Encore Sustainable Architects’ Ernest Demby Named Chair of Easton, MD Historic Commission

Encore Sustainable Architects is excited to share that Architectural Designer Ernest “Ernie” Demby has been honored to be selected as Chair of the Easton Historic Commission. In 2021, the Mayor and Council of Easton first appointed Ernie as a member of the Historic Commission which conducts the design review process for all historic projects to ensure adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.  In addition, the Commission conducts surveys, studies, and more to: ensure sites, districts and structures are protected, create rehabilitation and new construction guidelines, and create new districts or designate landmarks.  All members of the Commission have professional training, practical experience or demonstrated interest in preservation, architecture, history, archeology, museum fields or anthropology.

Ernie has worked on many projects in Historic Easton, including the preservation of Asbury United Methodist Church (AUMC), slated to be complete this spring. Built in 1876, AUMC is the oldest African-American church structure in Easton and designated as Site #33 on Maryland’s Underground Railroad and Network to Freedom Sites and Stories. The new location of Easton’s beloved Out of the Fire Restaurant at 111 Washington is another of his projects which was completed in Fall of 2022.

Ernie’s interest in architecture began in a high school drafting class. College took him to France where he became interested in historic architecture and enamored with the work of Le Corbusier. Ernie graduated from Morgan State University with a Bachelors of Science in Architecture. He is a lifelong resident of Maryland, currently residing in Historic Annapolis.

About the Easton, Maryland Historic Commission

Historic preservation in Easton began with the Talbot County Garden Club in 1920s. In the late 1970s, the Commission was formally created to enhance quality of life and to safeguard the historical and cultural heritage of Easton. A team of seven appointed professionals works to preserve Easton sites, structures or districts which reflect elements of cultural, social, economic, political, archeological or architectural history. These efforts are designed to:

• strengthen the local economy,
• stabilize and improve property values of such sites, structures, or districts,
• foster civic beauty, and
• promote the preservation and appreciation of such sites structures and districts for the education and welfare of the residents of Easton and Talbot County.