WHETSTONE COURTS OF WHETSTONE I 3 COURTS OF WHETSTONE II 5 COURTS OF WHETSTONE III 7 GOSHENSIDE 9 LAKESIDE 11 RIDGES OF WHETSTONE 13

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1 WHETSTONE When the Kettler Brothers were considering how to develop the land that would become the new town of Montgomery Village, they decided to set the tone by first offering top-of-the-line houses, designed by Wilfred Worland, similar to those at Old Farm in Potomac and other earlier communities bearing the Kettler name, known for their quality construction. These were traditional, spacious single family brick homes built to blend in with trees planted by the developer. At the same time, the company was building neighboring communities of smaller brick homes in a lower price range, and the Kettlers were determined to continue that model in the Village, offering a variety of housing in a range of styles and prices. COURTS OF WHETSTONE I 3 COURTS OF WHETSTONE II 5 COURTS OF WHETSTONE III 7 GOSHENSIDE 9 LAKESIDE 11 RIDGES OF WHETSTONE 13 It was decided that the community of Whetstone, to be built around the lake of the same name, would be the first of the neighborhoods developed, built on land that had been part of the Thomas farm, long planted primarily with corn. The only existing trees were located in drainage swales and along fence rows and in a band around the top of the hill overlooking the valley of the Whetstone Branch, which was to become Lake Whetstone. Therefore, the early development included the planting of many mature trees in order to realize the developers vision for the community an effort that required the use of one of the first new-fangled tree moving machines (later borrowed by Lady Bird Johnson for her beautification program in Washington, D.C.). One significant decision made by the developers and enabled by the special Town Sector Zone created for the Village, was with regard to the design of the streets and open spaces. Because the streets were considered private roads rather than public streets, houses could be built closer to the roads than normally permitted by public road codes, and the back of the homes then had more room for paths, open spaces and separation between backyards. It was thought that this would create a greater sense of community, as well as allowing the roads to be built following the natural flow of the land, thus creating a residential landscape of winding streets and hills. These private roads are owned and maintained by the homes corporation, rather than the county (the only county roads within the Village are the large arteries, including Montgomery Village and East Village avenues and Watkins Mill, Stedwick and Apple Ridge roads). The Kettlers began by building larger homes in Lakeside, followed by a slightly smaller version in Goshenside. The intention was to market these first homes to families. The first large traditional model homes opened in Lakeside in August 1967, and shortly thereafter the first residents moved in. The Courts of Whetstone models opened in January These were most unusual at that time in this area a unique design of two-car garage, California contemporary, zero-lot-line, walled-garden homes. The name Whetstone chosen for this first Village community sprang from the fact that it lay to the north of the valley formed by Whetstone Branch, a local stream that originated near the town of Washington Grove. Legend had it that the spring at the beginning of the branch was capped with a large sharpening stone, or whetstone, and thus the name stuck.

2 WHETSTONE At about the time that Whetstone was being developed in 1966, the diary of Roger Brooke Farquar had just been published and was gaining local attention. This diary, which had been written during the middle and late 1800s, recounted in detail the life and times of the author, who was associated with the original Montgomery County Sentinel newspaper. The Kettlers used this diary as a resource for naming Village streets, and in Whetstone, the street names derived from the diary were used in alphabetical order, beginning with Annapolis Way in Lakeside and concluding with Union Place in Goshenside. Only the letter D was problematic and was resolved by choosing the name Digging Way which led to years of questions and answers involving creative fiction blended with a touch of truth (the Legend of General Digging). There are 443 homes, all single family, that comprise Whetstone Homes Corporation and include the communities of Lakeside, Goshenside, the Courts of Whetstone and the Ridges of Whetstone. The Whetstone Homes Corporation owns all of the land along the north side of Lake Whetstone up to the water s edge, as well as the north shore dock, while MVF owns the lake body and the land surrounding it on all the other sides, including the south shore dock and the adjacent park area. The streets, sidewalks, paths, greenspace, plantings, the lights and the storm drainage system are owned and maintained by the Whetstone Homes Corporation, whose affairs are managed by a board of nine volunteer directors, elected by the community to serve three-year terms. Aside from maintenance, the board is also responsible for drafting and enforcing policies and rules, setting and collecting assessments, preparing an operating budget and administering the reserve fund. The Whetstone model of governance was replicated in each of the homes corporation that followed, all of which are tied to Foundation governance through their Declaration of Covenants. Forty-five years after its beginnings, Whetstone still exemplifies those essential characteristics that were so important to the developers in creating their new town. The view of those first homes, nestled close to the beautiful expanse of Lake Whetstone, still welcomes both visitors and residents to Montgomery Village as we travel up the Avenue. The spring blossoms and fall colors of Whetstone s mature trees reflected in the water still take our breath away and make us all smile as we return home to our flourishing community, Montgomery Village.

