Year: 2010

Baltimore Building of the Week: Greenaway Cottages

This week’s edition of the Baltimore Building of the Week takes us to North Baltimore at the edge of Roland Park to appreciate an autumn photo of the Greenaway Cottages designed by architect Charles E. Cassell (ca 1838-1916) in 1874.

Image courtesy Jack Breihan

These three cottages along 40th Street epitomize the Victorian Gothic style: polychrome stone and tile, steeply gabled roofs, deliberately asymmetric plan. Originally identical, the three cottages have each been altered over the years in different ways. They were built in 1874 as summer retreats for various branches of the wealthy Greenaway family – who made their way north when they wished to flee from the heat of their mansion on Mount Vernon Place. The cottages are currently owned and well maintained by Roland Park Place.

Baltimore’s Hebrew Orphan Asylum Matters: Last week to vote!

This Place Matters: Baltimore's Hebrew Orphan Asylum

Over the last week, we have partnered with the Jewish Museum of Maryland, the Coppin Heights CDC, Coppin State University, with additional support from Preservation Maryland, the Association of Rosemont Community Organizations, and Temple Oheb Shalom to share the story of Baltimore’s Hebrew Orphan Asylum and get out the vote for the “This Place Matters Community Challenge.” A small group of the over 800 people who have voted to support the Hebrew Orphan Asylum gathered this morning to declare that this place matters. As the oldest Jewish orphanage in the United States and a tremendous potential asset to the communities of West Baltimore, the Hebrew Orphan Asylum is an important building for many people throughout the region. In order to win, however, we have to get the word out, tell the story of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, and let people know this place matters. Please vote to help us win $25,000 for the preservation of this rare Baltimore building then share the story with all of your friends and neighbors. Thank you for your generous support!

This Place Matters: Baltimore's Hebrew Orphan Asylum

2010 Preservation Awards: Hotel Brexton

Following on our recent feature on the American Brewery in East Baltimore, we are excited to share the second entry in our series on the 2010 Baltimore Heritage Preservation Award Winners: Mount Vernon’s Hotel Brexton.

Hotel Brexton at night, image courtesy Daniel Truitt

Constructed in 1881, the seven story Hotel Brexton at 868 Park Avenue is elegantly squeezed onto a tiny triangular lot between Park Avenue and Tyson Street in Mount Vernon. Perhaps the most famous resident of this “residential hotel” was Bessie ‘Wallis’ Warfield, later the Duchess of Windsor. After years of vacancy and neglect, RWN Development acquired the building and finished a total renovation earlier this year. The building is now a hotel and is a worthy addition to the national Historic Hotels of America. The Adaptive Reuse and Compatible Design Award goes to owners and operators RWN Development, general contractor HOD LLC, and architects Kann Partners.
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This Place Matters Community Challenge: Vote for the Hebrew Orphan Asylum

Over the past few months, we have shared a few updates on our efforts to preserve Hebrew Orphan Asylum– an 1876 Victorian Romanesque landmark in the Greater Rosemont neighborhood of West Baltimore and the oldest Jewish orphanage building in the United States. We developed a partnership with the Coppin Heights CDC and Coppin State University and received grant support from both Preservation Maryland and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Now you have a chance to declare that this place matters and support the preservation of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum.

In partnership with Coppin State University, the building’s owner, and the Jewish Museum of Maryland we have submitted the Hebrew Orphan Asylum to the “This Place Matters Community Challenge” a national competition sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  For the next two weeks, people across the country are voting online to support historic places in their communities and the place with the most votes wins $25,000.

Please help us preserve the Hebrew Orphan Asylum by voting online right now. In less than a minute you can help us save over 130 years of Baltimore history. You can only vote one time, so please share this request with friends, family and neighbors who can help us all save this important Baltimore building. The contest ends on September 15 so we only have two weeks to get the word out, but we are still keeping our fingers crossed. Thank you, as always, for your interest and support as we continue our work to save and restore this historic Baltimore place.