The City of Rockville records its construction cost at $23,000, an extraordinary sum for a playhouse at the time. The Civic Center Cottage in Rockville, Maryland, is a full-size playhouse. the small house has survived for decades and remains part of the historic grounds of Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park Although it was designed as a child’s retreat.
The report states that the Glenview property became a country estate belonging to the Lyon family outside Washington, D.C. Dr. In the 1930s, Dr. Lyon came across designs for a doll’s house in a movie magazine and decided to turn the idea into a full-size playhouse for his daughter. As Rockville transformed from being a small town to becoming a suburb of Washington, D.C., changes occurred within the property owned by the Lyon family. Lyon started selling parts of the property to develop it. The building offers a glimpse into the lives of wealthy American families in the early 20th century, when large country estates often included buildings set aside for children. This building is a perfect example of how historic buildings receive their new functions as time goes by.
James Alexander Lyon and his wife, Irene, had one daughter, Elizabeth Moore Lyon, known as Betsy, who was born in 1926. Following the death of Irene Lyon in 1950, Dr. Finally, the Glenview property was bought by the Montgomery County Historical Society in 1953 and sold to the City of Rockville in 1957. Its value does not rest only in the fact that it cost $23,000 to build, but in the fact that it still exists.
