North Baltimore Properties Closer to Landmark Status

Two North Baltimore properties are closer to being named city landmarks.

The Baltimore City Council’s Aging and Urban Affairs Committee gave favorable recommendations on Wednesday to two pieces of legislation that would designate  the Grace Turnbull House in Guilford and the  as historic landmarks.  The entire City Council will consider both bills during its regular meeting on Monday.

Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke called the reconition of the Waverly Town Hall's historic signigicance a “high point.” The build is in the 3100 block of Greenmount Avenue.

That neighborhood commercial corridor is dealing with the perception that it’s not a safe area. Last week, 52-year-old Freddie Jones Jr. was just two blocks south of the town hall.

The Waverly Town Hall was built in 1873 and is one of the last town halls that were erected in areas that have since been annexed into the city. In fact, the hall is where Waverely residents voted in 1888 in favor of becoming part of Baltimore. The town was formerly a Victorian village.

Kathleen Kotarba, executive director of the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, said the building represents something unusual in Baltimore, a town hall that dates back to before the area was part of Baltimore.

“The Waverly Town Hall is a very important and unusual structure,” Kotarba said.

Clarke, who represents parts of Guilford, also praised efforts to put the home of , a renowned artist, on the landmark list.

Clarke said she remembered meeting Turnbull in 1975 when Clarke was knocking on doors in the neighborhood while campaigning for city council.  

“I’m glad to see it’s becoming a landmark. She should’ve been a landmark if we had that [designation] for people,” Clarke said.

Kortaba also praised efforts to add the house on the city’s landmark list.

“We’re so lucky to have her house which is as much artwork as architecture,” she said.

Once a property is added to the landmark list it protects the exterior of the building from significant alterations. 

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