n Wilde Lake Dam Wilde Lake is a man-made lake,carved out of a low-lying field, and named for FrazarWilde, the chairman of Connecticut General LifeInsurance Company, the first financial backer ofColumbia. Construction on Wilde Lake dam began onJuly 26, 1966. Crews worked day and night, seven daysa week taking advantage of the extremely dry summer.The concrete gravity dam was built in less than threemonths. The decision to work on a crash basis laterproved prophetically prudent; exceptionally intenserainfalls began shortly after completion.A unique feature of the dam is the textured face. The

forms were lined with five-foot long slabs of bark cutfrom logs of trees removed from the lake bed. MortHoppenfeld, Columbia’s chief planner and designer,conceived the design and process that gives the dam amore natural look.

n The Cove The Cove Apartments were billed asColumbia’s first “luxury” apartments opening in 1967.The design is a modification of the Cross Keysapartments, an earlier development of The RouseCompany. Bob Tennenbaum, a member of the originaldesign team, notes in Creating a New City that the siteplan for The Cove is inspired by the Italian seaside townof Lazise, pictured in the June 1962 Italian Townscapeissue of Architectural Review magazine.Of note is that one of the Cove units functioned as a

guest house in Columbia’s early days. There was nohotel in Columbia until Cross Keys Inn opened in 1972.Visiting Merriweather Post Pavilion performers, as wellas VIPs and prospective business developers werehoused in one of the three-level townhouse apartments.Among the many visitors who signed the guest bookwere entertainers Tom Jones and Norm Crosby.

nTidesfall The lakefront townhomes of Tidesfall weredesigned by Hugh Newell Jacobsen and built by PageCorporation. In a press release dated August 5, 1969,Jacobsen said, “The hard edge forms of white stuccoagainst the sky, with shadows cast by projecting wings,offer maximum privacy for each house — which I hopeexpresses a vitality compatible with the spirit of Columbia.”Jacobsen is best known for his modern residences

which are rectangular in plan. He has also worked ongrand projects such as an addition to the United StatesCapitol, renovations of The Renwick Gallery and theU.S. embassies in Paris and Moscow. During his 40-year career Jacobsen has won more than

110 awards for design excellence. In 1971, he won three

Walking TourThe dedication of Wilde Lake on June 21, 1967 took place on theshore of the lake and marked the beginning of Columbia. “Thislake and this village are named for Frazar Bullard Wilde ... Whosewisdom, foresight and strong support made Columbia possible.”

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For more information about Columbia and its history visit the Columbia Archives10227 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, MD 21044 • 410-715-3103Columbia.Archives@ColumbiaAssociation.org • ColumbiaArchives.org continued on next page

of those awards for Tidesfall: an Award for Excellence inArchitecture by the Metropolitan Washing ton Board ofTrade, a Merit Award by the American Institute of Architects,and an Award for Excellence in Apartment Design byArchitectural Record. Architectural Record highlightedTidesfall for “Privacy — and especially private outdoor space— [which] is difficult to achieve at townhouse densities.”Over the years homeowners have made major

renovations giving the houses a more individual appearancebut they remain a highlight of the Wilde Lake shoreline.

n Waterfowl Terrace The lakefront, custom-designedhomes on Waterfowl Terrace were once referred to asRouse Row. William Finley, Mal Sherman, and ClaudeMcKinney were among the Rouse Company executiveswho built these homes; the Finley and Sherman homessubsequently turned over to James Rouse and Pat Kennedy,long-time Columbia Association president. While the lackof public access to the lake is a nod to exclusivity, thestreet illustrates Columbia’s goal for economic diversitywith custom-designed homes on one side and moderatelypriced Ryland tract houses on the other.

n Wild Wilde Lake Photographer Michael Obermanhas observed more than 50 species of wildlife at WildeLake. Among the more constant visitors is the Great BlueHeron, the largest and most widespread heron in NorthAmerica. Not as commonly spotted, but known to be atWilde Lake, is the Baltimore Oriole. These birds buildhanging, woven nests in open areas with tall trees. One wasspotted in the labeled London Planetree near the path infront of the Wilde Lake Barn a couple of years ago.

n Wilde Lake Barn The barn, the stone houses onHyla Brook Road and the small building at the Wilde Lakedock were all originally part of the over 1,000 acreOakland Manor. Built by Charles Sterrett Ridgely in1811, the property passed through several hands beforebeing purchased in 1864 by Phillip and Katherine Tabb.

