National Park Seminary, Historic district in Forest Glen, Montgomery County, US.
National Park Seminary is a complex of buildings in Forest Glen that blends many different architectural styles, including Victorian designs, a Dutch windmill, and a Japanese pagoda scattered across the grounds. Today it functions as a residential community with condominiums and townhouses integrated among the historic structures.
The property started as a resort hotel in 1887 and then became a respected school for young women from 1894 onward. Its role changed again in 1942 when the military took it over for medical purposes.
The buildings reveal how people valued different kinds of learning and healing across different eras, from educating young women to caring for soldiers. You can see these layers reflected in how the spaces are used and designed.
The complex sits near the Capital Beltway and offers guided tours for visitors exploring the grounds. The site is now residential, but the historic buildings remain visible and accessible from common areas.
Emily Elizabeth Holman designed and added unexpected elements to the grounds, including an English castle and an Italian villa among the main buildings. This inventive approach to campus design set it apart from other educational institutions of that era.
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