3 COURTS OF WHETSTONE I 80 Zero-lot-line Single Family Detached Builder: Kettler Brothers, Inc. Models open 1968 Whetstone Homes Corporation Court I (Roman Way & initial section of Brooke Grove Court) The Courts of Whetstone were built as one of the first contemporary zero-lot-line communities in the early days of Montgomery Village. The walled-garden homes have a unique California design with 7-foot brick walls creating private front courtyards with black wrought-iron entrance gates, and private brick-walled rear yards in Court I and part of Court II. The remaining part of Court II had some variation in design including a high privacy 1 x 4 wood cedar fencing in the rear yard in place of the brick wall. The houses are two-story with two-car garages that sit close to the street creating a uniform, neat overall appearance. WS - 3

4 COURTS OF WHETSTONE I Original Design Features that must be retained Brick garden wall all houses have a single unifying brick color, and the brick is oversized. Roof shingles standard unifying color House siding vertical profile, grooves 4 o.c. House trim same color as siding Windows slider or casement, no grids Patio door no grids Garage door flush, house trim color Garage light black cylinder down-light Metal gate front and rear court yard gate, black Front side yard gate (leads to rear yard) wood, painted house color Driveway apron aggregate concrete with pea gravel finish House numbers mounted on a board or a plaque, located under light on garage Chimney brick contemporary design with precast cap Community Architectural Criteria supports each Design Study WS - 4

5 COURTS OF WHETSTONE II 11 Zero-lot-line Single Family Detached Builder: Kettler Brothers, Inc. Models open January 1968 Whetstone Homes Corporation Court II (final section of Brooke Grove Court) The Courts of Whetstone were built as one of the first contemporary zero-lot-line communities in the early days of Montgomery Village. The walled-garden homes have a unique California design with 7-foot brick walls creating private front courtyards with black wrought-iron entrance gates, and private brick-walled rear yards in Court I and part of Court II. The remaining part of Court II had some variation in design including a high privacy 1 x 4 wood cedar fencing in the rear yard in place of the brick wall. The houses are two-story with two-car garages that sit close to the street creating a uniform, neat overall appearance. WS - 5

6 COURTS OF WHETSTONE II Original Design Features that must be retained Brick garden wall all houses have a single unifying brick color, and the brick is oversized. Roof shingles standard unifying color House siding vertical profile, grooves 4 o.c. Windows slider or casement, no grids Patio door no grids Garage door flush, house trim color Garage light black cylinder down-light Wrought iron gate front and rear court yard gate, black Front side yard gate (leads to rear yard) wood, painted house color Fence rear yard, standard design and color Driveway apron aggregate concrete with pea gravel finish House numbers mounted on a board or a plaque, located under light on garage Chimney brick contemporary design with precast cap Community Architectural Criteria supports each Design Study WS - 6

7 COURTS OF WHETSTONE III 14 Zero-lot-line Single Family Detached Builder: Kettler Brothers, Inc. Models open January 1968 Whetstone Homes Corporation Court III (Rhodes Way) The Courts of Whetstone were built as one of the first contemporary zero-lot-line communities in the early days of Montgomery Village. Courts I and II preceded the final Court III. The houses are two-story with two-car garages that sit close to the street creating a uniform, neat overall appearance. The walled-garden homes have a unique California design with 7-foot brick walls creating private front courtyards with black wrought-iron entrance gates, and private high 1 x 4 wood cedar fencing in the rear yard. WS - 7

