| Guilford,
Baltimore
City
Zip Code(s): 21218, 21210
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Location
North - Cold Spring Lane, South - Convergence of St. Paul
Street and Greenway Street at University Parkway, West - Linkwood Road,
East - Newland, Eastway, and Wendover Street. Description
Guilford is a residential neighborhood that was planned by the
Olmsted firm and developed by the Roland Park Company in the early
1900's. It has stunningly beautiful architecture, community parks,
streets lined with mature trees and period streetlights, the
world-famous Sherwood Gardens, and a prime location that is a short
commute to downtown Baltimore. Guilford is designated a National
Register Historic District.
There are about 800 single-family homes in Guilford that range from
cottages to stately mansions.
Guilford's location is minutes from the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus,
Loyola College, the College of Notre Dame, an array of excellent
neighborhood restaurants, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the City's
finest public and private schools. History
The 210 acres of land that are now Guilford were purchased in 1872 by
Arunah S. Abell, founder of The Sun. It remained in the Abell family for
35 years, until 1907, when it was sold to the Guilford Park Company. The
Guilford Park Company wanted to prevent this beautiful tract of land,
lying in the line of the city's rapid growth to the north, from being
sold in small parcels for merely speculative building operations of the
usual type, and they determined that the property should be developed as
a whole along the lines of the best modern methods of city planning. In
1911 the Guilford Park Company joined with the Roland Park Company and
thus Guilford came under a management that had demonstrated in Roland
Park the wisdom of safe-guarding a neighborhood by properly restricting
the uses to which the land may be put and of adding to it the
improvements that contribute so greatly to the comfort of living in it,
and the attractiveness of its aspect as a whole.
Planning of the landscape design for Guilford was under the immediate
direction of Mr. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. of the famous firm of
Olmsted Brothers. The community reflects Olmstedian landscape design
principles in its curvilinear streets and respect for existing
topography and vegetation. The Guilford plan provided for three parks
"for general use of the residents," two containing about one
and one-quarter acres each and the other about three acres. Over the
past ninety years two additional parks were created including the well
regarded Sherwood Gardens and the Gateway Park. By December 1913, only
seven months after the opening of Guilford, one-eighth of the entire
development had been purchased by home seekers, appreciating the beauty,
convenience, and security of this development. However, 1914 also
brought war to Europe and it was not until April, 1925, that the
completion of streets and utilities in the entire development was
announced. The homes of Guilford were designed by some of the greatest
Baltimore architects of the era. They included Edward L. Palmer, Bayard
Turnball, John Russell Pope, W. D. Lamdin and Laurence Hall Fowler.
Building materials range from brick and stone to stucco with carefully
defined details. The homes are designed in predominantly early 20th
century revival styles that reflect European influences. The Guilford
Association maintains the neighborhood's integrity through the covenants
in the Deed and Agreement, exercising oversight and guidance that have
resulted in the unique community and quality living environment. Neighborhood
Links/Contacts
The Guilford Association
P. O. Box 4677
Baltimore, MD 2121
www.guilfordnews.com/community
Howard Friedel
The Guilford Association, Inc.
(410) 467-7363
Parks and Recreation
Arts and Culture
Healthcare
Educational Resources
Places of Worship
Shopping Centers
Information
courtesy of LiveBaltimore.com
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