Sacred Places
Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating
A bench with its back to the pavilion, facing the water.
WHERE
Annapolis, MD
SETTING
Neighborhood
PARTNER INSTITUTION
Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating
Visit
Where it is
7040 Bembe Beach Rd, Annapolis, MD 21403
What happens here
CRAB's guests, staff, and volunteers use the space, watching the dock where the boats arrive and depart. Picnic tables encourage families to linger, and the event lawn is used for movie nights and other larger gatherings. The location lets visitors feel part of the bustle on site while still having somewhere to retreat to.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
The regulations set the brief.
01
The Need
CRAB was founded on the principle that people with disabilities can and should live fulfilling and joyful lives with equitable access to meaningful therapeutic recreation, bringing the therapeutic value of sailing to people with disabilities, recovering veterans, and youth from underprivileged backgrounds.
02
The Vision
The new Adaptive Boating Center in the Back Creek area of Annapolis was to be home to a Sacred Place primarily for CRAB's guests, and for the staff and volunteers on site. What mattered was a location balancing activity and reflection, letting visitors feel part of what was happening while still finding refuge in an open view of native plantings with the water beyond.
03
The Transformation
Construction of the Adaptive Boating Center was almost complete when Nature Sacred engaged, and the new build already included expanded parking, a pavilion, native plantings, and the water view. Critical Area regulations, because of the waterfront location, limited what could be added, and only a light touch was needed anyway. The work narrowed to two places. At the bench, set with its back to the pavilion and facing the water, native plantings provide an attractive, aromatic, naturalistic foreground to the view. At the entry, additional plants go in on either side, with possible hardscape embellishments — a short single line of brick each side of the path and CRAB's symbol at the center.
WHO TENDS IT
