Earlier this week the Maryland Board of Public Works approved a multi-million dollar contract clearing the way for the state Division of Corrections to move forward with the demolition of a large part of the Baltimore City Correctional Complex located just east of the Jones Falls Expressway. For now, the scope of demolition doesnot include the historic Warden’s House, the per-Civil War “castle” on Madison Street.
Thanks to an agreement between the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and the Maryland Historical Trust, the state will wait to make a final decision on the Warden’s House and a small portion of the west wing of the former Maryland Penitentiary along Eager Street. The plan does preserve the Penitentiary’s iconic central tower which has never been considered for demolition.
Exhibit illustrating the scope of demolition in the Baltimore City Correctional Complex. Buildings to be retained under the current agreement are marked in blue and buildings to be demolished are marked in red.
The Board of Public Works’ recent approval comes four years after Governor Hogan closed the facility and two years after the General Assembly allocated funds for the demolition of the complex. Since the state allocated those funds, the Corrections Department developed a plan that includes the demolition of over a dozen buildings on the site. Work under the new contract will begin soon.
The Warden’s House and small portion of the west wing of the Maryland Penitentiary are not included in this round of demolition but they are also not yet relieved from the threat of being razed. The Division of Corrections has only agreed to defer a decision on the demolition of these structures and consult with the Maryland Historical Trust on the future of these buildings.
Exhibit illustrating the partial demolition of the west wing of the former Maryland Penitentiary building.
While the demolition of the historic buildings within this complex is a loss for the city’s architectural heritage, our advocacy, along with Preservation Maryland, AIA Baltimore, and the Baltimore Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, helped to secure more time to seek the preservation of the Warden’s House and a portion of the West Wing. We and our partners will continue to push for permanently preserving the these two historic buildings and better incorporate the Maryland Penitentiary into whatever new plans are eventually adopted.
The west wing of the former Maryland Penitentiary planned for partial demolition. November 13, 2018.
We had a wonderful evening last Thursday in a fabulous space at the A. Hoen & Co. Lithograph Building. Thanks to everyone who attended our 2019 Preservation Awards Celebration and made it a success. Special thanks to our hosts and sponsors—you can find the full list of sponsors below.
With awards including converted churches and schools, remarkable rowhouse restorations, innovative exhibits interpreting our shared history, and even the revival of an antique street car, this year’s awardees covered a lot of ground. Take a look at the award winners below and please make sure to congratulate them the next time you see them around the city!
June 13, 2019.
Restoration & Rehabilitation Awards
2229 Callow Avenue
Druid Heights Community Development Corporation, Edgemont Builders, SM+P Architects
Marburg House, 6 E. Eager Street
Charles Belfoure, J.C. Porter Construction, Marburg House LLC, SM+P Architects
3522 Elm Avenue
April Gilkey and David Rachamim, O’Connell & Associates, Zeskind’s Hardware & Millwork
2431 Eutaw Place
Amazonia Flooring, Druid Heights Community Development Corporation, Edgemont Builders, Froehling & Robertson, Inc., G&C Environmental Services, Inc., Healthy Neighborhoods, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Pando Alliance, Skarda and Associates, Inc., SM+P Architects, SRBR Engineers, Inc., The Dulin Group of Long and Foster, Zeskind’s Hardware & Millwork
First German United Evangelical Church Conversion, 1728 Eastern Avenue
Carriage House Renovation & Addition (The Brown/Thaddeus Residence), 2214 E. Pratt Street
21st Century Power Solutions, Architecture & Urban Views, Bromin Construction, Noel Brown and Sereen Thaddeus
St. Brigid’s School & Convent Conversion, 900 S. East Avenue
900 Southeast LLC, AB Associates, Charles Belfoure, Fanny Zigdon Interior Designs, One Source Contracting, Poverni Sheikh Group, SETO Architects, Zeskind’s Hardware & Millwork
Fleet Street Lofts, 3801 Fleet Street
J. Cole Builders, SETO Architects, Walid Hajj
The Fox Building, 3100 Falls Cliff Road
Alexander Design Studio, Carney Engineering Group, Henry Adams LLC, Macrostie Historic Advisors, Morris Ritchie & Associates, Red Sketch Landscape Architecture, The Time Group, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Recreation Bowling Alley Conversion, 602 N. Howard Street
ATI, Inc., Poverni Sheikh Group
Heritage Preservation Awards
Car 554 Restoration at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum
Baltimore Streetcar Museum
Baltimore City Historic Tax Credit Program
Baltimore Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, Baltimore Department of Planning
Chinatown Collective
Ephrem Abebe, Daniel Ahn, Marisa Dobson, Julie Eugenio, Stephanie Hsu, Leandro Lagera, Robin Lee, Daniel Pham, Jamie Sumague
Enslaved at Homewood: Research, Exhibit & Programming
Homewood Museum
Preservation in Practice Program at Morgan State University
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, HOPE Crew – National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan State University, National Park Service, National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, The Peale Center
Award recipients from the Peale Center, Morgan State University, and the National Trust’s HOPE Crew with board president Krista Green. June 13, 2019.
Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Banners
C&D Design, Baltimore City Office of the Mayor, Preservation Society
Eutaw Manor and Furley Hall Signs at Herring Run Park
Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks, Belair Edison Neighborhoods, Inc., Friends of Herring Run Parks, Herring Run Archaeology Project, Katie Mancher, Sarah Hope
Historic Sites of Industry in the Jones Falls Valley
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, officers from the New York City Vice Squad raided the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village. A crowd of gay, lesbian, and transgender patrons and bystanders gathered and rose up in violent protest against city police’s harassment and abuse—marking a critical turning point in the nation’s struggle for LGBTQ rights. On June 28, 2019, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of this historic milestone with our own tour of LGBTQ heritage in Baltimore. We hope you can join us for a Mount Vernon walking tour followed by happy hour at Flavor to discuss this important local and national history.
If more plants and less walking appeals to you, join us this Wednesday, June 12, for a behind-the-scenes look at the Rawlings Conservatory. We’ll go deep in the weeds (ahem!) as we explore this 1888 palace for plants modeled after London’s famous Kew Gardens.
Finally, if you haven’t already signed up for our 2019 Historic Preservation Awards Celebration coming up this Thursday June 13, you still have time to get your tickets! We’ll be celebrating the best work of the year at the former A. Hoen & Co. Lithograph Company building in East Baltimore. In addition to helping us congratulate this year’s award winners, you’ll get to explore this former industrial building during a once-in-a-lifetime transformation into new offices and training spaces.
We have a staff position open! We’re looking for a Community Engagement and Communications Manager to join us in our work to preserve and promote Baltimore’s historic places. Below is description of the position and how to apply. The application deadline is June 30, 2019.
Pay & Benefits: $50,000 and $1,500 retirement plan match.
Applications Due: June 30, 2019
Start Date: September 3, 2019
Position Description
The Community Engagement and Communications Manager will lead Baltimore Heritage’s tours, educational programs, and outreach initiatives to engage people in our mission of protecting and promoting historic buildings and revitalizing historic neighborhoods in Baltimore City.
The manager is responsible for a range of community programs including planning historic walking and building tours, managing an annual micro-grant program for preservation projects, and working with volunteer contributors to publish stories about historic places to our Explore Baltimore Heritage website and app. The manager will also be responsible for sharing information about these programs and the broader work of the organization through Baltimore Heritage’s website, social media, and print communications.
This is a full time position (40 hours per week) reporting to the executive director. Work hours are typically 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with occasional evening and weekend requirements. The work will take place mostly at Baltimore Heritage’s office as well as locations throughout Baltimore City for meetings and program events.
Position Responsibilities
Education Programs
Heritage Tours Programs: Initiate tours at new sites by contacting potential building owners and tour guides, research and write tour descriptions and announcements, support volunteer guides and organizers, attend tours, and compile quarterly reports.
