Photo credit:
MHT File Photo, Undated Photo
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Roland Park Historic District
Inventory No.:
B-136
Date Listed:
12/23/1974
Location:
Baltimore, Baltimore City
Category:
District
Period/Date of Construction:
1890
Architect/Builder:
Planners: Olmstead, Kessler, and Couton.
Boundary Description:
Bounded by Belvedere Ave, Falls Rd, Cold Spring Ln, Evans Chapel Rd, 40th St, Keswick Rd, 38th St, Beech Ave, 39th St, Tudor Arms Ave, Linkwood Rd, Maynadier Rd, Stony Run, Wyndhurst Ave, Roland Ave, Deepdene Rd
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Description:
The Roland Park Historic District is a planned residential neighborhood in northwest Baltimore. Located north of the intersection of University Parkway and Stony Run, and south of West Lake Avenue, it contains 1,068 structures. The architecture of the district typifies the romantic tastes of the turn of the 20th century, with many examples of the Queen Anne, English Tudor, Georgian, and Shingle Styles. A shopping center, one of the first in the country, was included as part of the plan. Located on the west side of Roland Avenue just north of Upland Road, the principal façade was executed in an English Tudor style often repeated in residential construction. The ridge of the roof, which parallels Roland Avenue, is broken at either end by a two-story cross gable with a gambrel shape. In between, seven dormers (three on the second floor and four at the third) project from the roof. The stuccoed ends of the roof curve down from the chimneys in a manner associated with Jacobean architecture. The Roland Park Country Day School and the Baltimore Country Club are landscaped following the overall pattern, and contribute to the character of the District. While the structures within Roland Park are of great importance in the creation of its atmosphere, it is indeed the setting which occupied the minds of its planners, Olmsted, Kessler, and Couton. The preservation of the natural terrain and vegetation, the parklike setting, the wooded paths and streets which wind uphill and down, all contribute to the uniqueness of this splendid garden suburb.
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Significance:
Roland Park, named for Roland Thornberry, an English landowner in Baltimore County, had its beginnings in 1890. It was Baltimore’s first residential development where deed restrictions governed the use of property and established common responsibilities for maintenance of the area. Consequently, it remains today much as it was when first laid out in 1891. One of the first planned garden suburbs, it is often studied by students of planning for its emphasis on the proper use of the natural topography to enhance the community.
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TEA-21 funds,
administered by the Maryland State Highway Administration, supported data development for this project.