Woodend Manor House

Woodend Manor House. . The Woodend Manor House was designed in Georgian style by John Russell Pope in 1927, on what was once the hunting grounds for Algonquin Indians. The house was originally the residence of Chester and Marion Wells, who wanted the house to recreate the atmosphere of English country living in their American home. Captain and Mrs. Wells decided to build the mansion after discarding the idea of rebuilding and enlarging the ruins of the Clean Drinking Manor House. Clean Drinking was the name of the property, which was at one time about 14,000 acres, from the time it was "taken up" by John Courts in 1680 and patented in 1699, until it was purchased by Captain and Mrs. Wells in 1916., The Mansion contains 30 rooms, has 10,000 square feet (not including the basement), and has a partial third floor, which is not visible when looking up at the house from the outside. Forty acres of land surround the mansion, although Captain and Mrs. Wells once owned 100 acres, including part of what is now Rock Creek Park. In 1967 following the death of Mrs. Wells, Woodend was donated to the Audubon Naturalist Society, which was founded in 1897. Today, these grounds have numerous paths running through them, and are home to more than twenty-nine different species of birds. As the headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society, the manor house provides space for classrooms, a library, and a bookstore on the first floor, and office space on the second. Just inside the entrance is the great hall with high ceilings and an elegant fireplace. A spacious terrace extending across the lawn, just outside the great hall, can comfortably set 150 people for a variety of occasions.