Katherine subsequently sold it to her father, FrancisMorris. Morris was a successful New York businessman —a pioneer in many undertakings including paper makingand telegraphy. In cooperation with Samuel Morse heestablished the initial telegraph line between Washingtonand Baltimore. Morris was president of Central AmericanTransit Line and of the American Telegraph Company. One example of Morris’ pioneering ideas can be found

at what we now call the Wilde Lake Barn. It was here thatMorris built and used the first silos on the East Coast to ensilage green crops. In 1976, on the centennial anniversaryof this invention, the barn was declared an agriculturalhistorical landmark by the American Society of AgriculturalEngineers. Morris’ great grandson, John Morris II, andNicholas DiBrino, who wrote the history of the Morrisfamily, were among the people who came to Columbia forthe installation of the plaque that can be found on the sideof the barn facing the historic houses on Hyla Brook Road.DiBrino wrote that Morris loved fine horses and bred some

of the best thoroughbreds of his day. He imported fromEngland the celebrated horse, Eclipse, which sired Ruthless,Regardless and Remorseless. Those who follow horse-racingmight know that Ruthless won the first running of the Belmont.

n Historic Houses on Hyla Brook Road10106 Hyla Brook began as a blacksmith shop in the

early 1800s. It is historically significant for Columbiabecause it was the site of Columbia’s temporary post officethat opened August 15, 1966. In 1981 Bruno Reichpurchased the small stone and stucco structure. He spent16 years creating the unique structure that now adds tothe architectural landscape. Its transformation to one ofWilde Lake’s most interesting structures is chronicled in an11-episode HGTV Dream House series.

10102 Hyla Brook Road is nestled between 10026which was once the overseer’s house for Oakland Manorand 10106. This little house holds significance forColumbia that overshadows its size. It was the home ofColumbia’s first residents, John and Barbara Slayton, whomoved in June 1966 — before there was a Wilde Lake —before Columbia “began.” John Slayton was hired as thefirst manager of Columbia, moved here and tragically diedbefore he could see Columbia develop.

10026 Hyla Brook This imposing private home,purchased by John McDonough in 2002 and renovatedand enlarged, was the only one of the original Oaklandstructures that was not acquired by The Rouse Companyduring the land acquisition thereby putting it in theoutparcel category. George and Edith Ralston hadpurchased the home in the late 1950s and had no interestin selling even when they were aware that a city would growaround them. While McDonough’s renovation is extensive,adding 3500 square feet, there is a nod to the historicheritage. He retained the existing windows, the 100 year-old oak floor in the parlor and the 200 year old pine floorin one second story bedroom. The dormers were added toreplicate those on the barn. During construction the stonewalls were found to be structurally unsound and needed tobe re-mortared to reestablish structural stability. The houseis currently on the market listed for just under $1 million.

n Wilde Lake Dedication Plaque The first plaque tobe affixed to the large boulder commemorates thededication of Wilde Lake on June 21, 1967 marking thebeginning of Columbia and honors Frazar Bullard Wildewhom James Rouse credited with making Columbiapossible. The second plaque honors Rouse and wasinstalled on the occasion of Columbia’s tenth birthday.

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Tidesfall

The Cove

WaterfowlTerrace

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Wilde Lake Barn

Dedication Plaque

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Aerial Photo 1972

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Wilde Lake Barn