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Mount Vernon, Baltimore

Coordinates:39°17.9′N76°37′W/ 39.2983°N 76.617°W/39.2983; -76.617
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Mount Vernon
Midtown
Neighborhood
Northward view from the Washington Monument
Northward view from the Washington Monument
Map
Neighborhood boundaries
Coordinates:39°17.9′N76°37′W/ 39.2983°N 76.617°W/39.2983; -76.617
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CityBaltimore
Founded byJohn Eager Howard
Named forMount Vernon Estate
Time zoneUTC-5(Eastern)
• Summer (DST)EDT
ZIP code
21201, 21202[1]
Area code410, 443, and 667
Websitewww.mvba.org
Mount Vernon Place Historic District
ArchitectRobert Millsand others
NRHP referenceNo.71001037[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 11, 1971
Designated NHLDNovember 11, 1971[3]
Designated BCL1975

Mount Vernonis aneighborhoodofBaltimore, Maryland,located immediately north of the city'sdowntown.It is named forGeorge Washington'sMount Vernonestate inVirginia,as the site of the city'sWashington Monument.

Overview

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The Baltimore City Planning Commission defines the neighborhood as being bound byEager Streetto the north, theJones Falls Expresswayto the east,Franklin Streetto the south, andEutaw Streetto the west. TheMid-Town Belvedereneighborhood, named for the Belvedere estate ofJohn Eager Howard,lies immediately to the north, and the two are sometimes considered to be one neighborhood.

TheLight RailLinkline runs alongHoward Streeton the western side of Mount Vernon, and theMetro Subwayruns beneath Eutaw Street.Penn Station,served byAmtrakandMARCcommuter rail, is located north of Mid-Town Belvedere.

Mt Vernon Place UMC

Although mainly residential, Mount Vernon-Belvedere is home to a mix of institutions, including thePeabody Conservatoryof theJohns Hopkins University,Walters Art Museum,University of Baltimore,Maryland Center for History and Culture,Maryland Institute College of Art,Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall,Baltimore School for the Arts,Lyric Opera House,Center Stage,the Central Branch of theEnoch Pratt Free Library,Spotlighters Theatre, the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute, and formerly thePeabody Bookshop and Beer Stube.

During the 1970s, Mount Vernon became Baltimore's maingay village.The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore, now known as thePride Center of Maryland,was established in Mount Vernon in 1977.[4]

Architectural history

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The centerpiece of the Mount Vernon neighborhood, the cruciform arrangement of parks surrounding the Washington Monument, represents one of the nation's first examples of city planning for the express purpose of highlighting a monument. TheWashington Monumentwas completed in 1829 to a design byRobert Mills,and in 1831 the Howard family was granted permission to lay out the surrounding parks[5]which eventually were lined by stately homes. The parks, which have survived almost intact, are considered to be the finest existing urban landscapes by the Beaux-Arts architectural firm ofCarrère and Hastings,who also designed theNew York Public Library,portions of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the residence that houses theFrick Collection.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood are many older apartment buildings and three and four-storyrowhouses.TheBelvedere Hotel,opened in 1903, was converted to condominiums in 1991.[5][failed verification]

TheMount Vernon Place United Methodist Churchlies northeast of the Washington Monument. Conceived as a cathedral ofMethodism,it was built on the site of the Charles Howard mansion, the house in whichFrancis Scott Keydied. In 2021, the church's owners sought planning permission to subdivide the building, separating the church from the adjacent Asbury House.[6]The southeast corner from the monument is occupied entirely by the Peabody Institute, and the southwest corner includes three buildings forming part of the Walters Art Museum.

The formerStaffordHotel on Washington Place, built in 1894, now serves as an apartment building primarily housing Peabody Institute students.[7]

The old Mount Vernon Hotel at 702 Cathedral Street, built in 1847, was the mansion home of U.S. CongressmanWilliam Julian Albertwhere he entertainedAbraham Lincoln.It was converted into a hotel in 1967, and was whereOscar Wildestayed as part of his 1882 lecture tour of the United States.[8][failed verification]

The Mount Vernon Place Historic District, surrounding the Washington Monument, was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesand further designated as aNational Historic Landmark Districton November 11, 1971.[2][5]

Selected parcels with the National Historic Landmark District have been designatedBaltimore City Landmarks,including:

  • Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place (defined as the city square of the monument and the cruciform-shaped area of parks radiating north, south, east and west)[9]
  • Peabody Institute, 1-21 E. Mount Vernon Place[9]
  • Thomas-Jencks-Gladding House, 1 W. Mount Vernon Place[9]
  • George Howard House, 8 E. Madison Street

The National Historic Landmark District also includes:

  • Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury House, individually NRHP-listed
  • Stafford Hotel

The Mount Vernon neighborhood also includes:

The entire Mount Vernon neighborhood is included within theBaltimore National Heritage Area,[10][11]which was established in 2009.

Demographics

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As of thecensusof 2000,[12][failed verification][needs update]there were 4,520 people living in the neighborhood. The racial makeup of Mount Vernon was 55.3%White,33.4%African American,0.2%Native American,7.4%Asian,1.2% fromother races,and 2.3% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 3.1% of the population.

60.4% of the population were employed, 3.5% were unemployed, and 36.0% were not in the labor force, largely due to the large student population. The median household income was $21,225. About 15.2% of families and 26.9% of the population were below thepoverty line.[12]

5.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied. 10.2% of housing units werevacant.[12]

Education

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TheBaltimore School for the Artsis located on Cathedral Street in Mount Vernon.

In 2010, theBaltimore Leadership School for Young Women(BLSYW), achartersecondary school for girls, moved into the former headquarters of theYoung Women's Christian Association(YWCA) in Mount Vernon, becoming its first new public school in three decades.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Maryland Department of Planning Planning Services Division.Baltimore City, MD 2017 Zip Code areas(PDF)(Map).
  2. ^ab"National Register Information System – (#71001037)".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.
  3. ^"National Archives NextGen Catalog".
  4. ^"Our History".The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland. Archived fromthe originalon April 13, 2018.RetrievedApril 12,2018.
  5. ^abcParish, Mrs. Preston (February 1972)."National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mt. Vernon Place Historic District"(PDF).Maryland Historical Trust. Map of district on page 24. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on April 7, 2016.RetrievedMarch 1,2016.
  6. ^Gunts, Ed (August 20, 2021)."Judge reverses Planning Commission decision granting subdivision of Mount Vernon church".Baltimore Fishbowl.RetrievedAugust 21,2021.
  7. ^Rienzi, Greg (July 19, 2004)."Mt. Vernon: 96 Apts, Peabody View".The Gazette.Johns Hopkins University.
  8. ^"Oscar Wilde's 1882 Lecture Tour of America".Oscar Wilde in America.John Cooper. 2013.
  9. ^abcCommission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (July 2012).Baltimore City's Designated Landmark List(PDF).City of Baltimore.RetrievedOctober 2,2022.
  10. ^"Baltimore National Heritage Area Map"(PDF).City of Baltimore. June 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on May 22, 2013.RetrievedMarch 11,2012.
  11. ^"BNHA Boundary Map".RetrievedOctober 2,2022.
  12. ^abc"Community Facts".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
  13. ^Green, Erica L. (September 28, 2010)."All-girls' school moves into former YWCA building".Baltimore Sun.RetrievedMarch 8,2017.
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