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Mayor Dixon Celebrates Designation of the Baltimore National Heritage Area

Baltimore, MD (August 22, 2009) – Mayor Sheila Dixon was joined by Senator Ben Cardin, Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Representative C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, Representative John Sarbanes, National Park Service Associate Regional Director Maryanne Gerbauckus, elected officials and Baltimore’s Heritage community to celebrate Baltimore’s National Heritage Area designation. A national heritage area is an area or region that has a distinct “flavor” and density of historic, cultural, and natural resources of national significance. The event took place in the Broadway Square Market in Baltimore’s historic Fells Point neighborhood.

Mayor Dixon joined by Senator Cardin,
Representative Cummings, Representative
Ruppersberger, Representative Sarbanes,
Maryanne Gerbauckas, Associate Regional
Director, National Park Service, Bob
Campbell, Chesapeake Gateways and
Watertrails Network, Jeffrey Buchheit, Director,
Baltimore National Heritage Area and
Robert Getz, Billie Holiday House, Inc.
Ribbon cutting at one of Baltimore’s ten
Chesapeake Gateway signs.

Today’s event was a celebration of Baltimore’s historic and cultural significance. In addition to live music, historic re-enactors and the Fell’s Point Town Crier, the Baltimore Zoo brought the ZOOmobile to entertain guests. Another highlight was the unveiling of Baltimore’s new Water Taxi Landing signs. The signs will serve as modern lighthouses on the water’s edge and to educate residents and visitors about related attractions.

“This designation reminds us that the people of Baltimore have much to be proud of,” said Mayor Dixon. “Our abundant historic treasures are essential to our quality of life and economy. This designation will support our local economy by bringing in Federal dollars to strengthen and protect our cultural and historic jewels that tell our story to the world.”

The Mayor also thanked Senator Barbara Mikulski for her role in ensuring Baltimore earned the Heritage Area designation. Senator Mikulski was unable to attend this morning’s event because she is recovering from an ankle injury.

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2009, included the establishment of the Baltimore Heritage Area as a National Park Service National Heritage Area. Baltimore joins 49 National Heritage Areas in 32 states across the country.

“The Baltimore National Heritage Area presents a wonderful opportunity to showcase our rich historic and cultural heritage,” said Senator Cardin. “From Fort McHenry to the U.S.S. Constellation to the home of Frederick Douglass and many more sites, Baltimore is one of our nation’s premier historic cities, and this federal designation will attract new visitors to our City and enable Marylanders and all Americans to honor and treasure our past.”

As a designated National Heritage Area, Baltimore’s historic and cultural attractions will receive Federal support – up to $10 million in federal funding over 15 years – through financial and technical support from the National Park Service.

Senator Cardin and Mayor Dixon unveil the
Baltimore National Heritage Area logo,
joined by Representative Cummings,
Representative Ruppersberger and
Representative Sarbanes.

“I have spent my entire life surrounded by the rich history and diverse cultures that embody the lifeblood of Baltimore, which is why I joined Senator Mikulski in leading the Maryland Delegation to fight for the National Heritage Area designation for our great city,” said Congressman Cummings. “It is a great honor to be a part of this historic moment and ensure that we can safeguard the fortunes of our heritage for generations to come.”

“The heritage area designation will draw attention to Baltimore’s rich historic contribution to our nation,” said Congressman Sarbanes. “Generations to come will have the opportunity to learn more about Baltimore’s place in American history.”

A National Heritage Area is a region Congress recognizes for its unique combination of natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources that are nationally distinct. Congress’ recognition provides an opportunity for the City, cultural organizations, and citizens in and around Baltimore to come together to preserve, support, conserve, and interpret the Baltimore’s unique natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources. The Baltimore Heritage Area’s goal is to encourage public and private partners to foster tourism, education, and programming initiatives that highlight for visitors and residents alike important events and sites related to American history and culture in Baltimore.

Mayor Dixon Designates Twelve City Buildings as Historic Landmarks

ceremony for the new Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shine Visitors’ Center

Mayor Sheila Dixon, Council Members Agnes
Welch (district 9) and Mary Pat Clarke
(District 14) with Andrew Martire, Head Master
of the Calvert School and A. J. O’Brien of the
Tuscany Canterbury Association, stewards
of Castalia Landmark site

Mayor Dixon was joined by elected officials and advocates for historic preservation to announce twelve city buildings that have been awarded historic designation on May 6, 2009. There are now a total of 153 buildings that have been identified as landmarks by the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP.)

“The City of Baltimore cherishes these jewels because they are unique and authentic,” said Mayor Dixon. “Our City is richer because we have so many Landmarks, the real places that tell the real Baltimore stories.”

The owners of the historic landmarks and community representatives joined the Mayor together for this important occasion, which also served to kick off May as “Preservation Month” in Baltimore. All month long, an exhibit called “Baltimore Jewels: Additions to the Baltimore City Landmark List” will showcase the 12 new landmarks being celebrated and will remain in City Hall’s North Gallery to be enjoyed by the public.

