Belair Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Belair Mansion, located in Collington
, Maryland
, United States
, was built in circa 1745 as the Georgian
plantation
home of the Provincial
Governor of Maryland
, Samuel Ogle
. Later home to another Maryland governor, the mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Belair is recognized as the only great colonial estate where breeding of race horses was conducted during three centuries. The estate significantly influenced the development of thoroughbred
horse racing
in the new world
, having one of only two stables to raise two Triple Crown
champions. The mansion and its nearby stables
both serve as museums, operated by the City of Bowie
.
from the first proprietors of the Maryland Colony, the Calvert family
, on August 26, 1681 by Robert Carvile of St. Mary's City, Maryland
. Carvile sold the land in 1698 for £100 to Henry Ridgely. In 1700, Ridgely purchased an additional 100 acre (0.404686 km²) adjacent to Catton called Enfield Chase. Upon Ridgely's death in 1699, his third wife, now twice widowed, Mary Ridgely (née Duvall
, née Stanton) was executrix of the will and inherited the properties. Mary had previously inherited Middle Plantation in Davidsonville, Maryland
when her first husband, Mareen Duvall
died in 1699.
Reverend Jacob Henderson
, became rector
of Queen Anne's Parish
in 1712 and married Mary Duvall that same year.
In 1718, Henderson believed that Benjamin Cheney and Joseph Cheney had "committed some tresspass" so on January 20, 1718, Henderson petitioned the Maryland Land office to resurvey the boundaries of his properties. As a result, in 1721, a new deed was issued to a much larger 1410 acres (5.7 km²) and the property was renamed Belair (sometimes written as Bel Air).
, son of Samuel Ogle of Northumberland
was appointed by Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
to be Governor of Maryland
in Annapolis
in 1732. As part of his remuneration, Ogle was given £3,000 to build a residence but Ogle, who was then a bachelor, was in no hurry to build a residence.
In August, that same year, Ogle bought Tasker's half of the property. In 1739, the 47-year-old Ogle married his former partner's 18-year-old daughter, Anne Tasker.
following England's declaration of war against Spain
and left Tasker with power of attorney
and "the task of supervising the construction of a new house at Belair." In 1747, Ogle returned to Maryland with his new bride to occupy his new home which was "the grandest in the region" visible from much of the surrounding area and "affording its owners a magnificent, all-encompassing view of their plantation." Ogle brought with him, two famous English horses and the first English-bred Thoroughbred
s imported into Maryland, Queen Mab
and Spark, both gifts of Lord Baltimore
, establishing the Belair Stud
.
The Ogle family maintained two residences upon return, one in town at the intersection of King George Street and College Avenue in Annapolis
(now referred to as Ogle Hall, which houses the US Naval Academy's
Alumni Hall) and Belair, the Governor's country seat.
Upon his death in 1752, Samuel Ogle left the following to his 3 year old son Benjamin Ogle
:
Samuel Ogle had also named Tasker to be his son's guardian
and manage the estate. At the age of 10, Benjamin Ogle was sent to England for formal education and returned 11 years later in 1770 to find Tasker's daughters and their husbands living in the estate. Ogle sued to have ownership and occupy the mansion. The court ruled in his favor in 1774 and he took possession of the estate.
Benjamin Ogle became a friend of George Washington
whose presidential records show he dined at Belair on October 1, 1773 and that Washington frequently sought Ogle's counsel.
in 1798. That same year the Direct Federal Tax assessment listed Belair as containing:
He continued to prosper until his death in 1809 when the property was inherited by his son, Benjamin Ogle II. Ogle II operated the estate and stud farm until his death in 1844 when his two sons, George Cooke Ogle and Richard Lowndes Ogle divided the estate into two parcels. George took the parcel with the mansion and Richard moved to a house on his parcel known as Bladen (which was torn down in the 1960s to make way for the Kenilworth Elementary School). When George took possession of the deed to Belair, it carried an interesting restriction: George's youngest sister, Rosalie Ogle, must be able to remain in her room in the mansion as long as she remained single. She chose a large room of 17 by 20 feet on the upper floor.
