Search Results

Westport CEDC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Baltimore's Harbor West neighborhoods of Lakeland, Mount Winans, Saint Paul and Westport. ​ Formed in 2013, Westport CEDC is host for the Harbor West Collaborative. We work to promote equitable development, access to the waterfront, cradle to college educational opportunities and improve the lives of our residents, workers, and business owners through the power of collective impact. ​ Our primary lines of business include developing: our community land trust to further affordable housing development, regional community center and affordable retail space; small homeowner improvement loans, business engagement, and our Clean Sweep Ambassador program. We share news and updates with the public on our Facebook page . No log-in is needed. News Events Updates + Media Contact Physical Address By Appointment on Sidney Ave Baltimore, MD 21230 TELEPHONE + ONLINE 443-621-6006 www.westportcedc.org admin@westportcedc.org Mailing Address Westport CEDC 841 Fort Avenue Suite 266 Baltimore, MD 21230 Contact Us Submit Thanks for submitting!

This page is under construction. Component Project: Mount Auburn Cemetery

Small Home Loan Program Helping seniors improve their home for the long-term. ​ Westport CEDC has begun a Small Home Loan Program to offer no more than 5 loans of up to 5,000-$10,000 total, to seniors in Mount Winans. The CEDC's goal is to assist in contracting with lenders to get and service little-to-no-interest loans that are not easy to get from other traditional lenders. Eligible home improvements may include porch, roof, or indoor energy efficiency. To discuss if you are eligible to apply, please send us an e-mail or telephone call at 443-621-6006. ​ E-Mail Us Heading 1 Are you a renter? The City offers a COVID-19 Temporary Rent Support program. Please read and apply, beginning July 1, while funds last. Go to Website

Top of Page Contents Master Planning A short history of Westport Baltimore Black Sox & Baseball Heroes Press Room Archive Middle Branch Park A regional approach for regional solutions The Harbor West Collaborative is an initiative of the Westport CEDC: An intiative to leverage the collective impact of community based organizations in St. Paul, Westport, Lakeland and Mount Winans to improve the regional housing, economic, workforce, health and educational opportunities and outcomes for its residents and businesses. Master Planning Updates​ Maps and Demographics Previous Plans ​ A Short History of Westport ​ The Baltimore Black Sox and Baltimore Hall-of-Fame Press Room Archive​ ​ Middle Branch Park Initiatives Annual Report Browse Maps + Plans Neighborhoods Press Room Donate Contents on this page: Master Planning Westport CEDC began working with its partners in early 2020 to start to draft a H arbor West Master Plan to better assess the Collaborative's goals with past planning efforts along with present-day resident input. In addition, Westport CEDC represents the Collaborative as a community voice to the City's Middle Branch Master Plan effort. ​ Updates The planning effort is currently in progress ! Please join our e-mail list and join us on Facebook Live for c ommunity meetings and planning charrettes over Zoom. ​ ​ E-Mail Us Browse Plans, Maps, and Demographics a short history of Westport Westport is a small early 20th-century residential neighborhood in south Baltimore defined by its topography and the modes of transportation that extend through it. Westport, a neighborhood that Baltimore annexed in 1918, is a self-contained industrial village that has survived far-reaching physical and cultural changes over its existence. From its beginning as a late 19th century agricultural area settled by the Maryland-born children of German immigrants, Westport developed to become a working class neighborhood in the 20th century. Well into the mid-20* century Westport was a stable settlement characterized by longtime residents. In addition to this German American core, Westport added new residents from other states and immigrants from other countries as the Carr-Lowrey Glass Works expanded and intensive residential development took place after the 1918 annexation. Westport can claim its share of famous sons, including Baseball Hall of Famer Al Kaline and noted movie theater historian Robert K. Headley. In the mid-20th century, Route 295, now a six-lane limited access road with interchanges at either end of Westport, irrevocably split the neighborhood and compromised its historic pedestrian scale. Public housing immediately to the west changed the former demographic of homogeneous, long-term residents. By the early 1970s, Westport was a blighted neighborhood. Industries along the waterfront declined and ultimately abandoned their plants. Nevertheless, despite these changes, Westport retains a distinct physical identity. Browse more neighborhoods THEN NOW The Baltimore Black Sox Just south of Camden Yards are two historic baseball sites, the exact location of which was unknown until November 2013. The first was Maryland Baseball Park, located at the intersection of Bush Street and Russell Street, where the Baltimore Black Sox played from 1921 to 1932. The second was Westport Park, located two blocks south of Maryland Baseball Park at the intersection of Clare Street and Annapolis Road. Westport Park is where the Baltimore Black Sox played their home games from 1917-1920. (Note: there was a second Negro League ballpark in Baltimore known as Westport Stadium , located two miles south on Annapolis Road between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Patapsco Avenue, where the Baltimore Elite Giants played in 1950). Did you know? There are two historic Baseball Hall-of-Famers from Harbor West neighborhoods: Leon Day lived in Mount Winans Al Kaline lived in Westport ​ Browse our historical archive to view press from The Afro, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Brew, and other news sources from the 1920s-today. Assembled by our community fellow, Mr. Justin Fair, and many thanks to Dr. Kami Fletcher for her research archive on Mt. Winans. Browse Press Room Archive Middle Branch Park South of the Inner Harbor, just across the Hanover Street Bridge, lies one of Baltimore's most pleasant outdoor parks, Middle Branch Park. This beautiful park is located along Baltimore’s “middle branch” of the Patapsco River. With a hard-working history, the 150-acre Middle Branch Park was created by Baltimore City in 1977 by consolidating existing shoreline parks, at which time the city began restoring the sites. Ten years later, the Baltimore Rowing and Water Resources Center opened, reviving a tradition of rowing competitions. Located less than a 1/4 mile from the Westport residential space, in previous years, the Middle Branch Park was geographically referenced within the Westport borders. Just a very short walk from Westport Mainstreet .

