Noyes Library
Another treasure from Kensington's history is the Noyes Library, at Carroll Place and Montgomery Avenue, built in1893. Now a children's library, Noyes was the first public library in the entire metropolitan area.
It's hard to imagine a time when you couldn't easily go to a community library to borrow the latest novel, look up information about the world around us, or browse through the latest periodicals. But if you had been living in the Washington area a century ago, none of these would have been a simple task. Public libraries did not exist, and most people lacked the money or the space to keep their own home collection of reading materials.
Many farsighted Kensington residents were determined to change that situation. Two played crucial roles: Crosby Noyes, editor and publisher of the Washington Evening Star, and Brainard Warner, one of the developers of the original Town of Kensington. They built the library where it stands today and stocked it with books.
Originally operated as a community library under a private board of trustees, the Noyes Library became part of the countywide public library system in 1951. In 1970, it became the county's first and only children's library. Its special mission: to develop innovative ideas and programs to share with the children's rooms in other libraries; to build a special collection highlighting recreation, creativity, and enrichment; and to provide outreach to children who cannot easily attend public library programs. The Noyes Children's Library Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises money to help support the operations of the Noyes Library.
For more information on Kensington, please visit my website http://www.garyditto.com/communities/kensington.htm
or call me and I can mail you a copy of my booklet "Kensington Stories"
Kensington Maryland Real Estate - Market Update
Address
Style
Subdivision
List Price
Close Date
Close Price
Subsidy
BR
FB
HB
9519
E STANHOPE RD
Colonial
ROCK
CREEK HILLS
$1,275,000
28-Feb-08
$1,250,000
$7,500
6
5
0
2915
JENNINGS RD
Colonial
OAKLAND
TERRACE
$979,000
29-Feb-08
$950,000
$20,500
4
4
1
9607
HILLRIDGE DR
Rambler
ROCK
CREEK HILLS
$829,900
31-Jan-08
$829,900
5
3
0
11227
NEWPORT MILL RD
Colonial
PT
WHEATON OUT
$795,000
26-Feb-08
$795,000
$35,000
4
3
1
9818
CULVER ST
Split
Level
ROCK
CREEK HIGHLANDS
$780,000
23-Jan-08
$760,000
3
3
0
9505
BYEFORDE RD
Split
Level
BYEFORDE
$679,000
14-Jan-08
$645,000
3
2
0
4300
BROOKFIELD DR
Colonial
KENSINGTON
ESTATES
$639,000
22-Feb-08
$600,000
3
2
1
5101
BANGOR DR
Cape
Cod
GARRET
PARK ESTATES
$549,000
28-Feb-08
$539,000
3
2
0
5312
BANGOR DR
Split
Level
GARRET
PARK ESTATES
$539,000
17-Jan-08
$539,000
$10,000
3
1
1
10227
PARKWOOD CT
Cape
Cod
PARKWOOD
$535,000
31-Jan-08
$535,000
3
2
0
4923
STRATHMORE AVE
Cape
Cod
GARRET
PARK ESTATES
$499,900
28-Jan-08
$495,000
$7,000
4
2
0
5318
BANGOR DR
Split
Level
GARRET
PARK ESTATES
$499,500
30-Jan-08
$475,000
3
1
1
4214
ANTHONY ST
Rambler
KENSINGTON
ESTATES
$459,900
29-Feb-08
$450,000
3
2
0
11137
DEWEY RD
Rambler
ROCK
CRK PALISADES
$459,000
16-Jan-08
$450,000
$1,000
5
3
0
3723
ASTORIA RD
Split
Foyer
NEWPORT
HILLS
$450,000
25-Jan-08
$442,500
$13,275
5
3
0
11113
LUND PL
Split
Level
NEWPORT
HILLS
$439,000
31-Jan-08
$425,000
$9,814
4
2
1
3005
BLUEFORD RD
Rambler
HOMEWOOD
$399,000
29-Feb-08
$380,000
$11,400
3
2
0
3000
DECATUR AVE
Rambler
KENSINGTON
HEIGHTS
$369,000
15-Feb-08
$365,000
$5,000
3
2
0
3333
UNIVERSITY BLVD W #110
Other
THE
WATERFORD
$205,000
7-Jan-08
$200,000
$6,000
1
1
0
Information Pulled from the Metropolitan Regional Information System.
Please visit www.garyditto.com for additional sold report information
More Kensington Memories
Stories from some of the longtime members of the Woman’s Community Club of Kensington (WCCK), told at their March meeting. Part 2.
