Preservation Organizations Make $50,000 Investment in Baltimore Revitalization Projects

BALTIMORE - Jan. 12, 2021 - PRLog -- The Baltimore City Historic Preservation Fund is a program of Preservation Maryland, Maryland Historical Trust, Baltimore Heritage, Inc., and the Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP). Financial support is provided by a fund established at the Baltimore Community Foundation. The seven funded projects represent a wide variety of challenges and opportunities – all focused on preserving neighborhood identity and contributing to community revitalization in Baltimore City.

The 1935 Ambassador Theater, located in the Howard Park neighborhood, was a movie theater until 1968. Artspace Projects. purchased the building and intends to create an art and cultural center. Grant funding of $5,000 will support architectural design work and a local engagement process.

The Friends of Herring Run Parks is undertaking a project to explore the history of Northeast Baltimore and create a Heritage Trail. The $5,500 grant will fund the coordination of existing research as well as new research to identify points for the trail as a prelude to the creation of a self-guided trail.

The 1930s Patterson Theater is a highly-visible landmark in Highlandtown. Creative Alliance operates the building as a gallery and performance space. The iconic marquee is in need of structural repairs. The $10,000 grant will support a conditions assessment and repairs.

The 18th-century Mount Clare Museum, operated by the National Society of Colonial Dames in Maryland, is currently closed and undergoing a physical and interpretative reimagining. The $10,000 grant will finance a conditions assessment of the structure and support a more inclusive interpretation plan.

This early 20th-century firehouse served the Coldstream Homestead Montebello neighborhood until 2000 and becoming vacant. It was briefly used as a set for the movie Ladder 49. Civic Works has purchased the building. The goal is to use it as a space for job training and education programs. The $10,000 grant will fund work to the exterior.

Roland Park's ca. 1905 water tower stands as a distinctive highly-visible stone landmark at the convergences of several residential neighborhoods in Baltimore. For the past decade, the small park-like area around the tower has been surrounded by a safety fence. The $3,500 grant will support major restoration efforts underway.

The Old West Baltimore Historic District comprises a neighborhood that was home to many important African American figures in civic life, the arts, and civil rights including Thurgood Marshall. The University of Maryland will undertake an archeological project in the neighborhood contemporaneously with Black Women Build, a non-profit that is rehabbing several nearby rowhouses. This $6,000 grant will help fund the dig to be conducted by students.