which emancipated the slaves in the state effectively ended its operation as a plantation. In 1867, Dr. George C. Ogle reported to the Maryland State Commissioner of Slave Statistics that he had freed 41 slaves, 24 of them 18 years or younger. Belair, like other plantations, was "possessed of huge tracts of land but suddenly without the built-in workforce to make them productive, they were often unable to meet mortgage debts or to pay taxes." By 1870, the house had fallen into bad repair and George Ogle was in debt of $7,400 to his brother-in-law William Henry Tayloe of Virginia
as well as several lesser debts to others including $2,400 to the estate of Maria Jackson, being executed by James Mullikin. In 1871 Ogle defaulted on the latter debt, Mullikin filed suit and the court ruled the Belair be sold to satisfy the debt. The property was described in the auction notices as:
The property was sold to the executors of the estate of the mortgage holder, William Henry Tayloe on May 16, 1871. The winning bidders were Thomas Munford and Henry A. Tayloe who paid $5,100 but the contingency remained on the deed and Rosalie Ogle remained in the house. When tenant farmer
s moved in the mansion alongside Rosalie, she took them to court stating that she could not live in a house with people so far below her station. In 1877, she was awarded a cash settlement, and the last of the Ogle family retreated to Baltimore.
. James maintained residences in New York
, Rhode Island
as well as at Belair. During this time, he developed a very close relationship with Saint John's College
in Annapolis
and was elected to its board of visitors. Woodward invested significantly in both repairing Belair and expanding St. John's during this time. He died in 1910 having never married.
inherited the estate in 1910 and expanded the building in 1914 to a five part house by the additions of two wings and hyphen
s. The expansion became a noted work of the architect
s Delano & Aldrich. During this period, William opportunistically bought up adjacent tracts of land including purchases from the Magruder family and the nearby Fairview Plantation
of Oden Bowie
and began developing the Belair Stud.
In 1918, he entered his first two-year olds into competition, and in 1923 Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons arrived at Belair as trainer who eventually brought the Belair Stud two Triple Crown
champions, a feat matched by only one other stable. Woodward died in 1953, leaving the estate to his son William Woodward, Jr.
in August 1957 for $1,750,000. Levitt used the building and the stables as corporate offices as they developed their suburban housing development, "Belair at Bowie." In 1964, Levitt sold the mansion and 5.5894 acres (22,619.5 m²) of land including the Ogle cemetery to the City of Bowie for the price of $1 to be used as City Hall
. It continued in operation as Bowie's City Hall and a police station until 1978 when City Hall was moved to a new location.
, is owned by the City of Bowie and functions as a museum
as does the nearby Belair Stable Museum
.
Both the mansion and stables are listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places
.
stressing symmetry
, the original structure has two long façade
s featuring a central door and balanced number of windows on each side. Four chimneys support nine fireplaces.
From the National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form:
containing the grave of Benjamin Ogle II whose tombstone states that he died on April 4, 1845 while other sources have him dying in 1844.
Others interred:
Collington, Maryland
Collington, Maryland is a now defunct settlement in Prince George's County, Maryland dating from colonial times. Collington has been subsumed by the city of Bowie, Maryland.-Geography:...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was built in circa 1745 as the Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
home of the Provincial
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
Governor of Maryland
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
, Samuel Ogle
Samuel Ogle
Samuel Ogle was the 16th, 18th and 20th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1731 to 1732, 1733 to 1742, and 1746/1747 to 1752.-Background:...
. Later home to another Maryland governor, the mansion is 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...
.
Belair is recognized as the only great colonial estate where breeding of race horses was conducted during three centuries. The estate significantly influenced the development of thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
in the new world
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, having one of only two stables to raise two Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
champions. The mansion and its nearby stables
Belair Stable Museum
The Belair Stable Museum is located at 2835 Belair Drive in Bowie, Maryland. It is operated by the City of Bowie, Maryland. The building once housed the Belair Stud Farm until 1957 when the Woodward family sold the Belair Estate to Levitt & Sons for the construction of Belair at Bowie.This U-shaped...
both serve as museums, operated by the City of Bowie
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
.
Early History
The original estate was 500 acres (2 km²) called Catton and was patentedLand grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
from the first proprietors of the Maryland Colony, the Calvert family
Baron Baltimore
Baron Baltimore, of Baltimore Manor in County Longford, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1625 for George Calvert and became extinct on the death of the sixth Baron in 1771. The title was held by several members of the Calvert family who were proprietors of the palatinates...
