Forest Glen Park and the Forest Inn at the nearby National Park Seminary were developed in the 1880s, when the area was developed by the Forest Glen Improvement Company. The community was laid out in 1887 as one of Montgomery County's first residential subdivisions. It was developed due to the growth of Washington, D.C. and its proximity to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Metropolitan Branch. Forest Glen Park initially consisted of summer homes and cottages centered around the Forest Inn. Later, Victorian and early to mid-20th-century residences were developed. The Forest Inn became part of the National Park Seminary in 1894, which became the National Park College in 1937. The college was acquired by the U.S. Army in 1942, after which the seminary property became part of the Forest Glen Annex. In 2004, the National Park Seminary was developed into a residential complex.
The community is located within forested hills to the immediate east of Rock Creek and Rock Creek Regional Park.[1][4] The Washington D.C. Temple is located approximately 0.39 miles (0.63 km) northwest of Forest Glen Park, and is a prominent landmark visible throughout the community.[2] Forest Glen Park is bordered by the Forest Glen Creek Valley and the Capital Beltway Highway to the north, the historic National Park Seminary and the CSXMetropolitan Subdivision to the east, the United States Army's Forest Glen Annex installation to the southeast, and Rock Creek and Rock Creek Regional Park to the west and south.[1][4] Forest Glen Park is located approximately 1.4 miles (2.3 km) southeast of Kensington, approximately 1.9 miles (3.1 km) northwest of Downtown Silver Spring, and approximately 2.7 miles (4.3 km) northeast of Bethesda.[4] To the south of Forest Glen Park and Forest Glen Annex, Ireland Creek flows from northeast to southwest through a forested valley into Rock Creek.[4][5]
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) includes Forest Glen Park within the North Silver Spring section of its North and West Silver Spring Master Plan area.[6] The western section of Forest Glen Park consists of single-family residences, and the National Park Seminary section in the east of Forest Glen Park consists of multi-family residences.[7]
History
Forest Glen Improvement Company
Braemar, one of the original cottages in Forest Glen Park
Forest Glen Park and the Forest Inn, at present day National Park Seminary, were developed by the Forest Glen Improvement Company in 1887.[8][9] Originally consisting of 166 acres (67 ha), Forest Glen Park was one of the earliest residential subdivisions in Montgomery County and was developed as a result of Washington, D.C.'s growing population.[8][10] The area was easily accessible to Washington D.C., as it was situated along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Metropolitan Branch.[8][9][11] The Forest Glen Improvement Company developed Forest Glen Park as a residential suburb and resort for Washington D.C. residents seeking a more natural environment.[8][9] The company was recorded in corporate record books on July 15, 1887, and the plat for the Forest Glen Park subdivision was recorded on July 31, 1887.[8] The Forest Glen Improvement Company laid out the neighborhood's avenues to conform with the natural topography and ensured that the lot sizes were large, to allow for "handsome villa sites."[12] The company described the neighborhood as "Washington's most desirable suburb."[11] By April 1887, over two-thirds of the development had been sold.[13] The residential section of Forest Glen Park initially consisted of summer homes and cottages centered around the Forest Inn at the National Park Seminary.[8] It later grew to consist of Victorian-style and early 20th-century residences intermixed with homes built in the 1940s.[14]
The Forest Inn proved unsuccessful, and the resort property was acquired by Dr. and Mrs. John A. I. Cassedy, who transformed it into a women's college, known as the National Park Seminary.[15][16] Dr. James E. Ament acquired the seminary in 1916. During his tenure, he expanded the seminary's campus and enlarged its buildings.[16] Dr. Roy Tasco Davis purchased the seminary in 1937, and transitioned the school into a junior college with a business-oriented curriculum, after which it became known as National Park College.[15][16] During World War II, the War Powers Act of 1941 required Davis to transfer the college to the U.S. Army in 1942.[15][16][17] The seminary grounds remained under the ownership of the Army, as part of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Forest Glen Annex, until 2004.[16][17] The grounds were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as the National Park Seminary Historic District.[16] By the 1980s, many of the seminary buildings had fallen into disrepair, and the Save Our Seminary non-profit was established in 1988 to preserve the historic structures.[17] The General Services Administration transferred the 32-acre (13 ha) seminary property to Montgomery County in 2004.[16][17] The National Park Seminary was then transferred to a partnership between developers EYA and the Alexander Company, and the grounds were developed into a residential complex.[16]
Rock Creek and Rock Creek Regional Park are located immediately to the west and south of Forest Glen Park.[35][36] Rock Creek Regional Park is an 1,800-acre (730 ha) park operated by the M-NCPPC and the Montgomery County Department of Parks and contains a network of 13 miles (21 km) of trails, connecting to the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail.[36][37] Rock Creek Regional Park connects with Rock Creek Park at the D.C. border.[35][36]
^ abcRock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail(PDF) (Map). Montgomery County Department of Parks. August 2012. Archived(PDF) from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
^"Rock Creek Regional Park". Montgomery County Department of Parks. 2021. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
This list is incomplete. Prior to the 2010 census, Four Corners was classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as being part of its for statistical purposes only, census-designated place (CDP) of Silver Spring, and Montgomery Blair High is in the Four Corners CDP.
Municipalities and communities of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
United States
Maryland
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