Preservation Micro-Grant Program: Promote micro grant program to prospective applicants, manage grant selection process, organize public event where final grants are selected and announced, work with grantees on follow-up stories.
Explore Baltimore Heritage Website & App: Draft occasional interpretive stories on historic places in the Baltimore area and edit and publish stories from volunteer contributors.
Bmore Historic unconference: Help coordinate a volunteer planning committee to organize an annual unconference at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.
Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Groups): Use social media to promote public programs and share announcements and information related to Baltimore Heritage and preservation in Baltimore. Social media responsibilities include moderating two Facebook groups—the Old House Forum for local historic homeowners and Bmore Historic for area preservationists and historians.
Administrative
Assist in organizing and staffing annual historic preservation awards event, annual membership renewal mailing, monthly board of directors meetings, and other fundraising and program efforts.
Assist in maintaining and updating member records.
Qualification and Skill Requirements
Interest in Baltimore and the city’s history, architecture, and people
Bachelor’s degree in historic preservation, history, urban planning, or a related field
Strong writing and research skills
Experience researching local history or preparing National Register nominations
Ability to work with volunteers and community partners
Ability to work independently with good organization and time management skills
Familiarity with WordPress, GSuite (Docs, Slides, Sheets), Adobe Photoshop and/or Adobe InDesign, and membership management tools (e.g. Salesforce, CiviCRM)
To Apply
Send cover letter, resume, and short (500 words or less) writing sample to Mr. Johns W. Hopkins, Executive Director, Baltimore Heritage: hopkins@baltimoreheritage.org.
For questions, contact Mr. Hopkins at 410-332-9992 or hopkins@baltimoreheritage.org.
About Baltimore Heritage
Baltimore Heritage is a city-wide non-profit historic preservation organization. Founded in 1960, it has two-full time staff positions, a 35 member board of directors, and dozens of volunteers. Baltimore Heritage operates in three primary areas: preservation advocacy for historic buildings and neighborhoods; education programs including an expansive Heritage Tours Program; and technical assistance to homeowners and building owners working to restore their historic buildings.
We have more fun tours to share today but also some unfortunate news. Earlier this week, a surprise demolition took down two 1840s stone houses in the Woodberry neighborhood near Clipper Mill. The loss is particularly upsetting because it follows repeated assurances that the houses would be retained and incorporated into a new apartment building. Read our post on this issue to learn more about what we can do to ensure Baltimore’s historic places are valued and retained.
Now, if you’ve been in Baltimore for any amount of time, we hoped you’ve visited Druid Hill Park at least once or twice. This spring, we’re hoping you’ll spend a little time getting to know the park even better. On Saturday, June 8, we want you to take a ride on Druid Hill Park’s quiet back streets and paths to explore all the hidden nooks and crannies with Ralph Brown and Graham Coreil-Allen as your guides. Then, on the evening of Wednesday, June 12, we’re back at Druid Hill Park for a tour of the Howard P. Rawlings Conservatory. Modeled after London’s famed Kew Gardens, we’ll learn about the past and present operation of this botanical oasis.
We’re also excited to share an invitation from local archaeologists Lisa Kraus and Jason Shellenhamer. Instead of the usual spring field season in Herring Run Park, you can find them in Fell’s Point next weekend, Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2, for a free public archaeology open house at the Caulker’s Houses on South Wolfe Street. We expect this archaeological investigation to turn up all kinds of stories and artifacts including connections to the 1840s and 1850s when the two wooden houses were home to a number of African American ship caulkers. Check out an update on what the dig has found so far over on the Herring Run Archaeology project website. It is a bit of an understatement to say that the houses are not universally accessible (no floors and barely-there stairs!) but, if you can’t go in, you can still see artifacts displayed on a table set up on the sidewalk.
Finally, you definitely don’t want to miss our 2019 Historic Preservation Awards Celebration on Thursday June 13! We’ll be celebrating the best work of the year at the former Hoen & Co. Lithograph Company building. In addition to helping us congratulate the award winners, you’ll get up close and inside and this former industrial building and see its transformation into new offices and training spaces.
