Location Annapolis, Maryland NRHP Reference # 71000364 Area 8,094 m² Phone +1 410-990-4543 Added to NRHP 11 November 1971 | Built 1763 Designated NHL November 11, 1971 Opened 1763 Architectural style Georgian architecture | |
 | ||
Address 186 Prince George St, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA Similar Maryland State House, Quiet Waters Park, Sandy Point State Park, Hammond–Harwood House, Brice House | ||
Annapolis maryland the william paca house
The William Paca House (at one time known as Carvel Hall) is an 18th-century Georgian mansion in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. William Paca was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and a three-term Governor of Maryland. The house was built between 1763 and 1765 and its architecture was largely designed by Paca himself. The 2-acre (8,100 m2) walled garden, which includes a two-story summer house, has been restored to its original state.
Contents
The William Paca House and Garden was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
The original one-story office and kitchen pavilions, and their connecting hyphens, were altered in the 19th century with the house's conversion to a hotel, by a second story added to the hyphens and the west wing. These changes have since been reversed, and the building approximates its original outward appearance, both inside and out.
History
In 1780, Paca sold the house to Thomas Jenings, the attorney general of Maryland.
Carvel Hall
The house and grounds were eventually acquired by the Annapolis Hotel Corporation, and the house became the lobby and conference rooms for a new hotel constructed in the garden immediately to the rear. The hotel, known as "Carvel Hall," opened with two-hundred guest rooms in 1906. But, by 1964, a mixed-use development was proposed for the site that would have demolished the house and the hotel, putting high rises in its place.
Restoration
After the plans to demolish Carvel Hall became public, the house was acquired by Historic Annapolis, Inc. (later the Historic Annapolis Foundation, or HAF), and the surrounding property (garden) was acquired by the State of Maryland in 1965. The additions were removed in 1966-67 and ownership was transferred to the Maryland Historical Trust. The property is administered by Historic Annapolis Foundation, and is open to the public for guided tours of the house and self-guided garden year round.
Description
The Paca House is a Georgian five-part house. The brick structure comprises a central 2-1/2 story block on an elevated basement, flanked by symmetrical 1-1/2 story end pavilions, connected to the central structure by 1-1/2 story hyphens. The interior is a center hall plan with two rooms on either side of the hall. Original woodwork remains only in the central hall, stair hall and the west parlor, including the stair's original Chinese Chippendale balustrade.