History
The name Mount Royal has been a part of Baltimore since its beginning days. Originally Mount Royal was an estate sitting north and west of downtown Baltimore and adjacent to the Jones Falls. The Mount Royal estate originally included the Mount Royal Mill and was owned by Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Carroll was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. Many mills w
ere located on the Jones Falls and several lasted well into the 20th Century. Many of the area mills were located just north of the Mount Royal estate and today have been converted to luxury condos and businesses. In 1801, the land was sold to Solomon Birckhead. Birckhead had three sons and a daughter, Christina. It was to Christina that the remaining Mount Royal estate was bequeathed. Christina married Dr. Thomas Bond, a wealthy physician and they had one son, Hugh Bond, who lived at the Mount Royal mansion for many years after his parents’ death. Hugh Bond, a very colorful figure of his time, was in the 1850s leader of the American or Known Nothing Party in Baltimore. He later supported the emancipation of blacks and was responsible for organizing the first public schools for blacks in Baltimore. Hugh Bond also gave the City one half of the land now occupied by Mount Royal Terrace and Druid Hill Reservoir. The Bond family was well liked by neighbors and the Old Mount Royal mansion was renamed the Bond House. The Mount Royal estate consisted of large stone and slate roof mansion that still stands today at the intersection of Park Avenue and Reservoir Street. It is now home to the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council and the Head Start Program. Another prominent feature of the estate was the Mount Royal Reservoir. The site of the Mount Royal Reservoir lay just west of the Northern Central Railroad tracks on the former site of the Mount Royal Mill property. The most notable feature of the reservoir was a large central fountain similar to the one in present day Druid Lake, ornamenting the center of the reservoir with a stream of water bubbling high into the air. By 1863 just over half of the city’s 38,881 buildings received water that was delivered from the Mount Royal Reservoir. mt res
By 1833, residential housing had barely moved into the Mount Royal area. However, in the 1840s the population of Baltimore increased greatly because of industrial development, and a large portion of these newcomers began to migrate north from the inner City in the direction of the Mount Royal area. The area above North Avenue attracted the upper economic classes who constructed big three and four story houses and a number of expensive churches. Many old estates were being converted into institutions or sub-divided, and in 1860, Mount Hope Retreat, a home for the elderly and cemetery was situated at North and Linden Avenue with grounds extending eastward. When it was torn down and new housing was built, there was a superstitious belief that the cellars of the houses built on top of the cemetery were haunted. It was about this time (1860) that Lloyd Rogers, owner of a vast estate to the northwest of Mount Royal, sold a part of his property known as Druid Hill to the City for $500,000 to be used as a public park. The property had previously been landscaped as a private garden and it was full of horse trails, natural lakes, elaborate fountains and pieces of sculpture. The park, a popular attraction for Baltimoreans, contained a huge lake that is today Druid Hill Reservoir. At that time, the lake was 55 acres in extent and about 30 feet deep. Surrounding the lake was a thin path called Gravel Drive where ladies in their long skirts rode sidesaddle with their escorts to the bridal paths in Druid Hill Park. The park acted as a magnet for residential development, and real estate developers bought up land and divided it into small parcels until only a few scattered estates were left. Streetcar lines were built, including a line connecting the Mount Royal area with the center of the City. The beautiful pavilions, which were once resting places for tired hikers in the park, became waiting stations for streetcars. New streets constructed were Reservoir Street which was cut below the south hill surrounding the Bond House; Madison Avenue, named after the President of the United States, James Madison, after he visited Baltimore; Ducatel Street, named after Jiles Ducatel, chemist, mineralogist, university professor, author, lecturer, newspaper editor and founder of the Maryland Academy of Science and Literature; and Park Avenue which was previously a part of a private estate was opened to the public. Bolton Street was a steep and narrow thoroughfare, which was named after an estate, which stood upon the site now occupied by the Fifth Regiment Armory. It was roped off in the winter for sled races and was widened to accommodate the increasing number of horse and buggies in the area. Garden Lane, a beautiful three-lined street and popular roadway to the park, was also widened causing the destruction of hundreds of huge Linden trees. Garden Lane, known as Linden Avenue, still exists, but the only traces of the huge Linden trees are those which line the 2300 block. By 1896, all of the Mount Royal area had been developed with the exception of the Bond property at the southernmost corner along Mount Royal Terrace; and by 1914, all the Bond property was developed except a few acres surrounding the mansion. In the mid-1900s, the remaining Bond estate was sold to the Monthly Meeting of Friends as a rest home for its aged members. The early 