Facing Urban Renewal & the Highway Fight
Beginning in the 1960s, Jack was one of the very first people to oppose a highway that would have paved over Fell’s Point and Federal Hill in East Baltimore and through Poppleton and Harlem Park in West Baltimore. He was instrumental in saving Baltimore’s waterfront and although part of the highway was built in West Baltimore, he helped block it half-way through construction and prevented even greater destruction in West Baltimore.
Saving Stirling Street (Plus Jack’s Favorite Preservation Story)
With his wife Linda, Jack convinced city officials not only to save historic Stirling Street in the Oldtown neighborhood, but to sell the houses for $1 to new owners, thus launching Baltimore’s famous Dollar House Program.
Preserving the Phipps Building On Hopkins’ Campus
While in the Maryland Senate, Jack threatened to withhold funds that Johns Hopkins Hospital sought for a new oncology center until they agreed to save the historic Phipps building. The result: a saved and restored Phipps building and a new oncology center (with state funds) built nearby.
Passing the Public Accommodations Bill, 1963
In his first year in the state legislature, Jack supported legislation that would make it illegal for owners of places like restaurants and theaters to bar African Americans entry. Jack had won his seat by beating out an incumbent who opposed this civil rights legislation, and was one of two new votes that swung the state legislature into passing the Public Accommodations law of 1963.
Starting the Maryland State Arts Council
Recognizing the importance of the arts in creating vibrant communities, Jack was one of the founding members of the Maryland State Arts Council in 1967.
Jack Lapides was an active member of the Board of the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival when I served as President. One year we honored him with our annual service award. Because Jack was literally one of the most honored people in Baltimore, we weren’t sure what we could do for our cherished octogenarian. We finally wrote a poem that touted his generosity, kindness, curiosity, humor, and most of all, his incredible spirit. He and Linda roared with laughter at the reading of this tome – hardly Shakespearean, but filled with the stories Jack told with such joy. At the end of the reading, he asked for a copy to keep, which was, for us, the evening’s greatest honor. Jack’s tribute poem is a thing of the past, but our memories of him and all he did for the arts in Maryland are bright and lasting. Rest In Peace dear friend. You were one in a million.