Editing Langley Park, Maryland (section)

==History==
[[File:Langley Park 2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Langley Park Plaza in 2010]]
"Langley Park" refers to [[Langley Park (Langley Park, Maryland)|the Langley Park estate]] established in 1923 by the McCormick-Goodhart family in the Chillum District of Prince George's County. The name McCormick-Goodhart represented the linking of one of [[Chicago]]'s oldest families, that of [[Cyrus McCormick]], with that of British [[barrister]] [[Frederick E. McCormick-Goodhart]]. Frederick's wife Henrietta (Nettie) was the daughter of [[Leander J. McCormick]], a brother of Cyrus.<ref>"Sues for Loss of Love of M'cormick-Goodhart," The Washington Post, Apr 28, 1925, p. 8.</ref>  They named the {{convert|540|acre|km2|adj=on}} estate "Langley Park" after the Goodharts' ancestral home in [[Kent]], England. In 1924, they erected an {{convert|18000|sqft|m2|adj=on}}, 28-room [[Georgian Revival]] mansion, designed by architect [[George Oakley Totten, Jr.|George Oakley Totten Jr.]], at a cost of $100,000. It remains a community landmark at 8151 15th Ave.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071214042454/http://www.mncppc.org/county/Illustrated_Inventory906/21_73.pdf Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, "Inventory of Historic Sites" (Prince George's County), Entry 65-007, p. 36 (retrieved Sep 7, 2008)].</ref> [[CASA of Maryland]] purchased the property in 2009, making the site its home base,<ref name=lazo2011/> and a {{US$|31 million}} Multicultural Community Center is now open in the mansion.<ref>[http://www.casademaryland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1066&catid=1066 "Where We Are Now," by CASA de MD, "CASA de MD.org," April 2010 (accessed July 14, 2010)].</ref>  This property was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on August 29, 2008.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/weekly_features/LangleyPark.pdf National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Registration Form for Langley Park (PG#65-7) (retrieved Sep 7, 2008)].</ref>

During the late 1930s-early 1940s, Leander McCormick-Goodhart, son of Frederick and Nettie, served as personal assistant to Ambassador [[Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian|Lord Lothian]] and supervisor of American Relief to [[Great Britain]] through the British embassy.<ref>Obituary of Leander McCormick-Goodhart, ''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'', Dec 18, 1965, p. E4.</ref>  As a result, the Langley Park estate became a regular site of social activities related to the British embassy including hosting the regular games of the Washington [[Cricket]] Club and, in June 1941, a British Relief Country Fair.<ref>"Local Cricketers Play Ripping Game But Lose, 106-59," ''The Washington Post'', May 24, 1939, p. 20.</ref><ref>"British Relief Country Fair," ''The Washington Post'', May 18, 1941, p. SC9.</ref>

The estate was first subdivided during and immediately after [[World War II]], and was developed as a [[planned community]] by Pierre Ghent & Associates of Washington, D.C. The last major section would be developed in 1963. Because of the wartime and immediate postwar demand for housing, the {{convert|540|acre|km2|adj=on}} estate was quickly developed for low-rise apartment homes, semi-detached, and single family homes. Starting in 1949, a 1,542 garden apartment complex, Langley Park Apartments, now located along 14th Avenue, was built to house the exploding postwar population.<ref>"4000 Apartment Units Planned," ''The Washington Post'', Feb 6, 1949, p. R4.</ref>  That same year, [[M.T. Broyhill & Sons Corporation|M.T. Broyhill and Sons]] started building on a {{convert|200|acre|km2|adj=on}} tract for 600 single family homes to be priced at around $10,000. These homes now lie north of Merrimac Drive. Both the apartments and homes were completed and occupied by June 1951.<ref>"Two Virginia Builders Plan 1850 Homes in 1950," ''The Washington Post'', Jan 8, 1950, p. R1.</ref>  In 1951, plans were unveiled for 500 additional multi-family rental dwellings and a {{convert|15|acre|m2|adj=on}}, $4 million shopping center.<ref>"Shopping Center, Homes Will be Next Projects," ''The Washington Post'', Apr 22, 1951, p. R1.</ref>

In 1963, the last major segment of the Langley Park estate opened for development. It was a {{convert|25|acre|m2|adj=on}} parcel located directly around the manor house. It had been acquired in 1947 from the McCormick-Goodhart family by the [[Eudists|Eudist Order]] for use as a seminary. The property was acquired for $900,000 by developers, who built the 400-unit Willowbrook Apartments on the site and opened them the following year.<ref>"McCormick-Goodhart Tract Sold for Apartment Complex," ''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'', Aug 17, 1963, p. E10.</ref><ref>"Developers Relax at Willowbrook," ''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'', Aug 8, 1964, p. C9.</ref>  The mansion then operated until the early 1990s as Willowbrook Montessori School.

