tlcorbin
Hazel CastilloBlending Coffee & History in Annapolis
March 27th 2007 22:18
In an historic Annapolis landmark, where jazz great Charlie Byrd once jammed in the building, and in a still earlier time time, George Washington once dined, Starbucks is now serving coffee.
The Maryland Inn is brick and stone, and Remington Hotels has spent no less than $600 million dollars bringing the archive of American arcana into the present, while preserving the past.
Annapolis takes it's history very seriously. And, not everyone felt that Starbucks was suitable for this location. The mayor of Annapolis is Ellen O. Moyer, who had hoped that the owners would provide a music venue in the space now occupied by Starbucks. But, "It is a legitimate use, you know -- it's a coffeehouse," Moyer said. "Obviously, out of nostalgia, I hoped that the people who owned Maryland Inn saw it as a special place for musicians. They didn't. They preferred coffee.", she told the Washington Post.
"We're one of the few places in the country where it's been said that if some of the founders came back and walked the street, they would still recognize Annapolis," Moyer said.
Building of the Maryland Inn was begun in 1781, and upon completion served guests such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington.
"I'm a big buff of history," Mark Sharkey, chief operating officer for Remington, told the Washington Post. "I really wanted to share this hotel with the general public."
"Once the aroma hits the room, the crowd gathers," said Dwayne Hoffman, a regional licensed sales manager for Starbucks.
Well, when you put on a pot of coffee, that's usually what happens...
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