The Hyattsville Preservation Association (HPA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was incorporated on April 15, 1982 as an important outcome of local National Register Historic District research.
The original incorporators were: George Armstrong, Suzanne Cooper, John Lautz, Judith [Amanda] Machen, Paul Schopf, Jane Seigler, Margaret Spurlin, Lester and Sharon Howe Sweeting and Phil Winterfeldt. The organization which seeks to preserve and promote the excellence of American architectural design and home living found in the City of Hyattsville, Maryland. Meetings and seminars are conducted on various topics, e.g. community issues, oral histories, home design and repair, historic preservation and gardening. On May 15, 2009, the organization presented its 30th annual Historic Hyattsville House Tour.
The Hyattsville Preservation Association held its inaugural meeting on February 14, 1980 at 8 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The Association was intended to be primarily a support group for homeowners attempting to restore and maintain some of Hyattsville’s older homes. Among the first members were: Mayor Tom Bass; Councilman Spurgeon Terry; County historian Fred DeMarr, founder of the Library of County History now managed by the Prince George’s County Historical Society; local architect Nicola Hain; and former Hyattsville residents: Catherine Eberwin, Diane Dornan, Spencer and Anita Hines, Mike Machen, Eileen McGuckian, Paul Schopf and Jane Seigler. Current HPA members and residents who participated from the beginning are Janet and Lou Kerdock, Mary Kay and Joe Guinta and Pat Yinkey.
The Hyattsville Preservation Association not only supported the creation of Hyattsville’s original National Register Historic District nomination when several members worked closely with the Historic Preservation Task Force, but has provided resources toward two subsequent expansion projects. The City supported the original application with funding made available during the 1980/81 budget cycle. Eileen McGuckian prepared that nomination, which was submitted to the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, the Keeper of the National Register. Located within the District are three individual National Register Sites: the 1917 Armory built to resemble England’s Windsor Castle, Hitching Post Hill (3308 Rosemary Lane), and a Works Progress Administration (WPA) era Post Office. Ten architecturally significant residences previously owned by contributors to Hyattsville’s early development are honored by Prince George’s County as Designated Sites.