, on August 26, 1681 by Robert Carvile of St. Mary's City, Maryland
St. Mary's City, Maryland
St. Mary's City, in St. Mary's County, Maryland, is a small unincorporated community near the southernmost end of the state on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is located on the eastern shore of the St. Mary's River, a tributary of the Potomac. St. Mary's City is the fourth oldest...
. Carvile sold the land in 1698 for £100 to Henry Ridgely. In 1700, Ridgely purchased an additional 100 acre (0.404686 km²) adjacent to Catton called Enfield Chase. Upon Ridgely's death in 1699, his third wife, now twice widowed, Mary Ridgely (née Duvall
Duvall
-Places:United States* Duvall, Washington, a city* Duvall, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
, née Stanton) was executrix of the will and inherited the properties. Mary had previously inherited Middle Plantation in Davidsonville, Maryland
Davidsonville, Maryland
Davidsonville is an unincorporated community in central Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA. It is a semi-rural community composed mostly of farms and suburban-like developments and is a good example of an "exurb." Davidsonville has relatively little commercial development and no high-density housing...
when her first husband, Mareen Duvall
Mareen Duvall
Mareen Duvall was a French Huguenot and an early American settler.-Background:He was born Marin duVal, at Nantes, France in 1625 and arrived in the Province of Maryland on August 28, 1650...
died in 1699.
Reverend Jacob Henderson
Jacob Henderson
Jacob Henderson was an Irish clergyman and philologist who emigrated to the colonial Provinces of Pennsylvania, then Maryland where he became a prominent land owner and church leader.-Life before Maryland:Very little is known about Henderson before 1710...
, became rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Queen Anne's Parish
St. Barnabas Church, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
St. Barnabas Church, also known as St. Barnabas' Episcopal Church, Leeland, is located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and was established in 1704 as the parish church of Queen Anne Parish which had been established that same year...
in 1712 and married Mary Duvall that same year.
In 1718, Henderson believed that Benjamin Cheney and Joseph Cheney had "committed some tresspass" so on January 20, 1718, Henderson petitioned the Maryland Land office to resurvey the boundaries of his properties. As a result, in 1721, a new deed was issued to a much larger 1410 acres (5.7 km²) and the property was renamed Belair (sometimes written as Bel Air).
Ogle Era
Samuel OgleSamuel Ogle
Samuel Ogle was the 16th, 18th and 20th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1731 to 1732, 1733 to 1742, and 1746/1747 to 1752.-Background:...
, son of Samuel Ogle of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
was appointed by Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
to be Governor of Maryland
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
in 1732. As part of his remuneration, Ogle was given £3,000 to build a residence but Ogle, who was then a bachelor, was in no hurry to build a residence.
Ogle family ownership begins
Henderson sold the land along with two other parcels known as Woodcock's Range and Enfield Chase to two partners, Ogle, and Benjamin Tasker, Sr. on March 30, 1737 for the sum of £500.In August, that same year, Ogle bought Tasker's half of the property. In 1739, the 47-year-old Ogle married his former partner's 18-year-old daughter, Anne Tasker.
Construction to Revolution
In 1740, Ogle was dispatched to EnglandEngland
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...
following England's declaration of war against Spain
War of Jenkins' Ear
The War of Jenkins' Ear was a conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748, with major operations largely ended by 1742. Its unusual name, coined by Thomas Carlyle in 1858, relates to Robert Jenkins, captain of a British merchant ship, who exhibited his severed ear in...
and left Tasker with power of attorney
Power of attorney
A power of attorney or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter...
and "the task of supervising the construction of a new house at Belair." In 1747, Ogle returned to Maryland with his new bride to occupy his new home which was "the grandest in the region" visible from much of the surrounding area and "affording its owners a magnificent, all-encompassing view of their plantation." Ogle brought with him, two famous English horses and the first English-bred Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
s imported into Maryland, Queen Mab
Queen Mab (horse)
Queen Mab was part of the first pair of English-bred Thoroughbred horses imported to the Province of Maryland in 1747 by Provincial Governor of Maryland, Samuel Ogle....
and Spark, both gifts of Lord Baltimore
Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore
Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, 4th Proprietor of Maryland was an English nobleman and last in the line of Barons Baltimore...
