Charles Street seeks national byway designation

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Baltimore and Maryland transportation officials are strategizing ways to secure “national scenic byway” designation for historic Charles Street, a plan that could mean changes from new development restrictions to a public trolley line.

The 12-mile stretch of Charles Street between Interstate 95 in South Baltimore and Lutherville already enjoys state-level designation, but federal recognition could mean new funds for improvements, officials said. The 15-page plan unveiled Wednesday, the first step in the process of national designation, also suggests basic improvements including a sidewalk on both sides of the street and crosswalks at all traffic signals.

Mayor Sheila Dixon described the stretch as an “outdoor museum.”

“From Lutherville at one end, to South Baltimore at the other, there is a wide range of noteworthy architecture, historic landscapes, parks, museums and cultural institutions,” Dixon said.

Specifically, the list of architects who have designed buildings and places along Charles Street is a virtual “who’s who” of the profession, officials said. The corridor hosts the Washington Monument, the Mount Vernon Place national historic landmark district and the Basilica of the Assumption — the nation’s first Roman Catholic cathedral.

The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Walters Art Museum and the Peabody Institute also are located on the street.

National scenic byways get “first dibs” on federal funds for improvements, according to a Dixon aide. This year, the state received $700,000 in federal money for its 19 national scenic byways.

If approved, Charles Street would be one of only three other urban byways in the nation, with the others in Detroit and Delaware.

Dixon, Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and several state lawmakers and government officials gathered at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Wednesday to also announce the formation of a 24-member advisory committee to implement the plan.

“Charles Street is truly one of the Baltimore region’s most vital thoroughfares of culture and commerce, and also a real treasure of beautiful architecture and historic significance,” Smith said.

jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com

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