| Mount
Vernon,
Baltimore
City Zip Code(s): 21202,
21201
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Location
Located approximately 10 blocks north of Baltimore's
Inner Harbor, Mount Vernon is bounded by Mount Royal Av. to the north,
Mulberry St to the south, Guilford St. to the east and Howard St. to the
west.
Description
A National Register Historic District, Mount Vernon encompasses
the best of what city living has to offer. This lively neighborhood not
only serves as the cultural center of Baltimore but as the home to a
diverse group of residents and businesses. College students who walk to
class and professionals who work here, downtown, or as far away as
Washington and New York are just some of the people who take advantage
of Mt. Vernon's convenient location. Singles and empty nesters who seek
to avoid the monotony of the suburbs, enjoy a wide array of art,
entertainment, and services just steps from their front door. Living
spaces include single family Victorian row homes, carriage houses,
condominiums, apartments in row homes, and several high-rises.
History
Mt. Vernon acquired its
land and name during the 19th century when John Eager Howard and his
heirs donated the highest point in Baltimore to become the site for the
first memorial to George Washington. The site of the Washington Monument
in Mt. Vernon Square is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful
urban sites in the world.
Between 1800 and 1900 Mt. Vernon
was at the center of Baltimore's transformation from an insignificant
harbor city to a place of prominence and wealth. This was the time when
fortunes were made and great philanthropies bestowed. During the
neighborhood's early history, wealthy residents including Henry and
William Walters, Robert Garrett, A.S. Abell, and Theodore Marburg
commissioned well-known architects such as Niernsee & Neilson,
Stanford White, John Russell Pope, and Robert Mills to build the grand
buildings and monuments that still grace the neighborhood.
In addition to serving as home to
wealthy Baltimoreans, Mt. Vernon was chosen as the site for major
cultural institutions. The legacies of influential people such as George
Peabody, Henry and William Walters, and Enoch Pratt continue on as the
Peabody Conservatory, the Walters Art Gallery, and the Enoch Pratt Free
Library.
Most of the original Mt. Vernon
buildings remain today, but their functions have changed. For example,
the home of Henry and William Walters at 5 W. Mt. Vernon Place now
serves as offices for the Walters Art Gallery; the Garret-Jacobs Mansion
is now the Engineering Society; and the Jencks-Gladding house now the
houses the Asian art for the Walters Art Gallery. The rejuvenation of
the many historic and architecturally significant buildings has enabled
Mt. Vernon to remain not only a diverse residential neighborhood, but
also a cultural center and restaurant district.
Neighborhood Contact/Links
Midtown Development Corporation
1228 N. Calvert St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
Tel: (410) 327-7373
Mt. Vernon-Belvedere Association (neighborhood
association)
president@mvba.org
Information
courtesy of LiveBaltimore.com
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