, establishing the Belair Stud
Belair Stud
Belair Stud was an American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm founded by Provincial Governor of Maryland, Samuel Ogle in 1747 in Collington, Prince Georges County, Maryland in Colonial America.-Colonial Period:...
.
The Ogle family maintained two residences upon return, one in town at the intersection of King George Street and College Avenue in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
(now referred to as Ogle Hall, which houses the US Naval Academy's
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
Alumni Hall) and Belair, the Governor's country seat.
Upon his death in 1752, Samuel Ogle left the following to his 3 year old son Benjamin Ogle
Benjamin Ogle
Benjamin Ogle was the ninth Governor of Maryland from 1798 to 1801.-Early life:The Ogle family was quite prominent for many centuries in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England, dating from the medieval period. Born in Annapolis, Maryland, Benjamin Ogle was the son of former Provincial...
:
Samuel Ogle had also named Tasker to be his son's guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
and manage the estate. At the age of 10, Benjamin Ogle was sent to England for formal education and returned 11 years later in 1770 to find Tasker's daughters and their husbands living in the estate. Ogle sued to have ownership and occupy the mansion. The court ruled in his favor in 1774 and he took possession of the estate.
Benjamin Ogle became a friend of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
whose presidential records show he dined at Belair on October 1, 1773 and that Washington frequently sought Ogle's counsel.
Post Revolution to Civil War
Benjamin Ogle operated Belair and gained prominence as a gentleman. He was elected Governor of MarylandGovernor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
in 1798. That same year the Direct Federal Tax assessment listed Belair as containing:
He continued to prosper until his death in 1809 when the property was inherited by his son, Benjamin Ogle II. Ogle II operated the estate and stud farm until his death in 1844 when his two sons, George Cooke Ogle and Richard Lowndes Ogle divided the estate into two parcels. George took the parcel with the mansion and Richard moved to a house on his parcel known as Bladen (which was torn down in the 1960s to make way for the Kenilworth Elementary School). When George took possession of the deed to Belair, it carried an interesting restriction: George's youngest sister, Rosalie Ogle, must be able to remain in her room in the mansion as long as she remained single. She chose a large room of 17 by 20 feet on the upper floor.
Civil War and the end of Ogle Ownership
As Belair was a slave-operated plantation, the ratification of the Maryland Constitution of 1864Maryland Constitution of 1864
The Maryland Constitution of 1864 was the third of the four constitutions which have governed the U.S. state of Maryland. A controversial product of the Civil War and in effect only until 1867, when the state's present constitution was adopted, the 1864 document was short-lived.-Drafting:The 1864...
which emancipated the slaves in the state effectively ended its operation as a plantation. In 1867, Dr. George C. Ogle reported to the Maryland State Commissioner of Slave Statistics that he had freed 41 slaves, 24 of them 18 years or younger. Belair, like other plantations, was "possessed of huge tracts of land but suddenly without the built-in workforce to make them productive, they were often unable to meet mortgage debts or to pay taxes." By 1870, the house had fallen into bad repair and George Ogle was in debt of $7,400 to his brother-in-law William Henry Tayloe of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
as well as several lesser debts to others including $2,400 to the estate of Maria Jackson, being executed by James Mullikin. In 1871 Ogle defaulted on the latter debt, Mullikin filed suit and the court ruled the Belair be sold to satisfy the debt. The property was described in the auction notices as:
The property was sold to the executors of the estate of the mortgage holder, William Henry Tayloe on May 16, 1871. The winning bidders were Thomas Munford and Henry A. Tayloe who paid $5,100 but the contingency remained on the deed and Rosalie Ogle remained in the house. When tenant farmer
Tenant farmer
A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management; while tenant farmers contribute their labor along with at times varying...
s moved in the mansion alongside Rosalie, she took them to court stating that she could not live in a house with people so far below her station. In 1877, she was awarded a cash settlement, and the last of the Ogle family retreated to Baltimore.
Changing hands
In 1877, Munford and Tayloe sold the property for $17,000 to Edward T. Rutter. Belair subsequently changed hands numerous times while it continued to fall further into disrepair. The property was divided into smaller parcels, some of which were then recombined. By 1896, ownership of most of the land had passed to Benjamin N. Hardisty.James T. Woodward
In 1898, Hardesty's land was surveyed to be 371.4 acres (1.5 km²) including the mansion and the stables and was purchased for $10 and undisclosed sum by wealthy banker James T. WoodwardJames T. Woodward
James T. Woodward was an American banker and owner of a major thoroughbred horse dynasty.-Background:James T...
