As we head into the new year, we put together a short video to say thank you for participating, volunteering, supporting, and being a part of all of our work for Baltimore and our historic places. We’re pleased to feature three of our partners this year: Jennifer Robinson and the Friends of Patterson Park, Gary Rodwell and the Coppin Heights Community Development Corporation, and Paula Hankins at the Carroll Museums and Shot Tower. Each is working hard to preserve our rich history and revitalize our neighborhoods, and we are proud to call them partners.
As we head towards the end of the year, we want to thank all of our volunteers and members for your support. If you are not a member or have not yet renewed, please consider signing up today. And please get in touch to let us know how we are doing!
We wanted to take the opportunity to share a look back at our work for historic preservation in Baltimore over the past year. We think our heritage tours, new educational efforts and dedicated preservation advocacy are the best reflection of the strength of our board, the creativity of our volunteers, and the generosity of our members. Learn more about what we were able to accomplish in our 2014 year in review.
With your help, the year ahead looks just as promising. We are planning to expand our work with public schools around Patterson Park, offer even more new heritage tours, and launch an important initiative to document and preserve Civil Rights sites in Baltimore.
Membership giving is a substantial share of our operating budget. Our annual memberships start at $35 for individuals and $50 for families but donations of any size are valued. You can even set up a recurring donation to support preservation every month.
Thank you for volunteering and donating. Your commitment is making a difference. Please do not hesitate to call or email with any questions or if we can be of assistance. Have a happy holiday season and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.
Thank you to Lesley Humphreys, Baltimore Heritage board member and chair of the Education Committee for sharing her reflections on our celebration of the Karen Lewand Preservation Education Fund last week. Thank you as well to Jeffery Kremen for sharing his photographs from the evening.
Many of our friends and supporters joined us this past Wednesday for a wonderful event at The Ivy Hotel to honor long-time Baltimore Heritage board member and historic preservation advocate Karen Lewand. The Karen Lewand Historic Preservation Fund provides support for a range of education initiatives at Baltimore Heritage from our heritage tours to our neighborhood history programs to our work with students in Patterson Park. The fund has more than doubled in size since its inception, thanks to generous donors and the dedicated staff and volunteers who plan and run our fundraising events and programs!
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
Photograph by Jeffery Kremen, 3 December 2014.
We’re thrilled to say that the Lewand Fund’s donor roster now includes the Azola family. Not only did Marty and Tony Azola host us at The Ivy but they also made a generous gift that same evening. The Ivy’s staff, including General Manager Rob Arthur and Executive Chef Mark Levy, gave us a preview of the beautifully appointed guest rooms, the fabulous spa (location off the back of the main house in the handsome addition designed by Ziger/Snead Architects) and the exciting Magdalena restaurant in the works.
The Ivy is going to be a show-stopper when it opens this spring and you can already learn more about the history of this landmark on Explore Baltimore Heritage. Thanks again, so much, to everyone who made this event so memorable!
As we head into the holiday season, reflecting back on the past year and looking to the year ahead, we put together a short holiday video to say thank you for participating, volunteering, and supporting all of our work. We are not holding our breath for a call from Ken Burns, but please check it out and let me know what you think.
Thank you again for all of your interest and support as we continue expanding our work to preserve Baltimore’s historic buildings and revitalize our neighborhoods. Have a happy holiday, and we’ll see you in 2014!
P.S. Membership with Baltimore Heritage makes a great holiday gift! Share Baltimore’s history and architecture with your family and friends today.
I am very sad to report that Karen Lewand, our friend and long time board member, passed away yesterday evening. Karen was an innovator, a leader, and a strong advocate for preserving Baltimore’s historic buildings and neighborhoods and helped Baltimore grow in countless ways. With an unwavering voice for preserving the best of our architecture and neighborhoods, she was instrumental in saving historic places that many of us now take for granted. Baltimore Heritage recognized her exceptional leadership this past summer by awarding her our 2012 Douglas Gordon Award for lifetime achievement. This fall, she generously gave to help Baltimore Heritage launched the Karen Lewand Preservation Education Fund that will remain a living memorial to her work.
