- © 2025 Annapolis Home Magazine
- All Rights Reserved
by Robert E. Haywood
Photography by Peak Visuals
86 State Circle, known as the Randall House Duplex, is a superior example of the adaptive reuse of a historic building in Annapolis, setting a high standard for the city and other developers. Originally a private residence, this building was later used as a commercial office and is now reconceived as a luxury boutique hotel. A fine example of English Queen Anne architecture, part of the Victorian architectural tradition, it has served various purposes and owners over its 140-plus years. Alexander Randall (1803–1881)—a lawyer, businessman, U.S. Congressman, and Maryland’s 14th Attorney General—built the duplex seen today.
Late in his life, in 1878, while living in the Georgian-style mansion built by Stephen Bordley in 1760—now known as the Bordley-Randall House—Randall built a tall, distinctive duplex on the same expansive lot, facing State Circle. This home was likely designed to accommodate Alexander and his wife Elizabeth’s seven children. Counting the eight children of his first wife, Alexander had a total of fifteen children, twelve of whom lived into adulthood.1 Like most historic homes, the residence has undergone changes over time.
Architect Chip Bohl, who published an insightful essay on the building in this magazine, considers the Randall House to be the first modern home in Annapolis.2 Unlike the Hammond-Harwood House and the Paca House—both now house museums open for tours—or the Georgian mansion mentioned above, the Randall House does not follow the traditional symmetrical five-part plan of these other homes. Instead, the Randall House is asymmetrical with complex roof lines and, as Bohl states, “varies dramatically from different vantage points.” The façade facing State Circle consists of three stories and features bay windows. The duplex units create two strong, echoing vertical forms. With its fantastical fish-scale terracotta siding wrapped around the front and sides of the third level and decorative bays and chimneys, Bohl argues that the “animalistic… nature-celebrating architecture of 86–88 State Circle is diametrically opposed to the social-status architecture of the five-part plan mansions.”
In 2021, Clint Ramsden and Cody Monroe, founders of the Severn Grove Hospitality Group, purchased the unit closest to the street corner of the dilapidated property. Ramsden says they were fully aware it’s “a building that is part of living history… and [one] that will never be recreated.” (The City of Baltimore owns the adjacent unit, which will serve as legislative offices once renovations are complete.)
Driven by a bold vision and committed to preserving the building’s architectural integrity and intricate craftsmanship, Ramsden and Monroe set out to reconfigure the interior into a nine-bedroom hotel with relentless attention to detail and design. Preservation Maryland awarded them a competitive Maryland State Historic Tax Credit to support the project.
To realize their restoration vision, they enlisted top-tier professionals, notably Hammond Wilson Architects and Interior Concepts. The result is a finish akin to a perfectly repolished leather shoe—but on a grander architectural scale. Spanning an area from the garden at the street entrance to the refurbished and reinstalled original windows, the immaculate guest rooms, and the elegant parlor, the entire project exudes comfort and refinement. The parlor, with many shades of neutrals and moments of blue, combines antiques, older pieces, and reproductions. Arlene Critzos of Interior Concepts comments that these elements should be in every traditional space. This combination, she says, creates “the comfort and luxuriousness of the new with the good wood from the past.”
Rather than adopting a standardized look, each guest suite is individually appointed in soothing neutral tones and named after a prominent figure from Annapolis’s history. This carefully curated aesthetic reflects the owners’ mission to offer guests gracious, attentive, and personalized hospitality in an atmosphere that embraces Annapolis’s storied history.
Certain preserved features of the home stand out. For instance, the team chose to maintain the 12-foot ceilings in the parlor—“a character-defining interior design element,” Ramsden asserts—preserving the grand, spacious feel.
They also restored the sinking staircase leading to the second and third floors. Andrew Fishback of Hammond Wilson Architects notes that the stair is “the centerpiece of the building—both visually and historically.” The team, Fishback says, worked closely with a preservation specialist to meet current safety codes during the restoration process, but “We made sure to keep the original craftsmanship intact.”