8 COURTS OF WHETSTONE III Original Design Features that must be retained Brick garden wall all houses have a single unifying brick color, and the brick is oversized. Roof shingles standard unifying color House siding vertical profile, grooves 4 o.c. Windows slider or casement, no grids Patio doors no grids Garage doors flush, house trim color Garage lights black cylinder down-light Wrought iron gate front and rear court yard gate, black Front side yard gate (leads to rear yard) wood, painted house color Fence rear yard, standard design and color Driveway apron aggregate concrete with pea gravel finish House numbers mounted on a board or a plaque, located under light on garage Chimney brick contemporary design with precast cap Community Architectural Criteria supports each Design Study WS - 8

9 GOSHENSIDE 164 single family detached homes Builder: Kettler Brothers, Inc. Models open September, 1967 Whetstone Homes Corporation Goshenside is the second traditionally designed single-family detached community built within the larger Whetstone community, and is located beside Goshen Road, an old country road that leads from Gaithersburg to The Land of Goshen, a biblical name and an old land grant. The Goshenside houses were built as medium size traditional homes which have level, walkout and one-car basement garages. All elevations of the Goshenside houses are sided with brick. WS - 9

10 GOSHENSIDE Original Design Features that must be retained Elevations all sided with brick water-tables Roof pitch original pitch must be retained Roof shingles 3-tab standard asphalt, wood shakes, and architectural shingles Gable vents must be retained Brick chimney standard mortar colors and grape-vine joints Windows double-hung, divided lights with colonial grids Window trim house trim color Bay window divided lights with colonial grids/ flat panels/metal roof Shutters full louvered or raised panel, 15 minimum width Garage door short panel, flush profile, and driveway Fence split-rail style Decorative light fixtures/hardware traditional design, various colors: pewter, black, bronze, brass, antique brass, and brushed nickel Community Architectural Criteria supports each Design Study WS - 10

11 LAKESIDE 138 single family detached homes Builder: Kettler Brothers, Inc. Models open August, 1967 Whetstone Homes Corporation Lakeside in Whetstone is the first residential community built in Montgomery Village. It was designed as large size traditional single-family detached homes with level, walkout and basement garage models, and the garages were designed for two cars. This community sits in the heart of Montgomery Village convenient to all amenities built around it. The homes sit adjacent to Lake Whetstone, a 27-acre lake, with a North Dock and gazebo which opened in September 1967 for fishing and boating. WS - 11

12 LAKESIDE Original Design Features that must be retained Elevations all sided with brick water-tables Roof pitch original pitch must be retained Roof shingles 3-tab standard asphalt, wood shakes, and architectural shingles Gable vents must be retained Brick chimney standard mortar colors and grape-vine joints Windows double-hung, divided lights with colonial grids Window trim house trim color Bay window divided lights with colonial grids/ flat panels/metal roof Shutters full louvered or raised panel, 15 minimum width Garage door short panel, flush profile, and driveway Fence split-rail style Decorative light fixtures/hardware traditional design, various colors: pewter, black, bronze, brass, antique brass, and brushed nickel Community Architectural Criteria supports each Design Study WS - 12

13 RIDGES OF WHETSTONE RIDGES OF WHETSTONE 40 single family detached homes Builder: Kettler Brothers, Inc. Models open October, 1971 Whetstone Homes Corporation The Ridges of Whetstone is the last traditionally designed single-family detached house community built within the larger Whetstone community. It is centrally located within Whetstone with houses that are smaller in size and have sided rear elevations. WS - 13

14 RIDGES OF WHETSTONE Original Design Features that must be retained Elevations all sided with brick water-tables Roof pitch original pitch must be retained Roof shingles 3-tab standard asphalt, wood shakes, and architectural shingles Gable vents must be retained Brick chimney standard mortar colors and grape-vine joints Windows double-hung, divided lights with colonial grids Window trim house trim color Bay window divided lights with colonial grids/ flat panels/metal roof Shutters full louvered or raised panel, 15 minimum width Garage door short panel, flush profile, and driveway Fence split-rail style Decorative light fixtures/hardware traditional design, various colors: pewter, black, bronze, brass, antique brass, and brushed nickel Community Architectural Criteria supports each Design Study WS - 14