A $23,000 full-scale “dollhouse” became Betsy Lyon’s playhouse in the 1930s; it still stands in Rockville’s Civic Center Park

Built in 1938 for Betsy Lyon at a reported cost of $23,000, the Civic Center Cottage featured a fireplace, kitchen, loft, and sleeping porch. The Civic Center Cottage in Rockville, Maryland, is a full-size playhouse. Although it was designed as a child’s retreat, the small house has survived for decades and remains part of the historic grounds of Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park. The City of Rockville records its construction cost at $23,000, an extraordinary sum for a playhouse at the time.Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park, where the full-size playhouse built for Betsy Lyon still stands. (Wikimedia Commons)A miniature house built on a grand estateThe report states that the Glenview property became a country estate belonging to the Lyon family outside Washington, D.C. Dr. James Alexander Lyon and his wife, Irene, had one daughter, Elizabeth Moore Lyon, known as Betsy, who was born in 1926. In the 1930s, Dr. Lyon came across designs for a doll’s house in a movie magazine and decided to turn the idea into a full-size playhouse for his daughter.The outcome was certainly not just a backyard playhouse but a miniature cottage that served as a miniature house complete with residential elements, making it possible for a child to pretend he/she was living in an actual house. The historical accounts describe the cottage as having a single room with pine-paneled walls, a fireplace, a heating stove, a spiral staircase to the loft, bunk beds, and a tiny bathroom.Deep DiveThere was a fully equipped kitchen with a sink, stove, cabinet, and fridge, and there were French doors that led out to the sleeping porch. Other features of the miniature house include a bay window with window seating, corner cabinets, and a telephone connected to the intercom system of the estate. The outside view of the cottage was that of a regular small house with wooden siding, gable roof, and a stone chimney.From a private playhouse to a public landmarkAs Rockville transformed from being a small town to becoming a suburb of Washington, D.C., changes occurred within the property owned by the Lyon family. Following the death of Irene Lyon in 1950, Dr. Lyon started selling parts of the property to develop it. Finally, the Glenview property was bought by the Montgomery County Historical Society in 1953 and sold to the City of Rockville in 1957.The building outlived its original purpose. Rather than having the building demolished when the ownership of the land passed from one owner to another, the cottage became part of the city’s property. In subsequent years, it served as a classroom and a place for conducting various camps and classes. The cottage has even been in operation as a gift shop run by Glenview docents for over ten years. All of these uses helped ensure that the building remained in use, although it meant that some changes had to be made in the interior. In 1999, renovations were conducted on the building to bring it back as close to its original state as possible.Entrance to Rockville Civic Center Park, where the historic full-size playhouse built for Betsy Lyon still stands. (Wikimedia Commons.)A small building with a lasting historyCurrently, Civic Center Cottage can be found in the formal gardens of Glenview Mansion within Rockville Civic Center Park. This park encompasses 153 acres of gardens, trails, recreational areas, a theatre, and a nature center. The cottage is now used for meetings, retreats, conferences, and small social gatherings rather than as a child’s playhouse.The building offers a glimpse into the lives of wealthy American families in the early 20th century, when large country estates often included buildings set aside for children. This building is a perfect example of how historic buildings receive their new functions as time goes by. Its value does not rest only in the fact that it cost $23,000 to build, but in the fact that it still exists.The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social Security, education, jobs, layoffs, the economy, technology and major policy changes. We also closely follow stories that matter to Indian and South Asian communities in the US. The desk covers major US sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, along with player news, injuries, schedules, results and major events. 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