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Patterson Park--Highlandtown Historic District
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100 Block of North Lakewood Ave
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| Location: | Roughly bounded by Patterson Park Ave., E. Fayettte St., and Pulaski Hwy, Grundy St., Easter Ave., Patterson Park, Baltimore, Maryland |
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| Area: | 295 acres (119 ha) |
| Built: | 1867 |
| Architect: | Gallagher, Edward J.; et.al. |
| Architectural style: | Late Victorian, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: |
02001623 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | December 27, 2002 |
Patterson Park is a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The neighborhood is located in the southeast section of Baltimore city and borders the 137 acre park of the same name on the north and east sides. Patterson Park is traditionally centered around the intersection of Baltimore Street and Linwood Avenue and until the formation of Patterson Park Neighborhood Association in 1986 was referred to as the Baltimore-Linwood Neighborhood. The original borders of Patterson Park neighborhood were Pratt Street to the south, Fayette Street to the north, Milton Street to the west and Clinton Street to the east, but in 2011 the Patterson Park Neighborhood Association voted to expand the northern border to Orleans Street between Milton and Curley Street.
Patterson Park is adjacent or nearby to neighborhoods Butchers Hill, Canton, Fells Point, Highlandtown, and McElderry Park. It is roughly two miles east of Baltimores downtown district.
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Patterson Park homes were originally developed between the mid 19th century and early 20th century to accommodate the swelling population of Baltimore City following the civil war. In the latter half of the 19th century, immigrant European laborers as well as free blacks like Frederick Douglas flocked to Baltimore seeking jobs in the waterfront factories, rail yards and wharves. The architect-designed homes of Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon were beyond their reach, however, profit-seeking, speculative builders met the housing needs by built block upon block of narrow rowhouses on inexpensive land, such as that found around Patterson Park at that time.
William Patterson owned much of the land that now constitutes the Patterson Park neighborhood. In 1827, he donated 5 acres of land in what we now know as Patterson Park to the city for a public walk. His heirs were less interested in donating the land that remained; and instead leased the land to speculative builders, who then raised rowhouses on it. The builders sold these homes at a profit, while the Patterson heirs collectedground rent on the leased land. [2]
Affectionately known as “marble houses,” the typical Patterson Park rowhouse was built in Renaissance Revival, or Italianate, style. They have restrained flat roofs; flat, brown or red brick façades; molded and galvanized sheet-metal exterior cornices, often stamped with neoclassical decoration and dressed up with ball finials; stained glass transoms; and marble steps and trim.
Architectural details changed over time, as building and manufacturing process advanced. For example, when plate glass became affordable in the late 1890’s, builders replaced the tall, narrow Palladian first floor windows with a single, wide plate glass window—some arched, some square.
Three-story Victorians built circa 1900 to 1910 line the park’s border. Two-story rowhomes dating from the 1920s line quaint and narrow side streets, some still paved with brick. Interiors often feature pressed tin ceilings, hardwood floors, stained glass windows and ornate moldings. Many houses still have original marble steps.
The exodus of middle-class—and aspiring middle-class—whites from the city center is not unique to the Patterson Park community. This is a characteristically American settlement pattern, stimulated by the advent of the electric trolley (streetcar) in 1888, and further accelerated by social and economic transitions since then.
The fabric of Southeast Baltimore’s working class communities was woven from the availability of good blue-collar jobs in the manufacturing industries surrounding the waterfront. Plant closures, layoffs, and the general decline of the manufacturing sector began to weaken that fabric in the 1960’s.
Changes in the city’s demographic composition fed fears and prejudice among residents who were already suffering economic hardships. Profound social shifts arising from the effects of the civil rights movement strengthened the case for elimination of residential housing segregation, but unfortunately, the unintended consequence was white flight. Absentee landlords, property abandonment, predatory lending and property flipping activities further fed the decline in Baltimore’s downtown communities.
Concerted efforts by the city’s political and business establishment began to focus on downtown redevelopment in the 1970’s. While helpful, these efforts did not really halt the growing problems of housing abandonment and disinvestment in Southeast Baltimore in general, and Patterson Park in particular.
The mid 1990’s were a particularly difficult time for Patterson Park, as nearby public housing estates were shut down abruptly, leaving nearby residents looking for housing options. Absentee landlords in the Patterson Park neighborhood took advantage of the new transient population. The ensuing stresses brought on by these changes further weakened the neighborhood’s strength.
Formed in 1996 the Patterson Park Community Development Corporation (PPCDC) was created to combat the issue of low ownership rates and high vacancy in the Patterson Park community. The founder Ed Rutkowski, had created the Patterson Park Neighborhood Initiative, hiring organizers to join neighbors together to define the issues affecting their neighborhoods including crime, less than robust city services and nuisance issues. The PPCDC operated in the Patterson Park neighborhood until February 2009, when the collapse of the housing market caused them to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [3]
Approximately 300 Patterson Park’s rowhomes have been renovated by the Patterson Park Community Development Corporation (PPCDC) between 1996 and 2009, many of which were formerly vacant homes transformed into modern housing. Since the inception of PPCDC the vacancy rate in Patterson Park has declined from nearly twice that of the rest of Baltimore City to less than the average, the crime rate has dropped to less than half for violent offenses, and the average housing value has nearly tripled. Since the disbanding of the PPCDC the neighborhood indicators of vacancy rate, crime rate, and housing value continue to show signs of improvement. [4]
Founded in 1986 under the name Baltimore-Linwood Neighborhood Association and renamed to Patterson Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA) in 2003 the associations is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Founded to encourage city residents to be involved in community activities, PPNA touts 300 active members. [5]The Patterson Park Neighborhood Association continues to encourage neighborliness and foster resident volunteerism. The Association holds a community meeting in a local church basement once a month, and organizes block clean-ups, tree and flower plantings, holiday parties, pot lucks, home tours and block parties.
PPNA leadership consists of an elected board, one president, four vice presidents, one treasurer, and one secretary. The vice presidents each represent one sector of PPNA: North, South, East and West Sectors with the dividing line of the sectors generally being Linwood Avenue and Baltimore Street. Elections take place every January and every seat is voted on during elections. Stipulations to hold office and vote are that you must live within Patterson Park borders and being a paying PPNA member.
The PPNA Greening Committee has set lofty goals to make the neighborhood cleaner and greener. In a partnership with the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge, the committee is working to reduce the energy consumption of Baltimore by educating and encouraging residents to pledge to reduce their household energy use through more efficient measures. The Greening Committee has also been awarded over $60,000 in donations to finance its project -- including major support from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a state-chartered grant maker, and Healthy Neighborhoods Inc., a local nonprofit for tree plantings in the neighborhood. [6]
One of PPNAs newest initiatives is gated alleys where residents gate both ends of an alley and make it a park-like space for neighbors to enjoy. [7]
1st District City
46th District State Senate
46th District House of Delegates
Maryland 3rd Congressional District
US Senate
The Route 40 Quickbus stops at Fayette Street and Linwood Avenue along its crosstown course between Woodlawn (west) and Essex (east). Route 13 passes through the neighborhood along Milton Avenue, McElderry Street and Linwood Avenue. Route 20 and Route 23 provide crosstown bus service along Fayette Street.