Eight-townhome plan moves forward as neighbors fight Winchester House demolition

The future of Frederick’s Winchester House is being contested on two tracks: a design review for eight proposed townhomes and a court appeal aimed at preserving the historic home.

The Frederick News-Post reports that architect Ben Bates recently presented a replacement concept to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission on behalf of the property owners. The roughly $2 million design calls for two groups of four townhomes, each with three stories, a rooftop deck and a garage.

The commission approved demolition of the house and an adjacent garage in April 2025, subject to approval of a replacement plan. An owner-commissioned structural analysis found that the building’s deteriorated condition presented a public safety concern, according to the newspaper.

The latest presentation does not mean the townhomes have final approval. The owners must obtain an initial approval from the historic commission, pursue site plan approval from the Planning Commission and return for review of smaller design details.

Neighbors raised concerns about the proposed buildings’ height, their fit with the surrounding neighborhood, stormwater, parking and privacy.

Andrew Doppes told the commission that the site’s elevated position would make the townhomes more prominent than the renderings suggested, even after reductions from an earlier design. Other residents continued to oppose losing the existing house.

James Wagner and Susanna Woodward challenged the demolition decision in Frederick County Circuit Court in May 2025. According to the News-Post’s account of court documents, they argued that the commission had not adequately considered the entire site and should have obtained an independent structural analysis, among other objections.

The circuit court upheld the commission’s decision in July. The ruling found substantial evidence supporting the decision and concluded that the replacement-plan condition would allow the commission to protect the site’s overall historic significance, the newspaper reported.

Wagner appealed to the Appellate Court of Maryland in August. He told the newspaper he expects a decision in spring 2027; that is his expectation, not a confirmed court schedule.

For now, the replacement design remains under review while the demolition dispute continues. Neither the workshop presentation nor the earlier conditional approval establishes that construction is ready to begin.