Then & Now

Then & Now: If the devil is in the details, why is it so interesting to get lost in them?

November 25, 2019

By STUART EISENBERG — Historic districts take all kinds. I live in a Victorian-era house built in 1891 that’s done in a mild version of the Carpenter Gothic style. Maybe it was the wrong house for a detail-oriented carpenter/cabinet maker to purchase. But my wife, Kathy, really loved its [read more]

Then & Now: Popcorn and a silver ladle

July 11, 2019

By RANDY FLETCHER — Tiffany, Gorham, Wood & Hughes, and Gale are just a few of the names as important to a silver connoisseur as Gucci, Prada, Channel and Wang are to a fashionista. I don’t consider myself either a silver connoisseur or a fashionista, but I am fascinated by some of the odd [read more]

Then & Now: Historic Hyattsville House Tour celebrates 40 years

May 17, 2019

By RANDY FLETCHER — Last month, the telltale signs of spring started to arrive. The warmth of the sun urged flowers to pop up and show off their colorful blooms. Trees and shrubs pushed out new growth. The sounds of chirping birds and the smell of freshly cut grass began to fill the air. But even [read more]

Then & Now: Vinegar: A mold-busting miracle!

February 28, 2019

By RANDY FLETCHER — There are certain smells that take me back to my childhood and make me think of my grandparents. Coffee is one of them. My grandmother had three percolators going all the time: one in the kitchen, one next to the davenport in the TV room, and another one in the master bath. [read more]

Then & Now: Details, details – the devil is always in the details

November 20, 2018

By STUART EISENBERG — Allow me to confess here and now that I collect antique doorknobs, mostly decorative ones from the Victorian era. There, I’ve stated it publicly, and there’s no turning back. One residual effect of my past career as a cabinetmaker and remodeling carpenter is that I am [read more]

Then and Now: Keep looking through your old windows

September 24, 2018

By RANDY FLETCHER — The world can tell a lot about your home by its windows. They are an important element of the overall charm of a house, giving it character, appeal and architectural integrity. Windows are often the first feature of your home that visitors or passersby notice. Whether it’s [read more]

Then and Now: Tracing the origins of the WSSC headquarters

June 22, 2018

By STUART EISENBERG — Whether it’s the villain or the beleaguered hero of your vision for a better Hyattsville, the WSSC headquarters has an origin story that ties into other aspects of the Hyattsville community development story. Exploring plats, land transfers and uses prior to the present [read more]

Then & Now: Unmapping segregation

February 22, 2018

BY STUART EISENBERG — With debates ranging regionally over the legacy of tolerating monuments to leaders of the Confederacy in public spaces, one may ponder, “What does institutional racism look like locally? Where does it dwell in Hyattsville?” One form in which I find institutional racism [read more]

Then & Now: From the pages of a catalog – the blue silk blouse and the bungalow

December 21, 2017

BY RANDY FLETCHER —Fall always brought a flurry of excitement to our household. It may have been the change in color of our New England fall leaves, the anticipation of the coming holidays, or the arrival of that thick, thick catalog — the Sears catalog. I can remember how thrilled my mother [read more]

Then & Now: A rumination on Heurich’s dairy farm

October 24, 2017

BY RANDY FLETCHER — As I wait for the light to turn green at the corner of Belcrest Road and Route 410, I wonder what it felt like to be here, at this very spot, before what I see now was standing. What would the ground feel like beneath my feet? What would the air smell like? Crisp apples? [read more]

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