Terry Jones Green Ambassador ​ Terry Jones is a resident of Westport

Top of Page Community-supported stewardship Our own environmental sanctuary Why this project How you can get involved Credits and Thanks Community-supported stewardship In May 2020, Westport CEDC received a Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative (BRNI) Grant Clean and Green grant in part for stewardship of the Mt Auburn Cemetery. Sharp Street United Methodist Church, the owner of record for the cemetery, participated in determining the scope for site stabilization, and negotiating an MOU to memorialize the initial scope of work. The goal is to assist in the maintenance of the grounds as well as to better communicate the heritage and history of the historic burial ground, as outlined in recent community planning proposals. Prospective projects could include long-term infrastructure improvements, hyper-local shepherding of volunteers to aide in groundskeepers' regular maintenance of the grounds, seasonal heritage tourism tours, and future partnerships with area educators working in African-American studies. To learn how you can support planning these efforts,and to learn more about the cemetery, please read the following compilation, updated January 2021: Community-Supported Stewardship Our own environmental sanctuary Why this project How you can get ivnolved Thanks and credits Contents: Our own environmental sanctuary “The weeds and tilted monuments of the grounds of Mount Auburn convey an underlying beauty; a spirit of poetry, imagination, and discovery. Views to the harbor, the hills and contours of the land, and the winding paths, which create mystery and relief, give additional meaning to a city landscape often too simplistic to comprehend.” -Diane Jones Established in 1871 at its current site as Sharp Street Cemetery, and renamed in 1894, Mount Auburn Cemetery has for over a century served Baltimore's African-American residents as a tranquil, pastoral burial grounds. In addition, the grounds have served for intimate family reunions, anniversaries, memorial celebrations, worship tours, and regular family visits. Once a source of pride for Baltimore’s Black community; off-and-on throughout the years, Sharp Street UMC has proudly raised funds to keep the grounds’ ownership in local, Black hands --a distinguished feat! However, at over a century a half in age, the cemetery continues to show its age. ​ The long term stewardship of Mt. Auburn Cemetery is a focus area of the Harbor West Master Planning effort where a ecological and restoration plan will be explored. Doing so will allow cemetery leadership to align regular maintenance and on-site security needs with the CEDC's capacity to fundraise for community-supported engagement. This adjustment will reposition specific areas within the landscape to a proper conservation preserve, thus recognizing the historic resonance of the grounds with modern ecological restoration strategies. ​ Imagine where rather than simply having seasonal lawn cuttings, the grounds can, in areas where visitors are sparse and where archiving has taken place, become home to a biodiverse group of native perennials, wildflowers, tree sapplings, and other wild bush. ​ Imagine Saturday morning nature walks, birding tours, and weaving the cemetery’s gravel and earthen streets into the wider trails network of the Gwynns Falls and Middle Branch’s trails. ​ Imagine an online resource to map a grave or file a locate-request, to learn the stories of Black