Category Archives: Watchlist

Downtown’s West Side Walking Tour from Lexington Market this Thursday

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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)

Good news for friends of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum

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On October 28, the National Park Service officially added the Asylum to the National Register of Historic Places and is featuring the building as the “Weekly Highlight” on the National Register homepage. We were pleased to work with Coppin State University, the building’s owner, to draft and submit the nomination and want to thank all of you who have supported our work.

To stay informed about the Hebrew Orphan Asylum and its future, please become a fan on our new Friends of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum page on Facebook. We would also like to ask you to help us continue our work on the Asylum and in revitalizing historic West Baltimore by supporting Baltimore Heritage. Please consider donating $20 towards our work. It’s tax deductible and we’ll be glad to add you to our email list to find out about our monthly Behind the Scenes tours, spring neighborhood walking tours, and other programs across the city.

Thank you so much for all of your interest and help in preserving this irreplaceable Baltimore landmark. We look forward to sharing more good news in the weeks and months ahead.

Thank you for your support for Baltimore’s Hebrew Orphan Asylum

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This Place Matters: Baltimore's Hebrew Orphan Asylum

The results of the This Place Matters Community Challenge are in and the Hebrew Orphan Asylum landed in the top 10! With 1563 votes we came in 9th place out of 108 contenders nationwide. Congratulations to the winner–the Historic Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX–and thank you to everyone who voted in support of the building.

Special thanks to the Jewish Museum of Maryland, the Coppin Heights CDC, and Coppin State University for joining us in this effort. We also appreciated the great stories from Tim Tooten at WBAL (video), Jacques Kelly at the Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore Jewish Times, as well as posts on Baltimore Brew and the Baltidome Blog. Friends and neighbors–including the Alliance of Rosemont Community Organizations, the Baltimore National Heritage Area, the Baltimore Red Line, the Evergreen Protective Association, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Temple Oheb Shalom, and Preservation Maryland–generously helped to spread the word across the city.

Although we did not win the $25,000 prize, your support for Baltimore’s Hebrew Orphan Asylum has affirmed our shared commitment to continue the hard work ahead, to preserve the Hebrew Orphan Asylum and restore the building to its historic role as an asset to the community. In the next few weeks, we will follow up with everyone who voted to offer a few suggestions on how you may be able to stay involved with the work to preserve this rare Baltimore landmark.