Lively Looking Back
Irene Iskrant, member since 1955
The club has been fortunate to have such talented and capable presidents. I became a member in 1955. Jeannie Baxter opened my eyes to what club work is all about. She was an inveterate note writer. Everything, no matter how small, was rewarded with a cordial note from Jeannie. I remember her announcing, “I’m so proud of all of you.”
Estelle Waters served for two terms and never wore the same hat twice. I asked her where she kept all those hats. She said that she kept them in the attic.
Bessie Shafter wore stunning outfits. But she was much more than that. She got us involved in the Thrift Shop. That brought us funds for Over Sixty.*
We also had speakers and skits. No one relished the job of luncheon chair. Most of us had young families and were very busy. When someone said, “I’ll do it,” what a relief!
* Over Sixty Counseling & Employment is a nonprofit community service that provides screening and job placement for men and women over 55, at no charge to the job seeker or the employer.
Formality Less Formidable
Claire Kordella, member since 1961
It was considered an honor to be proposed for membership and to be a member of the club. Things were more formal in those days: our manner of addressing each other—Mrs. So and So—as opposed to the first-name basis. Hats and gloves were worn at meetings. We were always on our best behavior. There was a tea for new members each year.
The club remains progressive, while slightly less formal in procedure and manners.
Some Surprises
Mildred Eisenhart, member since 1956, and Fran Weir, member since 1964
Fran: One of my most favorite and fun memories goes back to March 1984. The occasion was the Shamrock Luncheon, the Golden Age of Fashion, a salute to 350 years of Maryland history. I remember that to show the year 1700, a member came in a long flannel nightie, and her husband was in a nightshirt and cap and had a candle. Also a Gibson girl, a Tin Lizzie and Duster, dancing to the Charleston and the jitterbug, abbreviated beachwear of the jet age, and a wig and hair curlers and blue jeans and T-shirt of the 1960’s.
At the end, to everyone’s very audible gasp of astonishment, a member discarded her colorful costume and displayed a nude body stocking as she streaked out of the hall.
Mildred: Three hundred fifty years — a lot of clothes and a lot of people. I came in 1956. Music, dance, and Elvis was King, and then a tumultuous time. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, in 1969 a great leap for mankind when the Eagle landed. Then in 1981 the shuttle and in 1986 the Challenger explosion. In 1984-85, the garden group had 71 members. I was a member of the drama club and the garden group.
Friendships and Cook Books
A reading of the words of Virginia Nelligan, member since 1966
When I joined in 1966, a committee prepared the luncheons. A committee of two people would plan the meal and buy the food for the Monday luncheon. We would meet on Sunday to prepare it. When a luncheon was especially good, requests were made for recipes for the newsletter. In 1984 we compiled our first cookbook in commemoration of our 50th anniversary. The profits went to Over Sixty. In 1987, we put out a second cookbook of our favorite recipes. The profits again went to Over Sixty
When you work on a committee, you get to know the people better, which is great.
The following are presentations from the Woman's Community Club of Kensington Anniversary Celebration. These articles were from the same event, published over a number of newsletters
Newsletter published Fall, 1998
For More Newsletters, please visit www.garyditto.com/newsletters/index.htm
| ZIP | Data | 2007 | 2008 |
| 20814 | # of Homes Sold | 27 | 17 |
| Average of Close Price | $973,830 | $721,294 | |
| Average of DOM | 89 | 79 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 78% | 76% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 7% | 18% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 33% | 24% | |
| 20815 | # of Homes Sold | 26 | 24 |
| Average of Close Price | $732,785 | $1,115,563 | |
| Average of DOM | 88 | 67 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 77% | 67% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 8% | 13% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 12% | 46% | |
| 20816 | # of Homes Sold | 10 | 13 |
| Average of Close Price | $640,650 | $1,536,615 | |
| Average of DOM | 119 | 115 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 90% | 77% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 10% | 15% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 10% | 54% | |
| 20817 | # of Homes Sold | 33 | 37 |
| Average of Close Price | $786,106 | $1,020,676 | |
| Average of DOM | 97 | 100 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 79% | 86% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 18% | 3% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 21% | 43% | |
| 20818 | # of Homes Sold | 1 | 3 |
| Average of Close Price | $855,000 | $1,128,333 | |
| Average of DOM | 171 | 167 | |
| % Below Asking Price | NA | 67% | |
| % Above Asking Price | NA | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | NA | 67% | |
| 20832 | # of Homes Sold | 24 | 12 |
| Average of Close Price | $434,106 | $408,542 | |
| Average of DOM | 108 | 73 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 63% | 75% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 13% | 8% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20850 | # of Homes Sold | 40 | 20 |
| Average of Close Price | $546,130 | $502,245 | |
| Average of DOM | 104 | 84 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 63% | 90% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 15% | 5% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 10% | 0% | |
