Our Mount Vernon “Love Stories” tours are back!

Valentine’s Day would not be the same in Baltimore without our annual tour of jilted suitors, star-crossed lovers, and European royalty in historic Mount Vernon. Make a date and join tour guide and Baltimore historian Jamie Hunt on Sunday, February 12 for a wonderful walk through Mount Vernon. We’re running two identical tours, the first at 11:00 am and the second at 1:00 pm.

Plus, as we inch closer to those warmer days of spring, we are putting the final touches on our 2017 Monumental City and Baltimore by Foot tours. Watch out for details coming soon!

Exterior view of Hampton Mansion

Discover the story of America at Hampton Mansion

We hope you can join us on January 26 at Hampton Mansion. In 1948, the federal government designated this eighteenth century manor a National Historic Site and, in 2017, the building remains one of the highest regarded examples of Georgian architecture in the country. We are thrilled that Ms. Gregory Weidman, the mansion’s head curator, is leading our tour.

Are you interested in our Lexington Market and catacombs tours but frustrated that you have been stuck on a waitlist? Our tour coordinator Marsha Wise is working with the market management to schedule monthly Saturday morning tours into the spring. Look out for an announcement when registration opens!

If you’re curious about what’s going on with archaeology in Baltimore, please join the Archaeology Society of Maryland for a presentation on the Herring Run Archaeology project on January 20.

Finally, we could not be more pleased to share the news that one of our longest running preservation priorities, Baltimore’s Hebrew Orphan Asylum, took a big step towards a better future. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development recently awarded the Coppin Heights Community Development Corporation a grant to purchase the building from the University of Maryland University System. We plan to keep you updated as we continue to work to restore this fantastic building as an asset to the Greater Rosemont community.

Architects needed to assess the condition of a historic library building in Charles Village

The Neighborhood Design Center and Baltimore Heritage are searching for an experienced architect, engineer, or contractor who can help assess the condition of one of the original six branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library—a building that now houses the nonprofit Village Learning Place. If you join our team, we need your help in preparing a condition assessment of this St. Paul Street landmark that the Village Learning Place staff and board members can use to prioritize their rehabilitation and preservation projects.

The Village Learning Place is an independent library that houses educational programs, enrichment opportunities, and informational resources for residents in Charles Village and throughout Baltimore City. Over 7,000 Baltimore City residents hold VLP library cards and, at this small brick building, they can find and borrow any of nearly 20,000 circulating books including an excellent collection of children’s literature.

How do you sign up to volunteer?

NDC welcomes volunteers from a range of backgrounds and experiences but this opportunity is best suited to an architect or engineer with previous experience making visual assessments of existing buildings and recommending possible treatments.

  • If you are already registered as a volunteer with NDC, log in to your account then apply for “Village Learning Place Assessment – Senior Designer” on NDC’s list of volunteer opportunities.
  • If you have never volunteered with NDC before, please take two minutes to complete a volunteer application and select “Senior Designer [BaltimoreVillage Learning Place Assessment]” under “Project Sign-Up”.

Please sign up ASAP! Anyone interested in this opportunity can expect to hear back from the Neighborhood Design Center by late January. For questions, please contact Laura Wheaton at lwheaton@ndc-md.org or Eli Pousson at pousson@baltimoreheritage.org.

Courtesy Village Learning Place.

Kick off 2017 with two Behind the Scenes Tours

Happy New Year! We are ready to ring in 2017 with some great new Baltimore Behind the Scenes tours.

On Tuesday, January 10, we’ll go backstage at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall to learn about acoustical design, music legends, and the history of the Symphony Hall and the Meyerhoff family. On our tour, we will walk the stage and explore the basement, music library, and the area where the musicians hang out before the show.

On Saturday, February 4, we’re visiting the 150-year-old Manger Packing Corporation in southwest Baltimore to learn about the tradition of sausage making and Baltimore’s German heritage from Alvin Manger, great-grandson of the company’s founder and current patriarch of the Manger family’s business.

Finally, please join our statewide partner Preservation Maryland on Wednesday, January 4 for a town hall meeting to learn about how you can advocate for preservation during this year’s Maryland Legislative session. The meeting is at Union Mill (1500 Union Avenue) at 6:30 pm. Registration is not required!

I hope your new year is starting off well and I hope you can join us for these and other tours in the year ahead.

It is not too late to help Baltimore Heritage!

The final hours of 2016 are disappearing quickly but it is not too late to support Baltimore Heritage before the new year begins!

For a small nonprofit like Baltimore Heritage, every gift matters. If you donate five dollars or five hundred dollars, your support goes directly to helping preserve Baltimore’s historic places and revitalize our neighborhoods. Member giving in 2016 helped us:

Thank you again to all of the people who volunteer their time and support Baltimore Heritage through membership and donations. Please become a member or make a donation of any amount. Together, we’re making a difference. Happy New Year!