What is public space? Ask the question on two unconventional tours of local landscapes

Take a walk around the picturesque Inner Harbor or past the concrete piers that carry the “Highway to Nowhere” over Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. You’ll see two very different public spaces. We can’t help but wonder how these public spaces came to be and how they affect us. You’ll be wondering too when you join public artist and Baltimore Heritage board member Graham Coreil-Allen for a people’s history tour of the Inner Harbor on March 18 and a walk across the Highway to Nowhere on April 1. Graham is known for his playful, participatory, and informative tours – you don’t want to miss them!

We are also excited to share our 2017 Baltimore by Foot tour series this spring – sign up for one or all five but please sign up soon. We expect all our spring walking tours to sell out!

Finally, if you’re looking for another way to explore Baltimore’s history this spring, join us for one of our 2017 bike tours. Our May and June rides include everything from tasty gelato to serene historic parks.

Baltimore Immigration Museum completes work on preservation mini-grant project

Last October, Baltimore Heritage held our first preservation mini-grant “Pitch Party.” We put out a call for good ideas to help preserve Baltimore’s historic places and revitalize our historic neighborhoods and then threw a party to select nominations to receive small grants. Two projects received grants of $500 and another two received grants of $250.

One of our $500 grant award winners was the Baltimore Immigration Museum, located at the Immigrant House in the Locust Point neighborhood. The museum proposed repointing and repairing masonry above the main entry door to stop a leak that was slowly rotting away the woodwork on the door. This job was important in the short term to stop the leak and an important part of the museum’s long-term goal of restoring the building.

The Museum completed the work in early January and its directors are happy to report that the repairs worked: with the masonry shored up, the leak has stopped.

Special thanks to long-time member Ms. Brigid Goody for making the preservation mini-grant program possible, as well as everybody who participated in our first pitch party last fall. In addition to the Baltimore Immigration Museum, three other projects received mini-grant funding.

  • The Herring Run Archaeology Project received $500 to purchase supplies for a spring archaeology project.
  • Taylor’s Chapel in Mount Pleasant Park received $250 as part of a fundraising campaign to stabilize frescoes in this 1850s church that likely were painted by Constantino Brumidi, the fresco artist in the U.S. Capitol building.
  • Lastly, the Market Center Merchant’s Association received $250 to bring Baltimore City public school kids who participate in the Maryland History Day competition to the Market Center Area for a tour of Civil Rights heritage sites.

Stay tuned as we provide updates on these other mini-grant awardees!

Calling all nominations for our 2017 Preservation Awards!

Baltimore Heritage just opened nominations for our 2017 Preservation Awards! This is our fifty-seventh year of celebrating the people behind our city’s great preservation projects. Can you help us find the past year’s best building rehab projects? The most creative examples of building reuse? An inspiring educational program? If you can, then please submit a nomination today.

Every year, we strive to recognize the architects, contractors, and craftspeople working on bricks-and-mortar preservation projects along with dedicated owners who preserve everything from former factories to single family homes. We honor people who write books and blogs, people who research and teach local history, and people advocate for community revitalization. Did you tackle a big rehab project this year? We even have a “sweat equity” award to recognize homeowners and small business owners who do the hard work of fixing up old buildings back all on their own.

Please take a look at our award categories and guidelines or go ahead and send in a nomination for a project award or achievement award today. We try to keep the process quick and easy but, if you run into trouble, please give me a call at 410-332-9992 or send me an email at hopkins@baltimoreheritage.org.

We are only accepting nominations up until Tuesday, February 28, 2017 so send in your nomination soon and spread the word! Thank you for helping us recognize Baltimore’s heritage stewards. Stay tuned for details on our annual awards celebration this spring.

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.