The Montgomery County Council voted today to historically designate Timberlawn and add it to the county's Master Plan for Historic Preservation.
The North Bethesda residence was where President John F. Kennedy's sister, Eunice, launched Camp Shriver, a day camp that inspired her to help create Special Olympics and revolutionize physical recreation for people with intellectual disabilities.
The home is now protected from demolition and any proposed changes to its exterior must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission before permits can be issued.
More about Timberlawn's legacy:
In 1962, a neighborhood parent told Eunice Kennedy Shriver that no summer day camps would accept her child with intellectual disabilities. So Shriver, already a disability rights advocate inspired by her older sister Rosemary, started one in the backyard of the 1901 home she and her family rented on a large North Bethesda estate called Timberlawn. Camp Shriver became part of Eunice’s inspiration for starting Special Olympics and helping to pass legislation supporting Americans with intellectual disabilities.
The Shrivers rented the property on Sugarbush Lane from 1961 to 1968 and from 1970 to 1978. The house, open fields, riding trails, and farm served as their family home and an extension of their offices.
Montgomery Planning's Historic Preservation Office worked with the home's current owners to nominate the property for historic designation. The Montgomery County MD Council vote follows designation recommendations from the county's Historic Preservation Commission and the Montgomery County Planning Board.
Planning Board Chair Artie Harris: “Timberlawn is a place where history and humanity intersect. It’s where a movement began that changed society’s understanding of inclusion and ability. The Montgomery County Planning Board is proud to help preserve that legacy, and we applaud the County Council for approving the historic designation.”
Photos courtesy Montgomery Planning, Special Olympics, and the National Museum of American History
Tim Shriver
Maria Shriver
