New buildings in historic districts don’t have to be bland or drag down the historic and aesthetic character of the area. The Brown Center at the Maryland Institute College of Art offers a striking example of where first-class modern architecture can add a bold new design while bringing out the best in existing historic buildings. Please join us on a tour of the Brown Center to explore this modern architectural landmark and its relation to MICA’s historic campus.
MICA’s Brown Center | 1301 Mt. Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217
Thursday, February 10, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
$10 for members; $20 for non-members Register today!
We’re returning to the Superblock this week for a second lunchtime walking tour on why historic buildings matter to the future of a revitalized West Side and how the proposal for the Superblock threatens to demolish that future. The tour takes place on the 50th Anniversary of the 1955 sit-in at the Read’s Drug Store at Howard & Lexington Streets, so we’ll be sharing a few stories about how black and white civil rights advocates fought to provide African Americans with equal rights to shop, work, and eat on Downtown’s West Side. From the Afro American’s Orchid & Onion 1945 campaign against downtown stores that discriminated against African American customers (“Onions” discriminated against black shoppers and “Orchids” did not) to the 1955 sit-in by the Baltimore Committee on Racial Equality and the students and faculty of Morgan State, Baltimore’s Civil Rights heritage can be found throughout the historic buildings of Downtown’s West Side.
West Side Lunchtime Walking Tour | East Entrance to Lexington Market (Lexington & Eutaw Streets)
Please also join us on February 9 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for a public forum on Preserving Baltimore’s Civil Rights Heritage. We’ll begin the forum with short presentations by Dr. Helena Hicks, a participant in the 1955 Reads Drug Store sit-in, Dr. Gabriel Tenabe on restoring the home of long-time Baltimore NAACP President Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson, Ms. Tanya Bowers from the National Trust for Historic Preservation on the proposed National Civil Rights Heritage Trail, and more. We’ll follow the presentations with an opportunity for attendees to share their own questions and comments on how we can preserve the stories, buildings and neighborhoods tied to Baltimore’s long civil rights fight. Stay tuned for further details on our February 9 program!
We all know the “Castle on the Hill.” Many of us spent a good part of our young lives there. Now please join us in walking through and learning the quintessential Baltimore history of this much beloved city landmark. And, yes, Poly grads are welcome too!
Baltimore City College | 3220 The Alameda, Baltimore, MD 21218
Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Park in the school lot that is accessed from The Alameda
The West Side of downtown was in the spotlight last week as the focus of a five-day study by a panel from the national Urban Land Institute (see Saturday’s Baltimore Sun article) convened by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to provide guidance for the area’s ongoing revitalization. The panel presented preliminary recommendations to the Mayor last Friday and emphasized the importance of historic buildings as vital assets for the West Side’s future. Please continue to follow our blog over the next two weeks, as we share a series of posts explaining the history of the West Side preservation and redevelopment effort and a few of the ways this area matters to many people in Baltimore. This series kicks off with a free lunch time walking tour this Thursday, December 16 at 12:15 pm.
Lexington Market, 1903 | courtesy LOC
If you are curious about the history of Baltimore’s West Side and its future, please join us on an informal tour beginning at the east entrance to Lexington Market (Lexington & Eutaw Streets). We’ll look at the “Superblock,” historic department stores, cast-iron buildings, and more. It’s likely going to be as cold as all get out, but we’ll walk fast and won’t stay out too long.
West Side Lunchtime Walking Tour | East Entrance to Lexington Market (Lexington & Eutaw Streets)
Please join us as we celebrate the holidays with tours of two of Baltimore’s most elegant and important historic houses: Homewood House and Evergreen House. Our hosts at each have decorated for the holidays, and we invite you to join us for a little holiday cheer and a lot of Baltimore information on one or both of them.
Tour Information
Homewood House | 3400 North Charles Street, 21218
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wine and cheese: 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm | Tour: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
$20 for members; $30 for non-members (half the proceeds go to support Homewood House).
Parking is available on Charles Street and other nearby streets.
Evergreen House | 4545 North Charles Street, 21210
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wine and cheese: 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm | Tour: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
$20 for members; $30 for non-members (half the proceeds go to support Evergreen House).