1900s ushered in booming industrial activity and the automobile was introduced. Hundreds of newcomers crowded into the City developing a great need for housing. Large town houses with ten or more rooms were subdivided into apartments while others were cleared to make room for high-rise structures such as the Riviera on Druid Lake Drive, as well as the Emersonian on Eutaw Place and Druid Lake Drive. Most of the new apartments were equipped with modern conveniences such as refrigeration and electricity, which were never before available. The northern portion of the Mount Royal District had become predominately Jewish especially on streets in and around large congregations such as Chizuk Amuno on Eutaw Place and Baltimore Hebrew Congregation on Madison Avenue. While the entire area was religiously mixed, the southern portion of the district was predominately Protestant and Catholic with large congregations such Brown Memorial Presbyterian and Corpus Christi Catholic nearby. In the 1940s the Mount Royal area began to undergo a physical decline. Concerned homeowners realized that their neighborhoods were deteriorating and decided to try to do something to combat the blighting conditions. As a result of this concern, the Mount Royal Improvement Association was formed. The Mount Royal Improvement Association sponsored clean block campaigns and garden shows, awarding prizes to the neighborhoods with the cleanest blocks and the prettiest gardens. The 600 block of Reservoir Street was known to have had some of the loveliest gardens in Baltimore. The association also acted as a resident participation group in public improvement projects. One such project was the dismantling of the Mount Royal Reservoir. The re-use of the Reservoir was a bone of contention and many proposals were vetoed by the Mount Royal Improvement Association. One suggested use was a public stadium, but it was later proven too small for future population growth. Another proposal was a swimming hole, but that too was turned down because of sanitation problems. Finally, it was decided that it would be filled in and seeded, creating a five-acre lawn, which would stretch from North Avenue to Reservoir Street. The Association also advised homeowners against selling their properties to speculators or subdividing their houses into apartments, and was instrumental in preventing so-called undesirables from obtaining housing in the area. In spite of the protective policy practiced by the Mount Royal Improvement Association, the Mount Royal area continued to decline and World War II came bringing thousands of factory workers into the City. Vacant housing units were almost non-existent and the Mount Royal area became prey for speculators wanting to exploit the situation. The large town houses were further subdivided into many small apartments and rooms without adequate rehabilitation. The wealthy moved northward renting apartments or small homes above Whitelock Street, which had not yet been subdivided, while poorer families moved into increasingly overcrowded conditions. By 1942, overcrowded conditions prevailed and the area continued on a path of deterioration until 1948 when the City undertook the largest housing inspection that it had ever taken. 3,500 houses were inspected and homeowners who lived in the Mount Royal area were shocked to learn about the conditions that existed. Many families moved out of the area completely. Others stayed to try to protect their homes, but in 1948 a crime wave plagued the Mount Royal area. Police protection was increased and neighborhood protective agencies were formed to patrol the streets, however crime was still prevalent. Long-time residents gave up and moved out of the area completely. In the Fall of 1952, a prominent public school in Baltimore, Polytechnic Institute, enrolled a dozen African-American boys into the premiere “A” course. Two years later the Federal court ruled to end desegregation in the United States. Rapid and sweeping changes took place in the years to follow in the Mount Royal area as well as the rest of Baltimore City. While the Mount Royal area was historically an all-white neighborhood, many of the city’s most affluent African-American residents lived on streets just west on Druid Hill Avenue, McCulloch Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Integration of neighborhoods led to “white flight” as tension, distrust and confusion occurred among residents. In addition, the area was already unstable due to the large amount of migrant workers who had moved to Baltimore to help during World War II. Streets such as Linden Avenue had become slums and living conditions had greatly deteriorated. By the late 1950’s much of the area had become lower-class and largely African-American. Attitudes regarding city life were changing rapidly for many Americans of all races. Many in the next generation chose to live in the suburbs of Baltimore instead of the city. Racially mixed communities such as Columbia, Maryland were considered the “place to live” for those who had the means to leave the city. The wealth in the Mount Royal area greatly declined with some exception in the far north and west and south and east portions. By the end of the decade, the south and east portion of the district had largely begun calling itself Bolton Hill. Those in the Bolton Hill area continued to make attempts at maintaining stability in that portion of Mount Royal. The Jewish community, which had been a predominate makeup of the north and west area of the district began a northwest “migration”. Many congregations and Jewish Residents