Landmark and historic district designations are proposed by CHAP, reviewed by the Planning Commission and legislated by the Mayor and City Council. The following buildings have been granted historic designation:

Scottish Rite Temple
St. Paul Community Baptist Church
Mount Calvary Episcopal Church
St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Nazarene Baptist Church
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church
Raffel Building
Four Bay House
Dr. Giering House
Melvin Cade Armory
Harford Commons
Castalia

In 1964, the City of Baltimore established CHAP to protect dozens of historic buildings near Mount Vernon Place. For 45 years, and with many contributions of both government leaders and citizenry, Baltimore City's historic preservation program is the most extensive of any local government in the State. There are currently 11,000 designated structures included within CHAP’s jurisdiction. CHAP's board, staffing and programming is located within the Department of Planning. The Division of Historical and Architectural Preservation administers the City's preservation activities. For more information on historical preservation visit, www.preservemd.org

For a complete list of designated Baltimore City Landmarks click here

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Visitors’ Center

Mayor Sheila Dixon joins Governor Martin O’Malley, Senator
Benjamin Cardin, Congressman John Sarbanes, Senator Paul
Sarbanes (retired), NPS Deputy Director Michael Reynolds, Gay
Vietzke, NPS Superintendent and other distinguished guests at
recent groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fort McHenry
National Monument and Historic Shrine Visitors’ Center.

Mayor Sheila Dixon along with Gov. Martin O'Malley and other state elected officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new visitors' center at Baltimore's Fort McHenry, April 27. Construction of the facility – which will house exhibits, an auditorium, staff offices, a bookstore and a library in a 15,000- to 20,000-sq.-ft. space – is expected to take 18 months.

The existing visitors' center is a 5,700-sq.-ft. structure designed to accommodate 250,000 yearly visitors. Current data shows that the park now draws more than 620,000 annual visitors to Baltimore. Congress had appropriated $11,060,000 for the project through the Transportation Reauthorization Bill of 2005. The state of Maryland and Baltimore City each committed matching funds in excess of $1.4 million.

Opening fall 2010, the center will help to accommodate plans for celebrating the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Fort McHenry is considered to be a gateway to other War of 1812 sites in the region.

Baltimore Heritage Area Designated as a National Heritage Area

On Monday, March 30th, President Barrack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 into law, designating the Baltimore Heritage Area as a National Heritage Area. The bipartisan legislation is one of the most important conservation efforts in decades, protecting more than 2 million acres of wilderness and more than 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers, creating more than 5,000 miles of national trails, and establishing three new units of the National Park Service. The law establishes ten National Heritage sites, authorizes numerous Bureau of Reclamation water projects, and alters several national park boundaries. It specifically creates 21 new wilderness areas and expands 19 existing wilderness areas in 10 national forests.

In Maryland, the bill protects the Baltimore Heritage Area by designating it as a National Park Service National Heritage Area, with up to $10 million in federal funding over 15 years to develop education programs and exhibits and protect and restore Baltimore’s historic sites. Senator Barbara Mikulski first introduced the Baltimore National Heritage Area Act last February, and was joined by colleagues Senator Ben Cardin, and Congressmen Elijah E. Cummings, Chris Van Hollen and John Sarbanes in fighting to include it in the final Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 bill. Read More

Section 8005 Baltimore National Heritage Area, Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, H.R. 146

Certified Boundary Map

Baltimore's Star-Spangled Trails

Discover the wonders of a great American city on Baltimore’s Star-Spangled Trails (www.starspangledtrails.org). Explore this system of guided and self-guided walking, biking, and driving routes to encounter inspiring stories of our nation’s heritage, set in the unique landscape of the Chesapeake’s largest city. Learn more by navigating this site, the links for the individual trails, or by picking up trail brochures at the Inner Harbor Visitor Center.

Awards Small Cap Grants at the Flag House Museum

Baltimore, MD (February 6, 2009) – Mayor Sheila Dixon was joined by members of the Baltimore Heritage Area Association to announce the 2009 recipients of the Baltimore Heritage Area’s small capital grants at a ceremony at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House. Projects ranging from repairs to the main exhibition building of the American Visionary Art Museum, dry-docking funds for repairs to USS Constellation and renovation funds for the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center. See Press Release HERE.

Thurgood Marshall’s Elementary School (P.S. 103)

On June 18, 2008, Mayor Sheila Dixon announced the formation of a Commission for Former P.S.103 which will plan the rehabilitation of Thurgood Marshall’s elementary school located at 1315 Division Street in the Old West Baltimore National Register Historic District. Built in 1877 and possessing a high degree of integrity, P.S. 103 was for many years the most highly regarded elementary school for African American children in Baltimore. Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) attended the school from 1914-1920, his first six years of public school education. Owned by the City of Baltimore, the building will be rehabilitated for use as an educational and interpretive center on Marshall and Baltimore’s civil rights legacy. In 2009 a consultant team will begin the process of completing a history study, historic structure report, and interpretative plan. A number of public meetings will be held to gather public input on the project. The Baltimore Heritage Area is the lead city agency on the project.

Click here for digital images of P.S. 103. (137 Mb)

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