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Baltimore Heritage is trying to save the historic buildings on the superblock
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Politically connected developers always seem to be able to break the rules in Baltimore. Is this about to happen again?
I received the following email today:
"We’re now asking for your help in Baltimore Heritage’s nearly ten-year effort to preserve the historic buildings in the area downtown called “The Superblock.” This square block, just east of Lexington Market along Lexington Street, has 17 historic buildings and is bounded by Lexington St., Howard St., Fayette St. and Park Ave.
view of the Superblock looking eastward along Lexington Street
The Superblock is important for many reasons, including:
a) It contains 17 historic buildings (11 proposed for full or partial demolition)
b) Has an intact street wall of historic buildings, rare for downtown
c) Is a core component of the Market Center National Register Historic District
d) Contains some of the city’s last remaining cast iron fronted buildings
For nearly five years, the Baltimore Development Corporation has been in a partnership with a development group called Lexington Square Partners. During this time, Lexington Square Partners has failed to produce a proposal that meets the city’s preservation obligations and preserves the historic buildings. Of the 17 historic buildings on the Superblock, at least 11 are proposed to be fully or partially demolished, including demolition of the intact historic street wall on Lexington Street shown above, saving only the Epsteins Department Store building shown at the far left. Equally troubling is the fact that Lexington Square Partners’ plan does not meet the nearly 10 year old agreement on historic preservation between Baltimore City and the State of Maryland that guides development and preservation in this area of downtown. Since 2005, the Maryland Historical Trust has repeatedly written the developers and the Baltimore Development Corporation that the plan fails to meet the requirements of this Memorandum of Agreement to preserve important historic buildings.
City Councilman William Cole has taken great leadership and asked the Baltimore Development Corporation to terminate the city’s partnership with Lexington Square Partners. We have joined him because this development group plans to demolish many of our city’s historic buildings downtown in violation of the city’s long-standing preservation commitments. Please help us save this central historic block on the West Side of downtown (which the National Trust listed as one of the country’s 11 most endangered historic places in 1999) by sending an email to Mayor Dixon asking her to terminate the city’s relationship with Lexington Square Partners and to re-bid the Superblock for proposals that will respect and work with our historic buildings. Attached is a letter Baltimore Heritage sent to Mayor Dixon recently asking for the same.
Mayor Sheila Dixon: Mayor@Baltimorecity.gov
Johns Hopkins, Baltimore Heritage Executive Director: hopkins@baltimoreheritage.org (please consider copying us on your email)
Thank you for your help in preserving Baltimore’s historic places.
Johns Hopkins
Baltimore Heritage, Inc.
11 1/2 W. Chase St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-332-9992"
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