As someone who primarily grew up in the Midwest and has called Chicago home for several years, cities dominated by row houses seem alien. Among those row house cities, Baltimore stands apart for the relative wholeness of these districts — even of those in tremendous disrepair.
Certainly, many portions of the city have been dramatically altered by demolition and redevelopment projects, but the ability to walk down a formerly residential street flanked by uninterrupted derelict row houses is unique to me. In a city like Philadelphia, there would be more pockmarks. Elsewhere, like Camden, NJ, those pockmarks may even dominate the landscape.
Such Baltimore blocks demonstrate that the city has clearly resisted quite a bit of demolition, but it appears the tide is now turning. The first of the three images below are of a block that will soon endure the demolition of 67 buildings. Given the current economic climate and the condition of the neighborhood, I would be surprised if anything fills those slots for years to come. If this block becomes precedent, the city could look very different in just a few years.
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3 responses to “The Row Houses of Baltimore, Maryland”
I came across your homepage by pure accident/luck, and have especially enjoyed looking at these pictures, and your isolated buildings series.
[…] -The biggest factor of all; Baltimore City is a predominantly black city. Some have just been waiting for a situation like this to happen in Baltimore to join the fight. -I really don’t know what I meant by this. I really should have said we are a poor city. I see so many empty lots and houses commuting to my internship, and its depresses me. But if I lived there? The ones who rioted didn’t have anything to lose. They were already living in ruins. […]
Hello, I have a blog that collects stories from underserved communities. I am collecting stories about Baltimore. I would like to request your permission to use these photos of row houses in Baltimore in my latest blog post? I will absolutely credit you as the source of the photos. Please let me know, thank you! http://www.thestorymovement.org