The Wilkins Estate is a historic estate in

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...

, built in 1916 by Robert Crew Wilkins, later an executive of the Wilkins Coffee Co. (later a part of

Maxwell House Maxwell House is an American brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Heinz in North America and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world. Introduced in 1892 by wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek, it was named in honor of the Ma ...

coffee), founded in 1923 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, by a relation, John H. Wilkins, Sr.

Wilkins era

Robert Wilkins had the estate built with the intention of using it as his summer home. The mansion on the grounds was designed by a noted architect,

John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeffe ...

, in the

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

style and is considered a historic site. The estate later passed to his brother, John Franklin Wilkins.

Parklawn Memorial Park & Menorah Gardens

The estate passed out of family hands in 1950, being sold to George Moss, who opened Parklawn Memorial Park & Menorah Gardens on the property the following year. The Marlowe family soon purchased an interest in it in 1958 and full ownership in 1986.

Stewart Enterprises Stewart Enterprises, Inc. was the second largest provider of funeral and cemetery services in the United States. The company is headquartered in Jefferson, Louisiana and employs nearly 5,400 people in 218 funeral homes and 140 cemeteries in 24 st ...

bought the cemetery in 1992. The mansion serves as the cemetery office. The grounds of the cemetery have expanded to hold the remains of some 5,000 people.

References

External links

* – Dignity Memorial * {{coord, 39, 3, 58, N, 77, 6, 30, W, region:US-MD_type:landmark, display=title John Russell Pope buildings 1910s architecture in the United States Neoclassical architecture in Maryland Historic sites in Maryland Buildings and structures in Montgomery County, Maryland Houses completed in 1916 Cemeteries in Maryland