Brice House and Garden, Annapolis

Brice House and Garden is a large historic home from the colonial period. The house was built for James Brice, a lawyer, merchant, and later mayor who also served as acting governor of Maryland. Construction lasted about seven years, from 1767 to 1773, and used around 326,000 bricks, according to Brice’s records. The building was constructed by enslaved, indentured, and free workers, and later became part of preservation efforts in the twentieth century.

The house is built of brick in the Georgian style common in the eighteenth-century colonies. It is a five-part mansion with a central block and smaller wings, and although the exterior appears symmetrical, the interior layout is uneven with an offset hallway. The design follows the “Annapolis Plan,” where the main drawing room faces the garden. Because of its heavier proportions, the James Brice House is sometimes called the “awkward middle child” among the area’s pre-Revolutionary mansions.

Behind the house is a historic garden studied through archaeological research. Excavations revealed how the grounds were used and uncovered small spiritual objects placed under floorboards by enslaved residents. Today the property is undergoing a major restoration led by Historic Annapolis to return it to its appearance around 1774, so the interior is not yet open for regular visits.