Baltimoreans, and to schedule regular class field trips where tour groups can reflect the history of both those interred at the cemetery. Together, these online resources can better curate visitors' experience to honor those whose lives shaped today's Harbor West neighborhoods (Westport, Lakeland, Mount Winans, and Saint Paul) as well as neighboring Cherry Hill and all of Baltimore. Why this project "In...my research, [unclaimed lots'] lack of care came to serve not as a sign of direct neglect and abuse by property owners but more so of a sign of forgottenness and unknown property ownership” -Dr. Kami Fletcher Email us to add your name Browse History Archive How you can get involved We invite you to learn more about this project by Join us on a seasonal nature walk or shuttle tour from the Middle Branch Park to the cemetery. Add your name to support the following ideas: Contribute to the cemetery’s gravestone map and library (view the MSA archive and view the latest project ) Share your relative’s story on a digital museum blog series (see example ) Attend a film screening of an independent documentary on the cemetery, “Sacred Ground” Add to our press archive Upload photos to our shared Google Photos album. Attend a community meeting of the Westport Neighborhood Association at the Boys & Girls Club across from the cemetery on the other side of Florence Cumming Park (beside Westport Public Housing) Give feedback on planned site renovations, gravestone restorations, trail signage, and pathways, Attend Sunday service at Sharp Street UMC on Saratoga & Etting Sts in Upton's Marble Hill neighborhood. Browse Ecological Proposal (Powerpoint) Mr. Fair's Student Proposal Plan Project Status: For now, this project is in the beginning planning stages and will be further developed in the forthcoming Harbor West Master Plan . We welcome your input and recommendations. ​ A cemetery preliminary action plan was proposed in Fall 2019 by a graduate student at Morgan State University School of Architecture and Planning, who later joined Westport CEDC as a community fellow, Mr. Justin Fair. His proposal, "Mapping the City of the Dead," sought to continue the cemetery's mapping component and to incorporate a Fall 2018 semester-long class studio project that resulted in its own proposal for a "Cultural and Ecological Restoration Plan". You can browse that proposal and all of his later research on his project website including a list of cemetery websites and a press list with bibliography. Credits and Thanks to: Compilation text and photos assembled by Justin Fair, MCRP 2020 with Morgan State University. Project "Mapping the City of the Dead." Project website at https://www.soulstrong.com/project/gis-cemetery-baltimore/ with additional photos shared here . ​ Diane Jones. “The City of the Dead: The Place of Cultural Identity and Environmental Sustainability in the African-American Cemetery.” Landscape Journal (30-2:9). Accessed September 17 2018 from http://lj.uwpress.org/content/30/2/226.refs . Kami Fletcher. "The City of the Dead for Colored People: Baltimore's Mount Auburn Cemetery, 1807–2012." Order No. 3587770, Morgan State University, 2013. https://search-proquest-com.proxy-ms.researchport.umd.edu/docview/1427854270?accountid=12557. ​ Jeanne Hitchcock. “Mount Auburn Cemetery Project Clean-Up” Proposal (2011). Mount Auburn Cemetery Corporation/Sharp Street UMC. ​ Nancy Sheads. "Resurrecting Mount Auburn Cemetery." Maryland State Archives. http://mountauburn.msa.maryland.gov/index.aspx

