Aigburth Vale
Encyclopedia
Aigburth Vale house at 212 Aigburth Road in Towson was designed in 1868, by architects Niernsee
& Neilson
, as a country home for wealthy actor John E. Owens
. Aigburth
is a suburb of Liverpool
in England
.
Most of the property of the estate was originally known as the Rock Spring Farm of Edward Taylor and the parcel was reported to have been over 197 acres (79.7 ha) when it was purchased by Owens in 1853. The mansion is a wood-framed, three-story structure is an example of Second Empire architecture and as such, is topped by mansard roofs on the tower and wings. For a period after 1886, the mansion functioned as an inn and as a summer home for Owen's widow, Mary. In 1889 the majority of the land associated with the estate was sold at auction by the mortgage holder: the Sheppard Pratt Hospital to John Hubner, a Catonsville developer. Thereafter the mansion house and surrounding 4.9 acres (2 ha) was sold to Dr. George F. Sargent, as a private mental hospital from 1919 to 1950. Hubner sold the agricultural land to the Towson Nurseries who subdivided portions of it for sale to the Baltimore County Board of Education in 1943 and 1946 for use as the site for Towson High School
and it's surrounding campus. The mansion building was leased to Baltimore County Board of Education in 1950 for use as administrative offices and thereafter became the current owners of the building. The Owen estate was once surrounded by over 200 acres (80.9 ha) but today it stands within a suburban neighborhood. As designed, entry to the estate was gained from York Road along what is now Cedar Avenue. The gatehouse building of the estate, built in 1860 by Jacob Reese, still stands though the intersection of Cedar and York has been closed.
The building has been identified as an outstanding example of Second Empire architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1999.
John Rudolph Niernsee
John Rudolph Niernsee was an American architect, the head architect for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He was born as Johann Rudolph Niernsee in Vienna, Austria and immigrated to the United States in 1837, at age 22...
& Neilson
James Crawford Neilson
James Crawford Neilson , or J. Crawford Neilson, was a Baltimore, Maryland-based architect. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1816. After the death of his father in 1822 the famiily moved to England and in 1824 to Brussels...
, as a country home for wealthy actor John E. Owens
John E. Owens
John Edward Owens was an American comedian, born in the Aigburth district of Liverpool, England but taken to the United States when three years old. He began his stage career in 1841 in Philadelphia....
. Aigburth
Aigburth
Aigburth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Mossley Hill, and Garston.-History:...
is a suburb of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Most of the property of the estate was originally known as the Rock Spring Farm of Edward Taylor and the parcel was reported to have been over 197 acres (79.7 ha) when it was purchased by Owens in 1853. The mansion is a wood-framed, three-story structure is an example of Second Empire architecture and as such, is topped by mansard roofs on the tower and wings. For a period after 1886, the mansion functioned as an inn and as a summer home for Owen's widow, Mary. In 1889 the majority of the land associated with the estate was sold at auction by the mortgage holder: the Sheppard Pratt Hospital to John Hubner, a Catonsville developer. Thereafter the mansion house and surrounding 4.9 acres (2 ha) was sold to Dr. George F. Sargent, as a private mental hospital from 1919 to 1950. Hubner sold the agricultural land to the Towson Nurseries who subdivided portions of it for sale to the Baltimore County Board of Education in 1943 and 1946 for use as the site for Towson High School
Towson High School
Towson High School is a high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, founded in 1873. The school's current stone structure was built in 1949. Located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson and serving the surrounding communities of Towson, Lutherville, and Ruxton, it is part of the Baltimore...
and it's surrounding campus. The mansion building was leased to Baltimore County Board of Education in 1950 for use as administrative offices and thereafter became the current owners of the building. The Owen estate was once surrounded by over 200 acres (80.9 ha) but today it stands within a suburban neighborhood. As designed, entry to the estate was gained from York Road along what is now Cedar Avenue. The gatehouse building of the estate, built in 1860 by Jacob Reese, still stands though the intersection of Cedar and York has been closed.
The building has been identified as an outstanding example of Second Empire architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1999.
