09-25-2022 Capital Style - Flipbook - Page 33
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Built between 1890 and 1910,
Naval Academy residences have
served families for centuries
By Mike Klingaman
T
A view of the sign outside the home on 29 Upshur Road inside
the U.S. Naval Academy.
Photos by Karl Merton Ferron Capital Style
he Navy brass isn’t prone to spouting superlatives, but when
Capt. James Bates saw his new digs at the Academy — a
historic three-story home — the accolades flowed.
“My first thoughts were: it’s majestic, palatial and cavernous,” Bates said of the 6,500-square-foot, red-brick home, 120 years
old and one of 36 similar residences on Academy grounds afforded to
high-ranking officers, academic faculty and their families. Bates, chief
of staff, arrived in 2020 with his wife, Jennifer, and their two teenage
children. The house at 29 Upshur Road has nine bedrooms, five full
baths, five fireplaces, 15-foot ceilings and a three-story spiral staircase
with a skylight at the top.
“I call it the stairway to heaven, except I’m not ready for that, so I turn
left instead and go to our bedroom,” said Bates, 52.
For Midshipmen, the stately homes have long been shrouded in
mystery and viewed with an almost sacrosanct reverence. For more
than a century, the august dwellings that line Upshur, Porter and Rodgers roads on campus have been occupied by prominent naval personnel, whose names appear on brass plates inside the entrance of each.
The houses, all built between 1890 and 1910, are of red or gray brick
and are among the oldest on campus. To Navy personnel, they represent the stability of the Academy — ballast, if you will, for an institution
steeped in tradition.
“When I look at these old homes, I feel deep sense of history, and
how this place hasn’t changed,” said Sam Limneos, assistant archivist
and a steward of the school’s past. “I see a legacy of honor and integrity
as attributes of the high standards that we try to hold onto. The opportunity to have a home on The Yard is a big deal.”
To that, Bates can attest.
“When I [studied] here, I rowed crew and ran to practice past these
homes on a daily basis. I looked at them and thought about them but
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