moved to neighborhoods such as Park Heights. In 1960, the Baltimore City began work on what was called the “Mount Royal-Fremont Urban Renewal Project”. All of the Mount Royal District and areas to the south and west were included. Plans were unveiled for significant demolition of homes and businesses in an effort to revitalize that portion of the city. All of North Avenue and most of Linden Avenue below North Avenue were completely demolished. Many of the blocks of homes adjacent to North Avenue were also demolished to make way for new garden apartments and public housing projects. North Avenue was enlarged from four lanes to six lanes and a median. Bolton Street and Callow Avenue all were no longer accessible off North Avenue to both north and south; Linden Avenue was only accessible on the north side. Effectively a physical barrier of public housing projects and garden apartments now divided the Mount Royal District into two distinct portions. The southern portion, now the neighborhood of Bolton Hill, began to stabilize with the help of dedicated residents and local institutions along with a growing college nearby, Maryland Institute College of Art. The northern portion, now called Reservoir Hill, continued on a steady decline as properties fell into disrepair and only one shrinking synagogue remained, Chizuk Amuno. In 1968, racial unrest swept the city following the death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Areas in the northern portion of Mount Royal were hit hard as what retail remained in the area was looted and burned. What little stability was left was now eroding and the area continued in decline. In the 1970’s, Mayor William Donald Schaeffer started what was called the “dollar house” program. The city was willing to give you qualified homeowners a chance to buy an abandoned city property for one dollar with the expectation they would stay and live in the property. Homeowners moved into the Reservoir Hill area and began renovating older homes. A Neighborhood Action Group was founded by Roscoe Herring in 1970 and in 1972 Baltimore Housing and Community Development renamed the northern portion of the Mount Royal District to be called Reservoir Hill. At the same time, the southern portion of the District, Bolton Hill, was included in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. A festival began to grow promoting the area sponsored by Memorial Episcopal Church. In 1978, Fred Lazarus became president of Maryland Institute College of Art. He proposed a new free arts festival, called Artscape, to take place on Mount Royal Avenue, the eastern portion of Bolton Hill. It officially began in 1982 in conjunction with the opening of Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Today, Artspace is America’s largest free outdoor arts festival. The 1980’s and 1990’s were tough decades for Baltimore City as population rapidly declined and crime and drugs became serious issues. While Bolton Hill had become a stabilized neighborhood, crime was an issue but nothing like that in Reservoir Hill. The retail area on Whitelock Street became notorious for drugs and violence. In turn, Reservoir Hill struggled to stabilize. There were some small victories but many times any progress was thwarted by another string of violence. While Bolton Hill was represented by the Mount Royal Improvement Association, Reservoir Hill had many different neighborhood groups and clubs, all of which worked separately and sometimes in competition with each other. In 1993, the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council was formed in hopes to unite the different groups and help stabilize the neighborhood. With the help of a robust housing market, the 2000’s brought momentous change to Reservoir Hill and Bolton Hill. Housing prices skyrocketed and any neglected or vacant properties were bought up by investors and home-owners. Areas that were abandoned in Reservoir Hill were being turned back into urban mansions. Crime rates had dropped and Americas perception of city living was changing. Both Reservoir Hill and Bolton Hill had become diverse neighborhoods, each with unique characteristics. While Reservoir Hill had not stabilized completely, it was closer than it had been several decades. In 2008, the housing market crashed and so did the fortunes of many of the efforts to stabilize Reservoir Hill. Investors walked away from projects and home foreclosures were the norm. Home prices dropped dramatically and a wave of new-homeowners moved in to Reservoir Hill and Bolton Hill to take advantage of the large inventory of inexpensive foreclosures available. In 2012, leaders of the Reservoir Hill, Bolton Hill and Madison Park neighborhoods came together to plan and dream about what was needed to ensure stability and longevity to the area. It became apparent that an organization was needed to create a quality economic development and marketing plan. Out of those discussions was the formation of the Mount Royal Community Development Corporation. Charged with envisioning the areas future by looking back at the storied history of Mount Royal and examining the needs of three diverse neighborhoods, Mount Royal Community Development Corporation is recapturing the pride and entrepreneurial spirit of days past. Learning from past failures and successes, today the Mount Royal District stands poised to become an example of one of Americas best neighborhoods synonymous with Beacon Hill in Boston or Society Hill in Philadelphia, connecting Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Mount Vernon District with Druid Hill Park.
