Author: Eli

Eli Pousson started as a Field Officer at Baltimore Heritage in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in October 2009. Prior to moving to Baltimore, Eli worked for the DC Office of Historic Preservation and completed graduate work in anthropology and historic preservation at the University of Maryland College Park. Eli continues to work with the Lakeland Community Heritage Project and other heritage organizations in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Riding and walking through Urban Renewal history with a happy hour and bike tour

Baltimore Museum of Industry, BG&E Print and Negative Collection, BGE.47525, 10/19/1971

Urban renewal shaped the landscape of Baltimore in tremendous ways during the 1950s and 1960s – fundamentally transforming historic neighborhoods from Mount Vernon to Bolton Hill. We’ll be riding and walking through this fascinating history with two great programs – a happy hour and a free walking tour around State Center on Friday, August 24 followed by a morning bike tour on Saturday, August 25 across nearly all of central Baltimore. Both our tour and happy hour are organized in partnership with Bikemore – Baltimore’s new bike advocacy organization.

Toasting State Center at Dougherty’s Pub

Friday, August 24, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Dougherty’s Pub, 223 West Chase Street  Baltimore, MD 21201
Free State Center walking tour starts from Dougherty’s at 5:15pm
RSVP today!

Our regular Preservationist Happy Hour is back in Mt. Vernon at Doughterty’s – a great neighborhood pub with fifteen beers on draft, seasonal specials, and happy hour beer specials. If you’re looking for something to eat, they have a classic bar menu with burgers, sandwiches and more. We’re also offering a preview of our Urban Renewal by Bike tour with a free 45-minute walking tour through State Center – a complex of government offices built from the 1950s through the 1970s and one of the city’s largest urban renewal projects.

Baltimore by Bike Takes on Urban Renewal

Saturday, August 25, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
RSVP today! $10 per person.
Meet at Mount Vernon Place in the west park between Charles and Cathedral Streets.

Ride along for a tour of the city’s best brutalist buildings, modern apartment towers, and more as we explore the history of post-WWII urban renewal efforts from Mount Vernon Place to State Center. Of course, even in the 1960s preservationists fought to preserve historic buildings, so we’ll also get to take a look at once-threatened landmarks from the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion to the Shot Tower.

Help document Baltimore public art with Wiki ♥ Monuments

Join Baltimore Heritage and the Walters Art Museum for Wiki ♥ Monuments – a local photo scavenger hunt where we ask you to take photos of outdoor public artworks across the city and share them on Wikipedia. From historic landmarks like the Washington Monument to the more modest civic sculpture of the 1970s, public artwork is an important part of our Baltimore’s cultural heritage. Unfortunately, many artworks often seem invisible to people driving or walking by. Many artworks are overlooked both in the world at large and on Wikipedia. Taking and sharing photographs is a great first step to documenting public artworks in Baltimore and raising awareness about their importance for our city. In addition, by adding these photos to Wikipedia, Baltimore’s sculptures and monuments can be more visible and accessible to people across the world.

Pulaski Monument, 2007. Courtesy Chuck Szmurlo/Wikipedia.

How can you participate in Wiki ♥ Monuments?

All you need is a digital camera and the list of public artworks – available (along with a map) from the Walters Art Museum. The full list includes over 250 artworks from across the city identified in the Save Outdoor Sculpture! Database maintained by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts. Here are a few helpful guidelines.

  • While most of these artworks should be easy to find, a few may have been moved or destroyed so a little searching may be required.
  • You can take as few (or as many) photos as you like but taking photos of each artwork from different angles and vantage points is a good idea.
  • You may want to take a reference photo, including a index card with the name and date of the piece. This will help you to later provide complete and accurate information when uploading the image.
  • You can then upload them yourself on the Walters Art Museum website or join us on August 11 for an “Upload Party” at the museum.

We’ll be adding a bit of competition by awarding points for each photograph and extra points for photos taken outside of the neighborhoods around the Walters Art Museum in Mt. Vernon. Questions? Get in touch with Eli Pousson at pousson@baltimoreheritage.org.