The Langley Park Elementary School, now known as Langley Park-McCormick School, opened in 1950, at 15th Avenue and Merrimac Drive.<ref>"Work on Langley Park School Moves Ahead," ''The Washington Post'', Jan 26, 1950, p. B1.</ref> In 1988, Leander McCormick-Goodhart, real estate developer and descendant of the estate owners, sent the school a $10,000 donation after receiving an invitation to attend a school event.<ref>"Langley Park School's Invitation Gets RSVP in the Form of $10,000," ''The Washington Post'', Jan 21, 1988, p. MD1.</ref>  That same year, 60 percent of the school population of 610 students was foreign born from 45 different countries and spoke 27 languages.<ref>"Langley Park School Bridges Cultures," ''The Washington Post'', Sep 22, 1988, p. MD21.</ref>

In 1955, Langley Park was "the fastest growing trade area in Metropolitan Washington", with 200,000 people located within a {{convert|3|mi|km|adj=on}} radius. Affordable housing attracted a community consisting mostly of young couples with families. In the following decades, Langley Park became a [[White Americans|white]] middle-class enclave that was mostly [[History of the Jews in Maryland|Jewish]].<ref>"Langley Park: Coping With Change," by [[Gwen Ifill]], ''The Washington Post'', Aug 26, 1984, p. 35.</ref> By the 1960s, the Jewish community of Langley Park had already begun to decline.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/silver-springs-jewish-history-long-and-complicated/ |title=Silver Spring's Jewish history 'long and complicated' |work=Washington Jewish Week |date=10 November 2017 |publisher=[[Washington Jewish Week]] |accessdate=2021-05-23 |last1=Johnson |first1=Hannah }}</ref>
During the 1970s, after [[Desegregation in the United States|desegregation]], increasing numbers of [[African American]]s moved into the community. Although some established families remained, the white population declined due to [[white flight]] to the outer suburbs. In 1970, the first language of 6.1 percent was [[Spanish language|Spanish]]; by 1980 that number had climbed to 13.4 percent.<ref name=Harristonbridge>"[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/1987/11/14/langley-park-bridging-age-and-language-gaps/9ec1e924-64fc-40a6-9810-f729e278f4cf/ Langley Park Bridging Age and Language Gaps]," by Keith Harriston, ''The Washington Post'', Nov 14, 1987, p. E1.</ref> During the 1980s, Hispanic and Caribbean immigrants from countries such as [[El Salvador]], [[Mexico]], [[Guatemala]], [[Colombia]], [[Bolivia]], [[Peru]], [[Jamaica]] and elsewhere in the [[West Indies]] led a new wave of migration into the community. In addition, Asian and African immigrants from places like [[Vietnam]], [[India]], [[Ethiopia]] and [[Nigeria]] settled into the area. It proved to be an attractive locale for immigrants due to the availability of affordable housing that could also accommodate families. The integration of these new groups into Langley Park reflected a larger trend of increased migration to the Greater Washington area during the 1980s and 1990s. By 1990, the area was 40 percent Hispanic.<ref name=Naughton>"[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/08/19/hispanics-carve-niche-in-pg/98a4c030-736a-4e97-bf31-a46c6d5837e8/ Hispanics Carve Niche in P.G.]," by Jim Naughton, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', August 19, 1991, p. A1.</ref>

At the same time, the area suffered through a period of physical decline and increases in crime. During the 1980s, the community struggled with blighted residential and commercial areas. The apartment complexes experienced substantial turnover in occupancy. Residents in the 14th Avenue and Kanawha Street area in particular were subjected to "open air drug markets" and other criminal activity. Long-time residents and the new immigrant communities were both victims of crime. Some homeowners organized to address neighborhood concerns about rising crime. For the 1988–89 school year, bus service for children who lived in walking distance to school was implemented to ensure their safety. Police also increased their presence in the community. Apartment complexes, under new management, initiated safety measures to discourage drug activity such as installing new lighting, security doors and maintaining general upkeep of their properties. At the same time, police in Prince George's County conducted multiple raids in an effort to shut down drug activity in the county. By 1991, officials were taking note of an increase in illegal immigrants from Central America, and day laborers were beginning to become a common sight on area streets.<ref name=Naughton/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.caretas.com.pe/2002/1738/articulos/marshall.phtml |work=Caretas |author=Caretas |publisher=Empresa Editora Multimedia, SAC |location=Peru |language=es |title=Era Una Marshall Peruana |date=September 12, 2002 |access-date=September 16, 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020916113245/http://www.caretas.com.pe/2002/1738/articulos/marshall.phtml |archive-date=September 16, 2002|quote=en el barrio hispano de Langley Park, en Maryland|trans-quote=the Hispanic neighborhood of Langley Park, in Maryland}}</ref>