Benjamin Franklin Gilbert (1841–1907), an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to othe ...

, was the founder of

Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City", is a Tree C ...

, a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

of Washington, D.C., and the city's first

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. Gilbert was born in De Ruyter, Madison County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

Gilbert served in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

during the Civil War. Gilbert later arrived in Washington, D.C., at the end of the Civil War and found work at the National Hotel as a clerk. He later opened a luncheon establishment named The Temperance located between 9th and 10th Streets in the Northwest quadrant of the city. During that time he became an associate of Alexander "Boss" Shepherd. Financial losses during the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Lon ...

resulted in a move to Dunellen,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and the accumulation of a fortune in real estate. After returning to Washington he began to acquire land for Takoma Park. His first purchase was in the spring of 1884 when he bought the Grammar farm. Gilbert purchased most of its land himself, about around the

B&O Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

tracks. He named the area Takoma, using the Indian word for exalted place. He was elected mayor upon the city's incorporation in 1890. He dreamed of creating "a fashionable suburb for Washington bureaucrats and a sylvan resort community where Washington's wealthiest families could escape the unhealthy summer air in the capital." Selling lots for five cents a square foot, Gilbert emphasized the beauty and peacefulness of the local environment, and was especially proud of the pure waters of the local

Sligo Creek Sligo Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River in Maryland. (The Anacostia, in turn, feeds into the Potomac River and eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean via Chesapeake Bay.) The creek is approximat ...

, which he thought would bring health benefits to residents. Losses due to the

Depression of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an Depression (economics), economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignmen ...

led to a change in Gilbert's financial standing. He declined to seek reelection as mayor in 1894. His daughter, Margaret Gilbert Jamison, wrote of him:

Although he made a great deal of money in early and middle life, he was essentially an idealist rather than a cold, calculating money grabber. He devoted a great deal more of his time and energy to persuading people with children to buy a lot and build a home in a pleasant place like Takoma Park than he did in trying to persuade wealthier people to invest their money in his subdivisions.

He suffered from a stroke in 1901 and spent the rest of his life gravely ill. He died in 1907.

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Washington, DC--Takoma Park Historic District
American city founders 1841 births 1907 deaths Mayors of Takoma Park, Maryland People from Madison County, New York {{Maryland-politician-stub

Life

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