| 20851 | # of Homes Sold | 13 | 6 |
| Average of Close Price | $419,685 | $350,750 | |
| Average of DOM | 81 | 116 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 23% | 67% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 46% | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20852 | # of Homes Sold | 44 | 20 |
| Average of Close Price | $514,838 | $427,081 | |
| Average of DOM | 97 | 111 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 64% | 70% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 7% | 20% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 5% | 5% | |
| 20853 | # of Homes Sold | 27 | 10 |
| Average of Close Price | $525,448 | $428,830 | |
| Average of DOM | 86 | 92 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 63% | 70% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 4% | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 4% | 0% | |
| 20854 | # of Homes Sold | 45 | 17 |
| Average of Close Price | $1,058,737 | $1,229,832 | |
| Average of DOM | 108 | 175 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 67% | 82% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 11% | 6% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 44% | 71% | |
| 20855 | # of Homes Sold | 10 | 3 |
| Average of Close Price | $636,880 | $443,333 | |
| Average of DOM | 82 | 42 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 50% | 67% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 10% | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20877 | # of Homes Sold | 11 | 11 |
| Average of Close Price | $337,609 | $340,264 | |
| Average of DOM | 103 | 158 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 36% | 73% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 18% | 18% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20878 | # of Homes Sold | 70 | 33 |
| Average of Close Price | $471,319 | $523,442 | |
| Average of DOM | 102 | 121 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 67% | 85% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 13% | 3% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 4% | 6% | |
| 20879 | # of Homes Sold | 24 | 14 |
| Average of Close Price | $323,200 | $336,769 | |
| Average of DOM | 55 | 134 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 42% | 43% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 38% | 36% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20882 | # of Homes Sold | 13 | 5 |
| Average of Close Price | $644,231 | $600,000 | |
| Average of DOM | 105 | 189 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 69% | 80% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 8% | 20% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20886 | # of Homes Sold | 33 | 27 |
| Average of Close Price | $315,232 | $296,570 | |
| Average of DOM | 76 | 139 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 81% | 27% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 7% | 30% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20895 | # of Homes Sold | 13 | 8 |
| Average of Close Price | $611,273 | $666,125 | |
| Average of DOM | 75 | 48 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 69% | 88% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 8% | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 8% | 13% | |
| 20896 | # of Homes Sold | 3 | |
| Average of Close Price | $578,333 | ||
| Average of DOM | 121 | ||
| % Below Asking Price | 100% | ||
| % Above Asking Price | 0% | ||
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | ||
| 20901 | # of Homes Sold | 32 | 16 |
| Average of Close Price | $448,214 | $410,750 | |
| Average of DOM | 84 | 126 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 47% | 75% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 31% | 6% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20902 | # of Homes Sold | 39 | 16 |
| Average of Close Price | $408,172 | $409,223 | |
| Average of DOM | 84 | 145 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 46% | 88% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 21% | 6% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20903 | # of Homes Sold | 15 | 1 |
| Average of Close Price | $413,953 | $480,000 | |
| Average of DOM | 91 | 290 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 40% | 100% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 27% | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20904 | # of Homes Sold | 29 | 14 |
| Average of Close Price | $455,410 | $390,432 | |
| Average of DOM | 107 | 143 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 59% | 64% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 10% | 7% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 3% | 0% | |
| 20905 | # of Homes Sold | 19 | 8 |
| Average of Close Price | $675,500 | $633,625 | |
| Average of DOM | 114 | 246 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 53% | 88% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 11% | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 16% | 13% | |
| 20910 | # of Homes Sold | 29 | 13 |
| Average of Close Price | $429,962 | $475,243 | |
| Average of DOM | 61 | 96 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 62% | 69% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 14% | 8% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | |
| 20912 | # of Homes Sold | 12 | 5 |
| Average of Close Price | $449,325 | $636,600 | |
| Average of DOM | 89 | 58 | |
| % Below Asking Price | 75% | 100% | |
| % Above Asking Price | 8% | 0% | |
| % Sold Over $ 1,000,000 | 0% | 0% |
Information Pulled from the Metropolitan Regional Information System.
Maryland Real Estate: Active Real Estate Agent for 30 years. Specializing in Kensington, Bethesda, Chevy Chase & Silver Spring - MD Please visit www.garyditto.com for details
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