. James maintained residences in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
as well as at Belair. During this time, he developed a very close relationship with Saint John's College
St. John's College, U.S.
St. John's College is a liberal arts college with two U.S. campuses: one in Annapolis, Maryland and one in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Founded in 1696 as a preparatory school, King William's School, the school received a collegiate charter in 1784, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher...
in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
and was elected to its board of visitors. Woodward invested significantly in both repairing Belair and expanding St. John's during this time. He died in 1910 having never married.
William Woodward, Sr.
His nephew, wealthy lawyer and banker, William Woodward, Sr.William Woodward, Sr.
William Woodward, Sr. was an American banker and major owner and breeder in thoroughbred horse racing.-Background:...
inherited the estate in 1910 and expanded the building in 1914 to a five part house by the additions of two wings and hyphen
Hyphen
The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes , which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign which is also longer...
s. The expansion became a noted work of the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s Delano & Aldrich. During this period, William opportunistically bought up adjacent tracts of land including purchases from the Magruder family and the nearby Fairview Plantation
Fairview Plantation
Fairview Plantation was built around the year 1800 by Baruch Duckett in Collington, Maryland. The house is a transitional federal/Greek revival design considered to be a significant part of the Prince George's County heritage. Fairview is a two-story stuccoed brick plantation house with flush end...
of Oden Bowie
Oden Bowie
Oden Bowie , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 34th Governor of the State of Maryland in the United States from 1869 to 1872.-Childhood:...
and began developing the Belair Stud.
In 1918, he entered his first two-year olds into competition, and in 1923 Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons arrived at Belair as trainer who eventually brought the Belair Stud two Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
champions, a feat matched by only one other stable. Woodward died in 1953, leaving the estate to his son William Woodward, Jr.
William Woodward, Jr.
William "Billy" Woodward, Jr. was the heir to the Hanover National Bank fortune , the Belair Estate and stud farm and legacy,...
William Woodward, Jr.
Woodward Jr. was quite the playboy became an avid horse racing enthusiast. After his father's death, he took over operation of Belair for a brief period before he was fatally shot in his Oyster Bay, New York estate by his wife in 1955.Levitt Development
By the time of Woodward Jr's death, the estate had grown back to 2280 acres (9.2 km²) and was purchased at auction by Levitt and SonsWilliam Levitt
William Jaird Levitt was an American real-estate developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He came to symbolize the new suburban growth with his use of mass-production techniques to construct large developments of houses selling for under $10,000...
in August 1957 for $1,750,000. Levitt used the building and the stables as corporate offices as they developed their suburban housing development, "Belair at Bowie." In 1964, Levitt sold the mansion and 5.5894 acres (22,619.5 m²) of land including the Ogle cemetery to the City of Bowie for the price of $1 to be used as City Hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
. It continued in operation as Bowie's City Hall and a police station until 1978 when City Hall was moved to a new location.
Belair today
Today the mansion, located at 12207 Tulip Grove Drive in Bowie, MarylandBowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
, is owned by the City of Bowie and functions as a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
as does the nearby Belair Stable Museum
Belair Stable Museum
The Belair Stable Museum is located at 2835 Belair Drive in Bowie, Maryland. It is operated by the City of Bowie, Maryland. The building once housed the Belair Stud Farm until 1957 when the Woodward family sold the Belair Estate to Levitt & Sons for the construction of Belair at Bowie.This U-shaped...
.
Both the mansion and stables are listed separately 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...
.
Architectural Details
Based on Georgian architectureGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
stressing symmetry
Symmetry
Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection...
, the original structure has two long façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
s featuring a central door and balanced number of windows on each side. Four chimneys support nine fireplaces.
From the National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form:
Cemetery
At the edge of the mansion grounds is a small cemeteryCemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
containing the grave of Benjamin Ogle II whose tombstone states that he died on April 4, 1845 while other sources have him dying in 1844.
Others interred:
- Ogle II's wife Anna Maria Cooke Ogle (1777-1856)
- Benjamin Ogle III (1796-1839)
- Priscilla Mackall Ogle (1825-1859)
- Anna Maria Ogle (1849-1851)