In 1938, NBC wanted to build the home of the future in Bethesda, Maryland. Ninety years later, it’s still standing.
The house, with its white-painted brick and unique geometric outline, sits on Massachusetts Avenue, just steps away from the D.C. line.
Fourteen years ago, when Rado Ivanov and his wife bought the house, the couple had no idea of the house’s history.
#FreedomWalk2026 is a modern-day retracing of the Underground Railroad to Canada, on the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
The 750-mile pilgrimage, following 19th-century routes to freedom, will commemorate the brave self-liberators, the abolitionists, and their secret networks, during the 250th anniversary of American independence. The journey will draw upon the legacy and achievements of previous generations to galvanize modern activists to work toward truth-telling and transformation.
Updated on May 13
This year, MPI teamed with other advocates to address cemetery issues in the Maryland General Assembly. Without budget or paid staff but with determination, passion, and patience, Maryland Cemetery Legislative Advocates drafted bills that were revised by legislative staff, heard in committees, and ultimately revised to secure a compromise that will improve the future for Maryland burial sites. Victories this year and last were certainly worth years of planning and convincing. Senators and Delegates listened to compelling testimony and put in place a better structure to protect abandoned cemeteries and descendants, even as we recognized that a bill requiring money was not likely to pass in today’s climate.
SB233 provides a process to protect descendant rights and abandoned cemeteries plus direction to courts in case of sale or transfer. It enables government to acquire an abandoned cemetery and convey ownership to descendants or a nonprofit that will properly maintain and protect it.
MPI appreciates the sponsors and fighters for these bills. With initiation of a Comprehensive Inventory and Database of all Maryland Cemeteries and creation of a fund for Abandoned cemeteries, this is true progress. You can read the report of the Comprehensive Inventory and Database Workgroup — with detailed recommendations — at the Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites’ website.
Read the final SB233 that was signed by Governor Moore on May 12 and will go into effect on October 1, 2026.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Kaufman.
Hi Wendy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have been involved in community affairs my entire life – and have always been a big history buff! Growing up in Florida, I was a Girl Scout, Candy Striper, and senior class treasurer. I also interned for my congressman and worked on political campaigns. I moved to DC to attend American University as a political science major. After graduation I worked as a Congressional aide and earned a master’s degree in legislative affairs. After getting married in 1989, I moved to Bethesda, started a family, and became involved in the community as a school volunteer, Girl Scout leader, and political campaign staff. In 2006 I graduated from Johns Hopkins with a master’s degree in special education and started teaching with Montgomery County Public Schools as a special education/history teacher. When I retired I reflected on my past experiences of serving as a volunteer docent for area historical societies, then realized I knew little about the history of my own community, Bethesda. Since Bethesda did not have its own historical society, I decided to start one. In 2019 I started the Bethesda Historical Society with the help of family, friends, neighbors, and new acquaintances, and we have been going strong every since!
The Montgomery County Council voted to add the Rose-Budd House to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation. The home, built circa 1912, is one of the few remaining structures from the early twentieth century that embodies the significant contributions of multiple generations of the Budd family to the growth and development of Sandy Spring’s Black community.
The designation follows unanimous recommendations from the county’s Historic Preservation Commission and the Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC).