Dorsey Hall is a historic home in Columbia,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is a six-by-one-bay, -story stucco structure with a gable roof covered with asphalt shingles. It is a well-preserved and detailed example of the vernacular dwellings of the early 19th century in Howard County and associated with the Dorsey family, one of the "first families" of the county. Dorsey Hall was built on Dorsey's Search, a parcel of land patented by

Hon. John Dorsey Hon. John Dorsey (before 1646 – 1714) was a colonial settler of Maryland and Anne Arundel County, the youngest son of Edward Dorsey (shipwright), Edward the Shipwright. He and his brothers Edward Dorsey, Edward and Joshua patented "Hockle ...

of Hockley-in-the-hole (1645–1714) in Baltimore County (now Howard County), the brother of

Edward Dorsey Col. Edward Dorsey (before 1646 – 1705) was a colonial settler of Maryland and Anne Arundel County. His house at 211 Prince George St. is a historic Annapolis home, once occupied by Francis Nicholson from 1694 to 1709. Early life On 25 ...

. The property adjacent to the north branch of the

Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeas ...

was surveyed by Richard Beard in December 1684, and granted to Dorsey in March 1696. The surrounding residential neighborhood of

Dorsey's Search Dorsey's Search is a parcel of land patented by John Dorsey of Hockley-in-the-hole (1645–1714) in Baltimore County (now Howard County). The property adjacent to the north branch of the Patuxent river was surveyed by Richard Beard in December ...

was named after the original land grant. Judge Richard Ridgley owned the property which returned to the Dorsey family after his death and purchase by Caleb Dorsey. The farm operated with slave labor until the death of Caleb Dorsey in 1864. In 1963, owner Julius Mandel and Gudelsky Company attempted to rezone the site for high-rise apartments. The property was retitled to the Gudelsky-owned Contee Sand and Gravel Company. The 685-acre property was then purchased by

The Rouse Company The Rouse Company was a publicly traded shopping mall and community developer from 1956 until 2004, when GGP Inc., General Growth Properties (GGP) purchased the company. It was founded by Hunter Moss and James Rouse, James W. Rouse in 1939. Begin ...

's shell corporation Columbia Industrial Development Corp. for redevelopment, which was halted in 1968 by residential opposition. The building underwent a renovation in 1979. The stone gristmill remains were still visible onsite at the time. The of land surrounding Dorsey Hall that was acquired by

was resold to land developers Richard Talkin and Donald Reuwer for $785,000 in 2000. In July 2000, a $3.5 million, 32,000 square-foot office project broke ground. By 2001, the site of the estate was subdivided and reduced to 2 acres with a survey claiming no outbuildings were present unlike the neighboring Woodlawn Estate from the same period. Dorsey Hall now stands at the entrance to a business park (comprising mostly medical offices) at 5100 Dorsey Hall Drive, the architecture of which is compatible with the building. However, although it forms an imposing image, it has no signage or other identification and is not open to the public. The confusion is amplified by the adjacent business park at 5010 Dorsey Hall Drive, which bears a sign naming itself the "Dorsey Hall Business Park." Just north of

Maryland Route 108 Maryland Route 108 (MD 108) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from MD 27 in Damascus east to MD 175 in Columbia. MD 108 is an S-shaped highway that winds through northern Montgomery County and central Howa ...

, Dorsey Hall is technically at the southern edge of unincorporated

Ellicott City, Maryland Ellicott City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its ...

, rather than the northern edge of Columbia. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2001.

References

External links

*, including photo from 1980, at Maryland Historical Trust {{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Buildings and structures in Columbia, Maryland Houses completed in 1798 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Georgian architecture in Maryland Howard County, Maryland landmarks Houses in Howard County, Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Howard County, Maryland Dorsey family (Maryland)

See also

References

External links