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County group identifies list of endangered historic sites
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Related Topics: Baltimore County
Baltimore County (Map, News) - A historical preservation group that has identified the top most endangered Baltimore County sites, said properties could soon be completely lost to neglect, demolition and ignorance.
The seven properties identified — including a War of 1812 battlefield, post-Civil War homes built by freed slaves and the state’s second-oldest armory — are not protected as part of state or county registries, but should be, said members of the Baltimore County Historical Trust.
Advocates said they fear the county isn’t doing enough to preserve historically significant buildings and said developers are using “pre-demolition” to circumvent proper razing permits.
Members of the county council identified nine of 13 properties recommended for preservation by the county’s landmarks committee, said Patricia Bentz, the group’s executive director.
“It’s very discouraging when you have very knowledgeable people make a recommendation that’s completely disregarded by the county council,” Bentz said. “These decisions don’t come lightly.”
Three other properties were not preserved because developers stripped them of anything architecturally salvageable — such as windows, molding, stair rails and floorboards, Bentz said. The pre-demolition process does not require a county permit and gives developers a chance to remove historic features before they apply for
demolition, she said.
The list is a first for the trust, said David Marks, vice chairman of the group’s board of directors, and includes several 20th-century properties, including workers housing at the Glenn L. Martin company’s bomber construction plant, the former home of Richard Nixon.
Marks emphasized the list is not a criticism of the county’s landmarks commission, which has registered nearly 350 properties since 1976.
“The landmarks preservation commission has protected a lot of properties, and the members on it now are much more interested in preservation than previous commissions,” Marks said.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
5:43 AM MST on Sun., May. 6, 2007 re: "Official: Boys and Girls Club in Southeast may close after review"
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10:38 PM MST on Sat., May. 5, 2007
re: "Official: Boys and Girls Club in Southeast may close after review"
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Jenna taylor said:
This is terribly unfortunate. As a college student who works part-time at my local Boys & Girls Club I know how devastating this will be to some of the club's members. Many of the children see their Boys & Girls Club as a safe haven from the harsh realities they are exposed to at such a young age... being around adults who are good role-models and care about their futures is so critical to their development... with all the loaded people in D.C. someone with big bucks should step in and get the club financially back afloat.
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Examiner Reader said:
Maybe if they didn't their Executive Director a quarter of a million dollar$ a year they could afford to keep thier clubs open!
513 agree | 375 disagree
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