Historic hoUSE museum

Kimmel Studio Architects, led by Principal Devin Kimmel, AIA, ASLA, earned the 2023 John Russell Pope Award in Historic Preservation for the comprehensive restoration of Cloverfields. Spanning four years, the multi-million-dollar project meticulously revived one of the Maryland Eastern Shore’s most significant 18th-century estates.

Vision and Team

Initiated in 2017 by the Cloverfields Preservation Foundation, the project brought together a multidisciplinary team of architects, archaeologists, historians, botanists, dendrochronologists, and master craftspeople. Serving as both lead architect and landscape architect, Devin Kimmel spearheaded the master plan, architectural design, and site integration.

The restoration balances historical fidelity with long-term performance, preserving the authentic character of the house and gardens while incorporating modern building systems and sustainable practices.

Architectural Evolution

Constructed at the turn of the 18th century as a two-story residence with a full cellar and attic, Cloverfields was among the largest houses on the Eastern Shore. Its exterior features distinctive brickwork rare in colonial Maryland, including decorative belt courses that step up and down at the corners. The original layout centered on a spacious hall, parlor, and rear stair tower. A major late-18th-century expansion added rooms flanking the stair tower and created a central passage. By the close of the century, the 1,622-acre property encompassed the principal residence, secondary wings, a brick kitchen, and an office.