At each tour I attend, I tell people stories about the wide variety of projects and programs we work on at Baltimore Heritage. As we wrap up 2015, I’d like to tell you a story highlighting what we accomplished over the last year. The “we” in that last sentence is the hundreds of generous members and supporters, scores of volunteer tour leaders, historic site researchers, and heritage program planners, and all of you who participated in one of our events in 2015. We enjoyed our year working together to share the rich history and promise that we have in Baltimore.
I hope you enjoy our look back at the work we all made happen for Baltimore this year.
— Johns Hopkins, Executive Director
New Monumental City Tours
Thanks to our great group of volunteer tour leaders, we launched a new series of Monumental City Heritage Tours every Sunday from April to November.
Our guides are taking visitors and history-loving locals on tours of downtown gargoyles, historic Jonestown and the Shot Tower, the Patterson Park Observatory and the Battle of Baltimore, and the Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place Vernon Place.
Monumental City Tours
Thanks to our great group of volunteer tour leaders, we launched a new series of Sunday morning Monumental City Heritage Tours. From April through November, our guides take people to see gargoyles downtown, historic Jonestown and the Shot Tower, and the Patterson Park Observatory through the lenses of the War of 1812, and the Washington Monument and Mt. Vernon Place.
Tour participants flex their muscles to move the human-powered rotating bridge over the historic lock in Havre de Grace.
Exploring Beyond Baltimore
Our Heritage Tours program ventured a little afield in 2015 and hit the road from Annapolis to Havre de Grace. A few highlights were the newly refurbished Old Senate Chamber in Annapolis, a visit to the historic lock house and canal in Havre de Grace, and a natural heritage hike in the Patapsco Valley in Baltimore County.
Marking Milestones from Baltimore’s History
Billie Holliday Centennial
In the spring, we joined with the Lafayette Square Association and the Upton Planning Council to celebrate jazz singer Billie Holliday’s 100th birthday with a tour of Lafayette Square and Holliday’s former West Baltimore stomping grounds.
Robert Long House 250
In a series of four talks and walks, Baltimore Heritage partnered with the Preservation Society and volunteers in Fell’s Point to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Robert Long House at the corner of Thames and Ann Streets.
Strategic approaches to vacancy and revitalization
Reusing Industrial Buildings
This past spring, Baltimore Heritage worked with Carol Ott of Housing Policy Watch and Andrew Cook from the Baltimore City Department of Planning to organize a special workshop promoting the reuse of vacant industrial buildings. This project is part of our continued support for the recommendations of the Partnership for Building Reuse task force that identified preservation as a key strategy for Baltimore’s vacant buildings last year.
Understanding Vacant Houses
Baltimore’s 16,000 vacant houses, many of them historic buildings, are one of the most challenging preservation issues we face today. In 2015, we participated in the state’s preservation review process to engage the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development seeking to avoid demolition where possible and fund the stabilization of vacant historic buildings. We also organized a workshop at the Baltimore Museum of Art sharing a historical perspective on vacancy and abandonment with over 100 people.
Your financial support sustains our work
Baltimore Heritage relies on gifts from individuals and corporations, which make up over two-thirds of our annual operating budget. In 2015, a number of generous members included Baltimore Heritage in their planned giving, a new area for us as we lay the groundwork for the future of historic preservation in Baltimore. Grant support enabled us to take on new opportunities this year, including our work around Civil Rights. With two full time staff and one part time tour coordinator, our small size enables us to keep our overhead low and to spend your contributions and our resources wisely.
