AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
Who better to lead a tour of the newly renovated Boone Station Hall than Bob and Karen Royer? Bob was project manager for the Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church REHAB group’s renovation of both the window replacement and the interior of the former church. Karen headed the Woods Gardener’s Group that handled the refurbishment of the gardens surrounding the building, replanting the beds with native plants.
The obvious place to start was at the formal front entrance to the church.
“The window and door replacements made possible by an anonymous benefactor in April of 202l changed the whole character of the building,” said Karen.
Built in 1927 by the parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the building was purchased by the YMCA after the church relocated to 689 Ritchie Highway in 1964. But, shortly thereafter, it was acquired by Woods Church and renamed Holy Grounds Youth Center. The property then, as now, was managed by the Severna Park Community Center.
Bob Royer’s research prior to the window replacement showed that the church was built from a Sears kit by a congregation born when Severna Park was still called Boone. The building materials would have come via railroad car and delivered to the Boone Railroad Station across the road.
“Based on what we learned, it was decided to rename the facility Boone Station Hall,” Karen continued as she pointed to one of the new signs.
“Over the years, parts of the building became worn and were repaired or replaced in a less than ideal way. Luckily, the gift from our anonymous donor made it possible to do badly needed upgrades in the best possible way. We’ll start with the front door which was a solid door before and not very attractive. The glass panes in the new door look wonderful and bring additional light into the interior.”
Moving on, we passed by garden beds that were recently redone by Karen and the Woods Garden Group. The gardeners tore out a number of ornamental plants that are, today, considered toxic to birds replacing them with plant species native to Maryland.
“Our goal is to have the gardens be 70% natives and pollinator species that attract bees, butterflies, beneficials insects, birds and wildlife,” Karen said.
Heading back inside Boone Station Hall, Bob noted how pleased everyone was with the way the new windows look. (Original windows replaced at Historic Holy Grounds with help from anonymous donor – sharonleestable.com)
“They let in so much light,” he said. “The effect is further enhanced by the fact that we repainted the walls a slightly lighter shade of gray and also painted the paneling and trim.
The REHABBERS made three major improvements. They first constructed a spacious closet at the back of the hall with doors and hardware similar to those of the period and then replicated the wainscoting on each side to match the room’s original walls. The closet now provides storage space for the stacks of chairs and other materials that once cluttered the back of the room.
The Woods REHAB group built an attractive store closet at the back of the room including creating new wainscoting. 
Bob Royer stretches his arms from the newly built wainscoting to the hall’s original wainscoting demonstrating how perfectly they match.
A second major improvement involved removing the old unattractive panels across the balcony that are shown in the photo below and replacing them with wainscoting matching that in the rest of the building. Balconies were an architectural feature of many churches built from the 1800’s through the 1920’s and 30’s.
The renovation definitely shows off the balcony to good advantage. As can be seen below, the REHABBERS installation of wainscoting across the balcony integrates it with the rest of the hall. They added a wall clock with a classic design to draw attention to the feature. Should there be an overflow crowd, the balcony now provides an attractive option for additional seating.
You’ll also notice that the REHAB carpenters added an extra wall to close off the kitchen and installed more wainscoting and a new serving counter.
The Royers next led us to Boone Station Hall’s all-important kitchen that was totally rehabbed. Though a serving kitchen rather than a cooking kitchen that is used for celebrations and events that are catered, the kitchen was outfitted with brand new cabinetry and quartz counters as well as a large new microwave and refrigerator.
According to Bob, the REHAB group’s carpenters are proudest of the subway tiles they installed. They are the same sort of tiles that were in vogue during the period when the building was constructed.
“We originally wanted to install a tile backsplash, but it looked so great that we extended it to the ceiling, Royer said. “Then, Severna Park Community Center executive director Sarah Elder and marketing director Amy Holbrook saw it and said it looked so good we should continue it through the rest of the kitchen. Obviously, we did just that and we have to agree that it looks great.”
Repainting the entire facility was the final touch for the renovation. The combination of diffused light from the windows, soft gray walls and white trim not only call attention to the simple, graceful lines of the architecture but create a bright, uplifting atmosphere for events ranging from weddings and family celebrations to community fundraisers, shows and concerts or even memorial or religious services.
Strictly by coincidence for us, but not for the board of trustees or staff, it was recently announced that Bob and Karen Royer are to be the honored guests for the Severna Park Community Center’s Boots & Black Tie Gala being held on April 29th.
Considering the many volunteer efforts they participate in together or separately, everyone considers the couple a wonderful choice. Karen has been a member of the community center’s gala committee for many years doing everything from making arrangements to stuffing envelopes or taking tickets. At Woods Church, she is, along with Bob, a “Congregational Watershed Steward”. She’s a longtime active member of the Woods Gardening Team helping create the church’s well-known Parking Lot Gardens and Hillside Gardens that have seen the Woods Church campus designated part of the Maryland Pollinator Pathway and heading the Boone Station Hall garden beds replanting project. She’s also a member of Good Neighbors Group’s Rogue Gardeners, cleaning up and removing vines from recreational areas and establishing new gardens throughout the community.
Both Karen and Bob are very active members of the Magothy River Association and Karen is currently the secretary. Both helped out with the Berrywood neighborhood’s Cattail Creek Restoration Project, have pitched in to restore the Magothy’s Yellow Perch population and reestablish oyster reefs, and have supported MRA president Paul Spadaro’s efforts to defeat real estate development projects that would harm the river.
As congregation members, they helped with Watershed Steward Frank Goetschius’ capstone project to reforest the area between Woods Church and Sunrise of Severna Park Senior Living. Bob has also headed Woods Church’s award-winning energy saving and sustainability initiatives and, of course, he was project manager for the window replacement project and renovation project at Boone Station Hall.
Both Bob and Karen are proud to be named honorees for the community center gala. However, they wish to highlight the Woods REHAB group for the many rebuilding and maintenance projects they tackled on the church campus and, especially, in the years since taking responsibility for community center and Boone Station Hall properties. To that end, they have invited all the REHAB group members to the gala as their guests.
“It will be the first time we’ve all gotten together socially to celebrate because, when we’re together, we’re always working,” Karen said.
For information on the upcoming community center gala or Boone Station Hall, visit THE SEVERNA PARK COMMUNITY CENTER – SPCC Home (spcommunitycenter.org).
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. (Jing Ying currently offers a Homeschool Kung Fu Class and again brings Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
