National Park Seminary, later known as National Park College, was a private girls' school, which operated from 1894 to 1942. National Park Seminary was built in 1890 on a 23-acre plot of land in Forest Glen Park, Maryland. The name of the school came from the nearby Rock Creek Park. The historic campus is well preserved due to its significance as the focal point of a new housing development. It is currently a historic landmark having been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Beginning Of An Era

Use of the land that later became a girls’ school began in 1887 as "Ye Forest Inn," a summer holiday hideaway for Washington, DC citizens. Due to a lack of funding, the retreat was canceled. As a result, the land was sold and renovated into a girls' school. The school's doors originally opened in 1894, with a class of 48 female pupils. Women could be taught social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entering society. Emily Elizabeth Holman, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based architect, created multiple residences with international designs built from blueprints. A Dutch windmill, a Japanese Pagoda, a Swiss chalet, an Italian villa, and an English castle were among the residences. There were covered walkways, outdoor sculptures, and planned formal gardens on the campus. Miss Edna Roeckel was the administration's assistant Dean of the College. In 1936, the college's name was changed to National Park College. The renaming was done primarily to focus on more modern educational trends. The school retained its reputation as one of the most prestigious women's schools in the country.

Rejected Seminary

Unfortunately, during the 1960s and 1970s, the army did not receive adequate funding from the United States Congress. Maintenance became difficult, and the property was forced to sell. The property was given to the General Services Administration in order to find a new owner. The property's historical integrity deteriorated day by day as a result of neglect and vandalism. The Greek Revival Odeon Theater was destroyed in 1993 by deliberate fire. By the 1970s, the facility had been abandoned, and by 1978, all patients had left.

Future Of The Seminary

In 1988, a group of local preservationists created the 'Save Our Seminary' organization. The plan was to repair and improve the buildings, similar to the Pagoda restoration project, which was finished in 2003. The following year, Alexander Company, coordinated by a development team, began putting into action a proposal to keep the campus as the heart of a new residential neighborhood. The Save Our Seminary organization offers monthly guided tours of the restored buildings' interiors. There are self-guided tours available that include nine markers that allow you to see the exteriors of the buildings and provide information about the history of the National Park Seminary.