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.

Behind the Scenes Tour of B’nai Israel Synagogue

Image courtesy Monument City

With its Moorish-Revival architecture and deep roots in Baltimore’s Eastern European Jewish community, the B’nai Israel Synagogue is a magnificent historic building with a congregation that has played a central part of the fascinating story of immigration and change in East Baltimore. Please join us for a tour of the synagogue with B’nai Israel historian Fred Shoken and other members of the congregation.

We are also partnering with the neighboring Jewish Museum of Maryland for a tour of the Lloyd Street Synagogue in a two-part exploration of Jewish heritage in Baltimore. Stay tuned for the announcement of the Lloyd Street Synagogue tour shortly.

Tour Information

Dates: Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Time: 5:45 PM: Kosher wine and cheese reception
6:00 to 7:00 PM: tour
Place: 27 Lloyd Street (Baltimore, MD 21202)
Parking is available along nearby streets
Cost: $15 (includes wine and cheese reception)
Registration: Click Here to Register
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Behind the Scenes Tour of the Irish Shrine at Lemmon Street

Diminutive but nationally significant, Baltimore’s Irish Shrine at Lemmon Street offers a rare glimpse of immigrant home life in America in the middle of the 19th century. Please join us for a tour of the Shrine, two restored 1848 alley houses in the Hollins Market neighborhood, with our hosts from the Shrine and its affiliate, the Railroad Historic District Corporation.

Image courtesy Jack Breihan

Tour Information

Dates: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 / Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 5:30 to 6:00 PM wine and cheese reception
6:00 to 7:00 PM tour
Place: 900 Lemmon Street – one block north of the B&O Railroad Museum
Parking is available along nearby streets
Cost: $15 (includes wine and cheese reception)
Registration: Click Here to Register
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Join us for our 50th Anniversary!

Please join us for the Baltimore Heritage 50th Anniversary Gala on June 11, 2010! We asked Karen Lewand, Chair of our 50th Anniversary Committee and a Baltimore Heritage member for many years, to share a personal invitation for everyone in Baltimore to join us at our Gala or for any of our tours or programs throughout the year.

We hope that you will join us at our many programs and events throughout 2010 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Baltimore Heritage by people who recognized our rich architectural heritage and the need to protect, reuse, and celebrate it. As I look back over the many years that I have been involved, it’s clear that working through Baltimore Heritage, many individuals have helped our citizenry understand how that unique heritage belongs to all of us. Landmark buildings, neighborhoods, and modest places from the past can be reused and enjoyed far into the future. What could be more enriching and sustainable?

Find more information on our 50th Anniversary Celebration or contact Johns Hopkins at 410-332-9992 for more information. Baltimore Heritage depends on member support and members at $100 level receive one free ticket to our 50th Anniversary Celebration on June 11, 2010. Please become a member of Baltimore Heritage today!

Behind the Scenes Tour of the Town Theater

The only theater in Baltimore (perhaps the entire country) to go from a theater to a parking garage and then back to a theater, the historic Town Theater has a long and colorful history with burlesque, vaudeville, and cinema. Work has just begun for its newest life as the future home of the Everyman Theatre, which is moving from its location on Charles Street. Please join us and Everyman director Vincent Lancisi for a tour of the historic Town Theater midway through its transformation.

Image courtesy Baltimore Sun/Amy Davis, 2009

Tour Information

Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Time: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Place: 315 West Fayette Street
(Between Howard and Eutaw, one block from the Hippodrome)
Parking is available in nearby lots, or better yet, take the Light Rail!
Cost: $10
Registration: Click Here to Register

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