The New Starbucks Blend: Java And History

George Washington dined there, jazz great Charlie Byrd jammed downstairs and, early today, a different kind of history will be made when somebody orders something like a venti cinnamon dolce latte with skim milk and a double shot of espresso.

Thus will commence the official union of the Maryland Inn -- a fixture in Annapolis since the 18th century -- and Starbucks.

The coffee king and Remington Hotels, which manages the historic landmark, believe this could be the perfect blend of sensibilities: the sight of the familiar streamlined barista bar nestled into the centuries-old, brick-and-stone basement.

Monday's grand opening will mark the fruition of a large-scale hotel renovation project three years and at least $600 million in the making, one so complicated that not only did its plans have to pass the muster of various historical-oversight bodies, but its developers also had to commission an archeological dig to complete certain work.

"It's a marriage between history and today that's going to keep Annapolis alive," said Shellie Gazlay of Sarfatty Associates Ltd., the firm that oversaw the renovation.

For some Annapolitans, the union has been viewed as something of a shotgun affair, one that has raised eyebrows as well as some noses.

Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (D), who speaks glowingly of attending jazz shows at the King of France Tavern in the basement, had hoped the space would reemerge as a music venue. However, she said, there wasn't much the city could do to prevent Starbucks from moving in.

"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."

But the concern about the project appears to have less to do with music than history, a subject in which Annapolitans specialize as much as Starbucks does coffee beans.

"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.

The Maryland Inn is very much a part of that, according to the landmark's official history. Initial construction was started in 1781 on Church Circle by a tannery owner. The tavern that opened inside is said to have served such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. George Washington never slept there, but he might as well have.

"He ate and drank here, so he probably spent more time here," said Peg Bednarsky, an innkeeper with Historic Inns of Annapolis. "It's often said more laws were signed here than across the street."