported that the Historic Preservation Commission considered the nomination at its July 23, 2024 public hearing, found the property meets four of nine criteria in subtitle 29‑104(a), and recommended designation of the Myattico House and associated environmental setting (documented property 66‑030‑01). Rowan summarized the property's owners and builders: land once owned by W. O. Eversfield, a physician associated with Maryland Agricultural College; later custom‑built for J. Melvin and Ruth Lane around 1949; and owned for decades by the Myattico family, with the property conveyed to Wells Parkway LLC in February 2024.
Staff noted alterations (replacement of original casement windows with double‑hung sash windows) but concluded the house retains a high degree of integrity and that its architectural style is underrepresented in the county inventory. Kaylee Culp of Wells Parkway LLC submitted written testimony in support of designation, and Richard Biffle provided supporting remarks at the HPC hearing, according to staff.
The planning board will review testimony and staff materials and forward a recommendation to the district council. Written comments for the record are due by the close of business on 09/25/2024; the council will act within two months after it receives the planning board recommendation.
