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.

Downtown’s West Side Walking Tour from Lexington Market this Thursday

The West Side of downtown was in the spotlight last week as the focus of a five-day study by a panel from the national Urban Land Institute (see Saturday’s Baltimore Sun article) convened by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to provide guidance for the area’s ongoing revitalization. The panel presented preliminary recommendations to the Mayor last Friday and emphasized the importance of historic buildings as vital assets for the West Side’s future. Please continue to follow our blog over the next two weeks, as we share a series of posts explaining the history of the West Side preservation and redevelopment effort and a few of the ways this area matters to many people in Baltimore. This series kicks off with a free lunch time walking tour this Thursday, December 16 at 12:15 pm.

Lexington Market, 1903 | courtesy LOC

If you are curious about the history of Baltimore’s West Side and its future, please join us on an informal tour beginning at the east entrance to Lexington Market (Lexington & Eutaw Streets). We’ll look at the  “Superblock,” historic department stores, cast-iron buildings, and more. It’s likely going to be as cold as all get out, but we’ll walk fast and won’t stay out too long.

West Side Lunchtime Walking Tour | East Entrance to Lexington Market (Lexington & Eutaw Streets)

2010 Preservation Awards: Housewerks

Image courtesy Tracey Clark

Tracey Clark and Ben Riddleberger purchased the 1885 gas valve building historically known as the Chesapeake Gas Works in 2005 to house their architectural salvage business, Housewerks. Over the past five years Riddleberger and Clark have stabilized and restored the long vacant building (also known as Bayard Station) and have highlighted its many fine details. These include ornamental plaster and woodwork, fireplaces, 10 foot high Palladian windows and a granite walls on the lower level. They extensively researched the history of the building and proudly display early images throughout their store. In addition, they worked with the Pigtown neighborhood in 2006 to have the building included on the National Register of Historic Places. With more than a little sweat, the building now is a centerpiece in a quickly changing industrial part of South Baltimore.

Image courtesy Tracey Clark

Behind the Scenes Holiday Tours of Homewood & Evergreen

Image courtesy JHU Museums

Please join us as we celebrate the holidays with tours of two of Baltimore’s most elegant and important historic houses: Homewood House and Evergreen House. Our hosts at each have decorated for the holidays, and we invite you to join us for a little holiday cheer and a lot of Baltimore information on one or both of them.

Tour Information

Homewood House | 3400 North Charles Street, 21218
Wednesday, December 8, 2010

  • Wine and cheese: 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm | Tour: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
  • $20 for members; $30 for non-members (half the proceeds go to support Homewood House).
  • Parking is available on Charles Street and other nearby streets.

Evergreen House | 4545 North Charles Street, 21210
Thursday, December 16, 2010

  • Wine and cheese: 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm | Tour: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
  • $20 for members; $30 for non-members (half the proceeds go to support Evergreen House).
  • Free parking is available on site.

Register for one or both tours today!
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Win a week at a private Nicaraguan villa!

Support Baltimore Heritage by buying a chance to win a week’s stay at a privately owned Spanish Colonial villa along Nicaragua’s Pacific coast, courtesy of Baltimore’s own Agora, Inc.  And they make great stocking stuffers! You can experience the privacy of a remote tropical paradise and the luxury of modern accommodations with a private cook, house-keeper, and transportation to and from the airport.  Horseback riding, spa, tennis, restaurant, bar, pool and more are available at the adjacent resort of Rancho Santana.

  • Maximum 500 raffle tickets will be sold
  • $20 for 1 ticket or $50 for 3
  • Drawing at the end of December 2010

Call Baltimore Heritage director Johns W. Hopkins at 410-332-9992 for details and to purchase raffle tickets.