For Immediate Release: September 26, 2025
Contact: Kaelynn Bedsworth
Phone: 443-221-6997
Email: kaelynn.bedsworth@annapolis.org
Annapolis, Maryland — Historic Annapolis (HA) is pleased to announce the award of a $750,000 federal grant by the National Park Service (NPS) to support the state-of-the-art restoration of the James Brice House, a National Historic Landmark located in downtown Annapolis, Maryland. This grant initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States funds projects that restore and preserve sites and structures that represent the founding era of our nation and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
HA was honored to receive a grant through the first round of funding in 2021, which also supported this restoration project. Awarded funds this year will support the important restoration of the building’s historic windows and doors, woodwork, trim, and masonry elements.
“Historic Annapolis is honored by this award to support the incredible restoration work happening at the James Brice House. This federal grant, along with significant investment by the State of Maryland and private donors, is key to our efforts to preserve this important architectural treasure,” said Karen Theimer Brown, President & CEO of HA. “We look forward to celebrating this restored building with the public and sharing the full and inclusive history of all the people who lived and worked here, the time period it represents, and the building as a symbol of our nation’s journey to independence.”
The James Brice House is one of the largest and most elegant of Annapolis’s historic homes, and one of the most important surviving structures from colonial America. Recognizing the importance of the architectural gem, the State of Maryland purchased the James Brice House in 2014 and arranged for Historic Annapolis to maintain and manage the property. In 2016, HA embarked on a multi-year, multi-million dollar restoration of the Brice House. The team of experts HA has assembled for this project are highly respected in their fields, known world-wide, and have worked on the nation’s most important historic structures including Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, Drayton Hall, and the Maryland State House.
The Semiquincentennial grant program was created by Congress in 2020 and is funded through the Historic Preservation Fund, which uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, not tax dollars, with the intent to mitigate the loss of a nonrenewable resource to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources. For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg.
For more information about the James Brice House Restoration project, please visit annapolis.org/bricehouse, or contact Historic Annapolis at info@annapolis.org.
About Historic Annapolis
Established in 1952, Historic Annapolis is the leading nonprofit preservation and history organization in Annapolis, Maryland. Our mission is to Preserve and Protect the historic places, objects, and stories of Maryland’s capital city, and provide engaging experiences that Connect people to the area’s diverse heritage. For more information or to get involved with Historic Annapolis, visit annapolis.org.
About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.