Baltimore Heritage

The first true brownstone building in Baltimore, today’s Grace & St. Peter's church opened its doors in 1852 as Grace Church on Park Avenue in Mt. Vernon. Architecturally, it was the first church built of stone in the city and with stained glass and floor tiles imported from England, the majestic interior of this Gothic Episcopal church harkens directly back to its Anglican origins. In 1912, Grace Church combined with St. Peter’s, then on the edge of today’s Bolton Hill neighborhood, merging high-church and low-church congregations. By the the 1920s, what once was a place of worship mainly for prominent Baltimore families, including the nearby Garretts of B&O Railroad fortune, had begun to change. The church at that time created a Chinese Church School and many African American families and families of Asian descent began worshipping there. Today the church embraces both Anglican and Western Catholic traditions and its Park Avenue complex includes a magnificent rectory and also houses the Wilkes School for children pre-K through 5th grade. Please join us on a tour of the church and rectory with its new Rector, Reverend Christopher Pyles, and a few church historians. The tour will include a wine and cheese reception.