I wanted to share a few stories of Karen’s life and work that help illuminate the love and devotion that this remarkable woman carried for her city and her family. Born Karen Elizabeth Schultz in Detroit, Michigan, Karen received a B.S. degree from the University of Dayton in 1967, and an M.A.S. degree from the Johns Hopkins University in 1988. She arrived in Baltimore in 1977 and, after serving nearly 10 years in the Office of Financial Development at Johns Hopkins, dedicated the rest of her professional and volunteer life to her two loves, the history and architecture of the city of Baltimore.
After taking several courses in preservation at Goucher College, Karen became involved with Baltimore Heritage. She quickly became a leading member and spent 27 years serving on our Board of Directors. Karen founded the Education Committee and developed some of the city’s first walking tours of historic neighborhoods that have grown into our the many heritage tours we have today.
Gallagher Mansion in 1996, courtesy Maryland Historical Trust
In her own neighborhood of Radnor-Winston, Karen fought for the preservation and reuse of the Victorian Gallagher Mansion, which had fallen into ruin under its previous owners. She and her neighbors succeeded in saving the building, now the Gallagher Mansion Apartments, which won a Preservation Project Award from the Maryland Historical Trust in 1997. Karen also served on Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation where she played a key role in preventing the demolition of the Hinson Westcott Dunning factory and offices at Charles and Chase Streets (since renovated and re-used).
Karen’s passion for preservation included a commitment to sharing our city’s history with the next generation. In 1981, She developed a course for schoolchildren teaching local history through architecture. The following year CHAP received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to take the course, entitled “Neighborhood Discovery,” to 23 Baltimore City public schools. Karen subsequently worked at the city’s Planning Department researching and writing neighborhood histories. Some of these appeared in her book, North Baltimore: From Estate to Development, published jointly by the University of Baltimore and the Baltimore City Department of Planning in 1989.
At the state level, Karen served for nearly two decades as a member of the Maryland Historical Trust. She was also one of the first organizers of coalition of preservationists, developers, and conservationists who in 2000 founded the statewide smart growth advocacy group, 1000 Friends of Maryland. In 2006 she was presented the Lucien E.D. Gaudreau Award recognizing her “outstanding contribution to the built environment in the Maryland region,” and just this month was given a 2012 award for leadership and service by the Governor’s Sustainable Growth Commission.
From 1992 to 2012, Karen served as executive director of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which under her leadership has been ever more committed to preservation. In 2001, she was awarded the American Institute for Architects’ Richard Upjohn Fellowship for her contributions to the profession of architecture. Seven years ago, in collaboration with several members of AIA Baltimore, she launched the annual Architecture Week in October, which has brought a number of prominent preservation advocates to speak. As a tribute to Ms. Lewand’s leadership, the chapter dedicated and named the chapter house located at 11½ West Chase Street in her honor.
Karen and Robert Lewand at Baltimore Heritage 50th Anniversary Celebration, 2010
Karen is survived by her beloved husband of 45 years, Robert Lewand, as well as two daughters, Elizabeth Lewand of Brooklyn, New York and Stephanie Lewand of Baltimore. Other survivors include her brother David Schultz of Chelsea, Michigan, as well as one nephew and three nieces, son-in-law Chris Gray and sister-in-law Becky Schultz.
Karen’s family is planning the funeral service and we will have further details soon. We are humbled that Karen requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her name to the Karen Lewand Preservation Education Fund that she established at Baltimore Heritage this fall.
Funeral Services
Mass of the Resurrection
Thursday, January 3, 2013, 10:00 AM
The Church of Saints Philip & James
2801 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21216
Inurnment immediately following the mass
Saint Mary’s Cemetery
233 Homeland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210
Reception immediately following inurnment
Knights of Columbus Hall (adjacent to cemetery)
201 Homeland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21212
