Period
1783 – 1784
Maryland State House: Old Treasury Building
Location
Annapolis, Maryland
Notables
National Historic Landmark
HISTORICAL LEGACY
The Old Treasury Building, completed in 1735, is the oldest extant public building in Maryland and sits within the State Circle with The Maryland State House.
George Washington resigns as Commander-in-Chief
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This project is a part of a four year comprehensive restoration that focuses on restoring numerous structures and spaces within the State Circle Grounds. The Old Treasury Building will receive an exterior restoration and an interior refresh that aims to stabilize the space and have it function as an interpretive exhibit – focusing on the history of the State House and environs.
RESEARCH & DOCUMENTATION
In 2019, MCWB prepared a Historic Structures Report that included a full history, physical survey, documentation, use analysis, and restoration plan for the building. MCWB utilized in-house scanning and drone technology to create scalable orthographic imagery. Probing procedures revealed hidden conditions, and a Revit model was developed to explore design interventions, including options for wheelchair access.
As an outcome of the HSR, the restoration team opted to choose 1773 as the period of significance, as it represents the early period of the building but includes the later incorporation of the front porch, thought to have been added c. 1773.
The building is ancient and lost nearly all its original interior features, with some important exceptions. The exterior has been significantly impacted over time by weather and human interventions but is largely intact. The interior finishes are lost but the masonry ceiling barrel vaults remain, some original and some rebuilt. The form of the interior is intact while the finishes are gone.
REALIZATION
In addition to restoring the exterior to the 1773 period, the team chose to stabilize the interior and to design and install a new interpretive exhibit focused on the history of the State House and environs. There was only limited effort to restore period interior features because little is known of the early interior. One exception is the installation of the repository room wood planking which is documented in early letters and helps interpret this space as the repository or treasury vault.
The restoration work on the Old Treasury Building included:
-
Complete repair and repointing of exterior brick masonry
-
Complete new old growth cypress shingle roof with swept valleys
-
Restoring original window frames and replicating original type sash on south side and replicating entire window systems on north side where lost
-
Restoring original window shutters and replication where lost, interior and exterior
-
Contextual new door on west side with ADA accessibility accommodations
-
All new electrical and lighting systems
-
Installation of interpretive exhibit
