PROJECT  The Howard House

LOCATION  Ellicott City, Maryland, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  6/30/2023

Firm(s): brennan+company architects 

Design Team Members: Rob Brennan AIA / Lili Mundroff Associate AIA / Ryan Eubanks Associate AIA

Client: 
Contractor/Construction Manager: Ron Peters

Landscape Architect: 

Structural Engineer: Sweeney Engineering

Civil Engineer: 

Mechanical Engineer: 

Electrical Engineer: 

Photographer(s): © Anne Gummerson
Additional project support: 

PROJECT SUMMARY

Located on historic Main Street in Ellicott City, The Howard House Hotel, built in 1850 with an addition in 1880, was a prominent dining and lodging destination during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the building houses first-floor retail and apartments on the upper four floors.
“Ellicott City is an extremely well-preserved 19th-century mill town whose sturdy architecture has remained intact and unaltered”; National Register nomination.
The Howard House is prominently positioned on Main Street at the intersection of Old Columbia. The character-defining features include an ashlar granite façade with fine quoining and coursing and a wood porch with a simple flat roof supported by eight iron columns and detailed with decorative ironwork.
The collaborative work of the local owner, architect, engineer, contractors, and artisans reconstructed the original second-floor porch with metal roof, replaced the exterior wood shutters, repointed the stone, and repainted all the exterior woodwork with historic paint colors. Following two recent major flooding events, structural resilience was designed into the new foundation to ensure long-term viability. The design and implementation of the second-floor porch and detail sought to re-establish a connection to the existing historic streetscape and enhance its prominence with additional amenity space for residents to enjoy.
The owner selected and managed a local team of architects, artisans, contractors, and craftspeople to execute the work. Local, state, and federal tax credits were obtained to support owner investment. A local metalsmith, carefully crafted and installed the cast-iron railing to replicate what was removed. Historic Ellicott City offered a significant grant for the fabrication of the rail. The project is an excellent example of how commercial preservation and restoration can lead by example and provide the impetus for others to follow as Ellicott City continues to recover from Ellicott City’s floods of 2016 and 2018. The Howard House stands as a rejuvenated landmark of Ellicott City’s resilience.

JURY COMMENTS (if applicable)

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. Exterior View from lower Main Street, © Anne Gummerson
2. Exterior View at Old Columbia Pike Intersection, © Anne Gummerson
3. Porch Detail, © Anne Gummerson
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