Linnaean Hill: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Rock Creek Park, National Park Service

Brown, Nancy; Hanna, Jennifer; Wheelock, Perry

Presently, Peirce-Klingle Estate and the surrounding area is remnant landscape of a nineteenth-century nursery and Picturesque-styled tree park that functions in the twentieth-century as a recreational area and minimally interpreted historic site. Visitor access to Peirce-Klingle is by automobile via Williamsburg Lane, by foot via trails, which follow the bluff above Rock Creek, or on horseback via the bridle paths, which utilize portions of the former entry drives. The north, east and west sides of Peirce-Klingle are marked by woods that cover the steep bluff above Rock Creek with a dense canopy. In certain areas the woods enclose the pedestrian trails, bridle paths and old entry drives, which also follow the boundaries. On the south side, where there is a more gradual slope, three terraced levels have been created. The Peirce-Klingle residence is situated between the upper and middle terraces. Twenty-eight feet from the house, two small outbuildings have been built into the slope between the middle and third terraces. A carriage house/stable has also been constructed on this level approximately 80 feet from the southwest corner of the residence. Below the outbuildings there is an irregular oval grassy area bordered on the south by overgrown trees and shrubs. Below the overgrown border, a naturalized meadow has developed. The meadow extends across the southern boundary of the site to the southeastern corner and toward the long slope that falls away from the base of the carriage house/stable. The long slope is part of a larger grassy area, once planted with ornamental trees, that characterizes the western portion of the site. The Peirce-Klingle Estate at Linnaean Hill acquires significance from its use as an early nineteenth-century horticultural nursery and as a mid to late nineteenth-century Picturesque-styled landscape. Both phases of this development fall into the first period of significance for Rock Creek Park. The estate retains limited integrity to all periods of significance for Rock Creek Park--from approximately 1800 to 1951. The condition of the cultural landscape has been heavily effected by its release to succession since the nineteenth century. Invasives and other vegetation now block historic views and obscure or threaten other character defining features, including historic circulation and vegetation, but this growth also serves to screen the property from developments on adjacent lands. Although the overall historic integrity of the site has been compromised by these factors, increased maintenance and rehabilitation work in recent years have helped to improve its condition.

Linnaean Hill: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Rock Creek Park, National Park Service

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