Here's your Colorado Kitchen, now Maryland Kitchen.
The Colorado Kitchen is one of those places that I always thought about going to everytime I drove by but never did. Well, too late now, I guess, since it's closing. The (relevant) story here is that the owners are planning on opening up a new location in Silver Spring in what used to be the General Store near the corner of Forest Glen and Seminary Roads. (You know, the place with the "castle") Kind of off the beaten path, but that might be a good location provided they get the word out - it can draw just as easily from Kensington and Silver Spring.
I miss the old General Store - you could by all sorts of knick knacks there. As a kid, it was great. Seems like that has been closed forever.
BTW if the title makes no sense, say it in a deep Austrian accent. Then it will make even less sense.
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15 comments:
My mom worked at the general store for a little while. That's interesting news.
Is that castle an "historic" structure?
Yes, it was built before 1997.
The castle: According to State Real Property Data Search records the the primary structure of the "castle" was built in 1969. I thought the stories I had heard made it older than that. The "General Store" was built in 1918. In an earlier life it had a neat shop in the basement with interesting one-of-a-kind gifts, crafts and cards (when they weren't all Hallmark and American...) and a Christmas shop out back in a small building that may have been a garage.
That doesn't sound accurate. I'm pretty sure the General Store was built in 1895. The second part (now detached) was a bit later probably. I don't know about the castle.
Whoops, I meant 1885.
The State Real Property record says 1918:
http://sdatcert3.resiusa.org/rp_rewrite/details.aspx?AccountNumber=13%2000995514%20%20%20%20%20&County=16&SearchType=STREET
It is interesting that the mailing address of the "general store" property owner is Mrs Ks Toll House on Colesville. I have no answer for that.
Try again --The State Real Property record
http://sdatcert3.resiusa.org/rp_rewrite/
details.aspx?AccountNumber=13%2000995514
%20%20%20%20%20&County=16&SearchType=STREET
The construction dates in the state real property data are often erroneous, especially for older properties. I have done extensive local history research and found many houses dated in tax records years before the first ads for the new houses appeared in the newspapers. In some cases the property tax records even have houses dated before the lots were sold or the streets were built.
According to "Places from the Past: The Tradition of Gardez Bien in Montgomery County, MD" ("Gardez Bien" = "to guard well or to take good care"...is this the same Montgomery County that I live in?), the Castle is in the Capitol View Park Historic District.
It began as a general store and post office in 1883 and in the 1920s the complex was unified utilizing a castle design by Dr. James Ament of the National Park Seminary.
I'm a little confused. The link to the post article is from March 2007. And the article from the Best Bites Blog indicates that the new restaurant will be in woodside. I think I'm correct that the castle isn't in Woodside. I drive by the castle and that blue building every day, and nothing has gone on there for a long time. Is it possible they abandoned the castle/blue building location and moved on to something else?
It's definitely at that location... maybe "Woodside" is too broadly defined in this case. Here's the recent DCist post about it that backs up the general store story.
Great, thanks for the update. I hope she comes through with this, it would be a wonderful addition.
In today's Gazette, it sez the owners are opening a second restaurant in Takoma Park in the closed Italian restaurant.
Interesting information. There's an ongoing project over at eastghost.com to document the history, heritage and hauntings in and around Forest Glen (National Park Seminary). You might also see saveourseminary.org and operant.com/Seminary
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