Preserving and promoting Baltimore's historic buildings and neighborhoods.
Author: Johns
Johns Hopkins has been the executive director of Baltimore Heritage since 2003. Before that, Johns worked for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development developing and implementing smart growth and neighborhood revitalization programs. Johns holds degrees from Yale University, George Washington University Law School, and the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment.
We love Baltimore best but even we have to admit stunning architecture and incredible history can be found in communities all across Maryland. This month, we’re offering two tours that take us beyond the city: a repeat of our sold-out spring walking tour of Lutherville and a look at the newly restored and reopened Senate Chambers at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Michael Day is personally leading our Senate Chambers tour which includes the opportunity to stick around for lunch and hear more behind-the-scenes stories of this incredible restoration project.
Finally, we are pleased to celebrate the continued stewardship of Patterson Park’s War of 1812 history with the Friends of Patterson Park. As we searched for buried fortifications during our archaeological dig in the park last spring, the Friends led an effort to restore Observatory Hill’s row of memorial cannons. It is a year later, the restoration is complete and the cannons are back in park! Join us on September 13 to celebrate Defender’s Day and the the rededication of this iconic memorial including a Battle of Baltimore tour up the Observatory led by Eli Pousson.
On July 11, the Eastern Female High School on Aisquith Street caught fire—just the latest challenge for this 1869 school-house turned apartment building that has stood empty and since it closed in 2001. We visited the building the day after the fire and found the structure largely intact but completely unsecured after the fire department had to break through the boarded up windows to put out the fire. We contacted Michael Braverman, Deputy Commissioner of Code Enforcement for the Baltimore City Housing Department and he quickly arranged to secure the building. Unfortunately, the fire also left a hole in the roof that could make the damage to the interior even worse if it is not soon replaced or repaired.
Fire damage, Eastern Female High School. Photograph by Johns Hopkins, 2015 July 11.
Exterior view, Eastern Female High School. Photograph by Johns Hopkins, 2015 July 11.
Damaged roof, Eastern Female High School. Photograph by Johns Hopkins, 2015 July 11.
Damaged windows, Eastern Female High School. Photograph by Johns Hopkins, 2015 July 11.
Adding to the uncertainty is the situation of Sojourner-Douglass College, which purchased the building from Baltimore City in 2004. The college developed plans to convert the building into a science and allied health educational facility and presented their proposal to the Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation in February of last year. But progress was slow, and stopped in the face of the school’s financial troubles. Recently, the college lost accreditation, and although Sojourner-Douglass is contesting the decision in court, it seems unlikely that the school will have the resources to pursue redevelopment of the Eastern Female High School in the near future.
We urge the leadership of the college to preserve the Eastern Female High School—stabilize the structure or find new ownership with the resources to turn this unique historic building back into an asset for East Baltimore.
Exterior view, Eastern Female High School. Photograph by Johns Hopkins, 2015 July 11.
With the reopening of Baltimore’s Washington Monument on July 4, Baltimore Heritage is pleased to start offering tours of the monument and surrounding historic squares beginning on Sunday July 19 and every third Sunday of the month through November. After extensive renovations, the 200-year-old monument looks great and visitors are again allowed inside.
Join us and our partner, the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, on a tour to hear the stories behind the monument and see some of the landmarks of Baltimore’s grandest historic neighborhood. If your legs are strong, climb the monument’s stairs for a birds-eye view of central Baltimore! Learn more and register today.
We hope you can also join us on some of our other Sunday morning Monumental City Tours. Each tour in the series begins at 9:30 a.m. and lasts about an hour.
If you haven’t purchased tickets yet for our 2015 Preservation Awards celebration this Thursday June 18, now is the time! We are celebrating the year’s best preservation and adaptive reuse projects and the people behind them. We are also excited to give the Douglas Gordon Award for exceptional leadership in local preservation to Mr. Martin Azola. Read on for the full list of award winning projects!
In addition to being in the wonderfully transformed Chesapeake Shakespeare Theater, we’ll get a tour of the historic Merchant’s Club building next door that the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company plans to expand into. And of course there will be plenty of food, drinks, and good cheer.
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Theater is located at 7 South Calvert Street, at the corner of Redwood Street. Parking is available one block away at the Arrow parking garage on Water Street. Garage entrances are located on Water Street and Lombard Street. Find more details or go ahead and register today!
I hope you can join us on Thursday evening. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at 410-332-9992 or email me at hopkins@baltimoreheritage.org.
2015 Preservation Award Recipients
Restoration & Rehabilitation
Frazier Residence
424 South Dallas Street
Rita Church Community Center
2101 Saint Lo Drive
Interior view of the Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University.
Welch Medical Library
1900 East Monument Street
939 South Clinton Street
1226 North Calvert Street
1418 Madison Avenue
Adaptive Reuse & Compatible Design
Interview view of The Algonquin, 11 East Chase Street.
The Algonquin
11 East Chase Street
Bolton Hill Nursery School
204 West Lanvale Street
Exterior view of the Bolton Hill Nursery School.
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Theater
7 South Calvert Street
Columbus School Apartments
2000 East North Avenue
Front view of the Columbus School. Courtesy Cho Benn Holback.
Exterior view of the Fallsway Spring building.
Fallsway Spring
415 South Central Avenue
Police Station at Fells Point Station
1621 Bank Street
The Lenore
114 East Lexington Street
300 Cathedral Street Apartments
300 Cathedral Street
