At Home with Robert Clark

By Carol Sorgen  |  Photography by Oleg March

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clark5Robert Clark considers himself the most fortunate of men. His “dream job” as president and CEO of Historic Annapolis follows a successful career as a securities and marketing executive with E. F. Hutton, Paine Webber and UBS Wealth Management. And when he’s not in his office at Historic Annapolis’s new headquarters at Brice House on East Street, he enjoys the lifestyle that downtown Annapolis affords him, whether it’s walking to favorite restaurants (“Don’t miss the crab cakes and strawberry-rhubarb pie at Chick and Ruth’s!”) or relaxing at home with his wife, Stephanie, and enjoying visits from his daughters and grandchildren.

“I can’t imagine a more extraordinary retirement than living in the historic district of one of the most beautiful cities on the planet,” says the affable and enthusiastic Clark, Historic Annapolis’s biggest cheerleader, who also serves on the boards of The Friends of St. John’s College and the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and is a member of the City of Annapolis Heritage Commission. Clark has also held a seat on the board of trustees at Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson’s retreat home in Lynchburg, Virginia, as well as serving as its chairman of the board.

clark1Clark is not only a sixth-generation Marylander, but a sixth-generation Annapolitan as well, descended from a trio of brothers who arrived from Northern Ireland in the 1790s to work for Charles Carroll. (Clarksville, Maryland, in Howard County, is named for one of the brothers, David.)

Courtesy of his financial career, which provided him with a “wonderful, rich experience,” Clark has lived not only in Annapolis but also in New York City, Long Island and Connecticut. “But we always knew Annapolis would be our final resting place,” says Clark, whose own two daughters were raised in Annapolis.

After retiring in 2010, Clark, a history buff who is fascinated with Thomas Jefferson, was invited to serve on the board of Historic Annapolis, and became the president and CEO two years later. The organization at that time was headquartered in the Shiplap House
on Pinkney Street. Clark encouraged the state to purchase Brice House, and Historic Annapolis moved in last year. Taking pride of place in Clark’s office is an oil painting by 19th-century artist Francis Mayer, whose view from his Shiplap House studio was not appreciably different from what it is today, which is appropriate given that one of the missions of Historic Annapolis is to “preserve and protect the historic places, objects and stories of Maryland’s capital city. …”

clark2Clark credits his 45-year business career with helping him set the tone for what the organization hopes to accomplish, but is also quick to praise the “remarkable” 45-person staff who helps get things done on a $3 million annual budget.

“We’re the advocates and stewards of our city’s preservation,” says Clark, adding that the organization’s new designation as a Smith-sonian Affiliate will go a long way toward helping them achieve their goals. Smithsonian Affiliates partner with the Smithsonian Institution and cultural organizations and museums to facilitate educational collaborations, traveling exhibitions and the loan of historical artifacts. Historic Annapolis is one of just six affiliates in Maryland, and the only one in Annapolis.

Clark is also enthusiastic about the three-year restoration project now underway at Brice House, which will be accomplished with the guidance of Colonial Williamsburg. “It will be an ‘aha’ moment when this house opens to the public,” says Clark, noting that one of the projects already underway is the development of a permanent exhibit tracing the history of Annapolis through its objects and artifacts. “It’s going to be very cool!” he says.

It’s not surprising that someone who lauds the “rich pageantry of living in downtown Annapolis” has chosen a home that, while not historic itself, is situated on property that was originally purchased in 1651 by one Richard Acton and was known by the townspeople as Acton’s Land. Today Acton’s Landing by Madison Homes is an enclave of 106 single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums that sits on the site of the original Anne Arundel Medical Center in Murray Hill. The community is surrounded by centuries-old houses and is just a short stroll away from Spa Creek, downtown and the state capitol. Or, as Clark likes to say, “I can walk the 7/10 mile to work in 8 minutes.”

clark4The Clarks purchased their 5,000-square-foot home in 2006 before the home had even been built; “There were 2800 people on the waiting list!” Clark explains. They hired Annapolis architect Gary Schwerzler to create an interior floor plan and details that would be consistent with the historic character of the city, and when construction was completed turned to Long Island interior designer Richard Piemonte, with whom they had worked on their previous home in New York.

Because the Clarks wanted to repurpose many of their furnishings, Piemonte used a similar color palette as before with rich shades of claret and sienna predominating. The home’s high-end finishes feature such touches as Venetian gem plasterwork, Canadian limestone fireplace, coffered ceiling with woven leather insets, custom millwork evident in such elements as fluted columns and intricate crown moldings, and ultrasuede wallcoverings. The couple lived in an Annapolis apartment during the nine-month project, and finally moved in to their “forever” home in 2007, from which they have no intention
of moving.

RESOURCES

Historic Annapolis, annapolis.org

Gary Schwerzler, Architect
Fourth Street Design Studio, fsds.biz

Richard Piemonte Design Associates, richardpiemontedesignassociates.com

 

 

Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 7, No. 6 2016