One of the most extraordinary transformations is the former basement garage, now reimagined as a cavernous lounge named The Black Pearl: a sophisticated retreat where guests can sip cocktails, unwind, and converse. Critzos says they wanted the lounge to be a surprise—and it certainly is. The interior is reminiscent of an English speakeasy: rustic brick arches, rich greens and caramel tones, box plaid fabrics, and soft, ambient lighting combine to create an atmosphere that feels old-world and elegantly romantic.
Converting 86 State Circle from an office building into a boutique hotel was a massive, four-year undertaking, further complicated by protracted permitting processes and bureaucratic delays. Developers inevitably must also navigate competing visions and frequently engage in spirited debates about how a city should look, function, and serve its residents and visitors. In this instance, Ramsden and Monroe found themselves a part of local debates regarding the use of houses in the historic district as short-term rentals versus permanent residences.3 However, with 86 State Circle, they acquired a once-private home that had long since been converted into a commercial property.
Historic preservation typically focuses on restoring architecturally significant homes—often grand mansions—by carefully removing everything from layers of paint or plaster to later modifications and additions to reveal the original design and craftsmanship. Once restored, such properties frequently become house museums, inviting visitors to experience the spaces and imagine daily life in an earlier era. For a city, house museums serve as anchors of cultural heritage and contribute to the local tourism economy.
Adaptive reuse of a historic building follows a different but complementary approach, emphasizing exterior stabilization and interior upgrades while reimagining the space to serve a contemporary purpose. Both approaches should—and often do—coexist, as successful adaptively reused buildings enhance the commercial vitality of a community. Without this balance, a city may preserve its historic character but risk becoming economically stagnant.
A commercial developer can elevate the character of a city or contribute to its aesthetic decline. As with all their boutique hotel projects—86 State Circle is one of four they currently operate in Annapolis—Ramsden and Monroe epitomize the former. Whether passing by 86 State Circle and admiring its ornate façade or stepping inside as a hotel guest, it’s hard not to appreciate how the team has beautifully restored this architectural landmark—and, in doing so, helped support the economy of the small businesses surrounding the State Capitol. After all, hotel guests do more than sleep; they explore, dine, and shop.
Take a stroll around State Circle and pause when you reach 86. Look up and around—you’ll see a 19th-century building, at once stately and whimsical, that stands strong, still defining the character of historic Annapolis as it unfolds into the 21st century.
ARCHITECTURE: Leo Wilson and Andrew Fishback, Hammond Wilson Architects
INTERIOR DESIGN: Arlene Critzos, Andrea Blamphin, and Megan Ligday, Interior Concepts, Inc.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECURE: Campion Hruby Landscape Architects (consulting on garden design, materials selection, and permitting)
See all the Severn Grove Hospitality Group’s hotels that follow a similar model of adaptive reuse at www.severn-grove.com.
1On Alexander Randall, see Maryland Historical Trust. Bordley Randall House (Site No. 18AP50). https://apps.mht.maryland.gov/synthesis/pdf/18AP50.pdf
2Bohl, Chip. “On the Corner: The First Modern House in Annapolis,” Annapolis Home Magazine, July/August 2021. Reprinted in Annapolis Architecture Guide, Bordley-Randall House, accessed Fall 2025, annapolisarchitectureguide.com. Also see Society of Architectural Historians, Randall Court Houses, SAH Archipedia, accessed Fall 2025, https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-WS50
3For an account of Clint Ramsden and Cody Monroe’s early ventures into real estate development—as well as some of the permitting issues debated at the time—see Rebecca Ritzel, “From helicopter pilots to ‘hotel nerds’: Navy grads aim to expand luxury accommodations in Annapolis,” Capital Gazette, September 18, 2022. www.capitalgazette.com
© Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 16, No. 6 2025