July 2008

To look at Burbank’s is to glimpse Rockville in the days of horses and wagons and Model T Fords.  Built by a member of the prominent Dawson family, the small building at 18-20 West Montgomery Avenue, between Washington and Adams Streets, dates to 1890-91, making it the oldest store building in town.  Today it stands as the last remnant of the traditional commercial center of Rockville.

The simple 1-½ story structure rests on a brick foundation and has a sloped shed roof and a painted brick façade.  Above the windows, a sign hung touting Burbank’s home style food.  Although the building has been altered over the years, its height and overall appearance remain consistent with late 19th and early 20th century structures that used to line Rockville’s commercial streets.

Thomas Dawson (1857-1924), one of seven children, gained his first mercantile experience at a general store owned by his older brother Hal on or near South Washington Street.  Thomas took over his brother’s store when Hal moved to the Dakota Territory in 1885.

In August 1890, the Montgomery County Sentinel announced that “Mr. Thomas Dawson …has sold his stock of store goods to the Messrs Frost…These gentlemen will occupy the new store of Mr. Dawson’s at completion.”  Dawson, a successful lawyer, rented the store to a variety of people until his death.  From 1897 to 1904, he served as Rockville’s Postmaster with the post office in his store.  By 1915, the building had been divided into two sections occupied by a butcher and a plumber.

In 1933, Thomas Dawson’s estate sold the property, which changed hands several times and housed various businesses until the 1960s when Perry and Eleanor Burbank opened Burbank’s Luncheonette at 20 West Montgomery Avenue.  In 1970, Hence Maynard took over the luncheonette, keeping the Burbank’s name.  He and his wife, Laura, purchased the property in 1974 and made several changes in the next few years such as removing the storefront windows, adding brick facing, and installing vinyl siding.

Specializing in homemade food at reasonable prices, Burbank’s was open weekdays, serving breakfast and lunch to Rockville’s business and legal community and after-school treats to its students.  In 1985, Peerless Rockville recognized the Maynards for operating “a piece of the atmosphere of Old Rockville,” that offered good food and friendly service.

Tragedy struck in February 2003 when someone murdered the proprietor of the consignment shop at 18 West Montgomery Avenue and set the building on fire to cover the evidence.  The damage caused the Maynards to close Burbank’s, the case is still unsolved, and the building has remained vacant since.  In 2004, 18 West Montgomery Avenue LLC bought the property. 

The city’s Historic Resources Management Plan, completed 1986, identified the significant role that Burbank’s played in the development of Rockville, and earlier this year the Historic District Commission recommended the approval of a historic district for the site.  However, on June 30 the City Council failed to secure sufficient votes to continue the designation process.  A tie vote stopped the process, with council members unsure about the historic integrity and structural condition of the building.