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Women in Preservation: St. Clair Wright

May is Preservation Month! Each year in May, preservation groups across the country celebrate by promoting heritage tourism, historic sites, and the social and economic benefits of historic preservation. In 2020, HA is celebrating not only Preservation Month, but also the Year of the Woman. Women have long been on the forefront of the preservation movement and we are excited to feature just a few of the notable ladies who have preserved the historic places we enjoy today. Our first highlight is a notable and beloved Annapolitan, St. Clair Wright.


What do you love about Annapolis? Chances are, it has to do with our historic downtown. For that, we have to thank the efforts of Anne St. Clair Wright. Former mayor of Annapolis, Roger “Pip” Moyer, said that Mrs. Wright “did more for the city than any other single person in the city’s history by saving it from being Anywhere, USA.”

Those who visit Annapolis can certainly agree: Annapolis is far from being “Anywhere, USA.” The city’s charming streets and variety of historic architecture have made Annapolis a beloved place for tourists and residents alike. St. Clair Wright recognized the significance and singularity of Annapolis’s architectural heritage and dedicated over 40 years of her life to preserving it for all to enjoy.

In 1952, St. Clair Wright was among the small group of concerned citizens who founded Historic Annapolis, Inc., in response to official inaction on threats to the city’s historic structures and character posed by inappropriate renovations and new development projects. The organization then quickly expanded to focus on other projects. Within the first few years of its start, the organization moved the Charles Carroll the Barrister House from its original location on Main Street to the campus of St. John’s College, and rescued Shiplap House on Pinkney Street, one of the oldest houses in Annapolis.

"...a dreamer who recognized Annapolis, Maryland’s capital, as a long-neglected treasure."

One of the largest projects St. Clair Wright and HA undertook was to rescue and restore the William Paca House and Garden in 1965. This feat involved demolishing the Carvel Hall Hotel addition that had been built behind the colonial mansion and calling in a fleet of experts to help restore the home to its original 18th century appearance. Working with the State of Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust, Mrs. Wright and HA also turned their attention to the large expanse of pavement behind it, the historic location of the William Paca’s garden. The terraced landscape was restored in the 1970s using archaeological evidence to determine how it was configured. A gardener herself, St. Clair particularly loved the restored Paca Garden.


St. Clair Wright’s time with Historic Annapolis spanned from its very beginning in 1952 to her death in 1993. In her time with HA, Mrs. Wright served as secretary, President, and Chairman of the Board - always as a volunteer. Her passion and tireless advocacy for preservation in Annapolis have undoubtedly helped to make the city what it is today. Pringle Symonds, who worked with St. Clair Wright for 25 years, described her as “a dreamer who recognized Annapolis, Maryland’s capital, as a long-neglected treasure. She set about convincing others that the remarkable city plan, with its radiating streets lined with both elegant and disfigured 18th-century buildings, deserved preservation and recognition as one of the finest 18th-century cities left in the United States.”


St. Clair Wright has received much recognition for her many achievements in Annapolis, to include the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Crowninshield Award for exemplary achievement in Historic Preservation. She holds honorary degrees from the University of Maryland and Towson State College, and was inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame.


Carolyn Currin Preservation Assistant


 

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