Project and Organizational Sponsors South Baltimore Gateway Partnership Baltimore Community Foundation Baltimore Housing Roundtable Community Partners South Baltimore 7 (SB7) Neighborhood Organizations Harbor West Collaborative Lakeland Community Association Partnership Mt. Winans Community Association Saint Paul Community Association Westport Neighborhood Association Concerned Citizens for a Better Brooklyn Cherry Hill Community Coalition Community of Curtis Bay Association Port Covington Development Team rowing 10255507_10151971105976829_2619091547481 Westport pic 6 13691078_1292719940755958_75388558717916 13701076_1292720030755949_45207438824508 Friends Thank you to our individual members and donors over the years! Including: American Communities Trust Arundel Elementary/Middle School Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Baltimore City Department of Planning and District Planner: Brent Flickinger Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks Baltimore City Department of Transportation Baltimore City District 10 Elected Representative: Edward Reisinger Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition Baltimore Local Development Council (LDC) Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts Baltimore Office of Sustainability www.baltimoresustainability.org Baltimore Police Department Cherry Hill Community Coalition and Mr. Michael Middleton Cherry Hill Development Corporation Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School Cherry Hill People’s Garden and Acting Project Director Dr. Sonia Lawson Dr. Carter G. Woodson Elementary/Middle School Energy Justice Network Freedom Temple AME Zion Church Gwynns Falls Trail Advocates Holly Poultry Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Maryland Department of Transportation Mayor Jack C. Young and the City of Baltimore Medstar Harbor Hospital Middle Branch Waterfront Partnership Morgan State University School of Architecture and Planning Mount Winans United Methodist Church Neighborhood Design Center New Era Academy Nick's Fish House Parks & People Port Covington Redevelopment Project Sharp Street United Methodist Church and the Mount Auburn Cemetery Corporation Sobo Summer Music Series Star of Bethlehem AME Weller Development Westport Academy Elementary/Middle School Westport Patriots Youth Athletics Help us add to the list!​ ​ ​ Want to read more about what’s being planned and what’s been considered? Browse our lofty collection of Planning documents, reports, and other studies on Westport and surrounding Harbor West neighborhoods. E-Mail Us

what is a community land trust? A tool for maintaining and expanding affordable housing stock. ​ There are more than 160 CLTs nationwide and is owned in perpetuity by non-profit, community-based organizations. Homes built on the land are leased to residents under long term structure. The lease agreement has a “resale formula” which allows homeowner to share in any increase in value of the home during the “ownership period.” Through a generous partnership with with South Baltimore Gateway Partnerships, Enterprise Partners, and our local and state constituents , the Westport Community Land Trust is engaged in executing CLT strategies. ​ Read: CLT FAQs recommended Reading Further Reading: View Westport Community Land Trust Bond Bill "Community + Land + Trust Tools For Development Without Displacement" By The Baltimore Housing Roundtable "Land Banks and Land Banking" by Center for Community Progress View Infographic Heading 1

COmmunity Initiatives Learn more about each of our programs. Regular updates on our programs are posted regularly to our news feed . To learn more about the Harbor West neighborhoods of Lakeland, Saint Paul, Mount Winans, and Westport, click the mustard-colored box below. local stewardship across Harbor West Food Aid Browse distribution sites Continue Small Home Loan Program Seniors may apply for home improvements Continue Community Land Trust Our tool for maintaining and expanding affordable housing stock Continue Urban Farm Coming soon: an innovate urban cultivation project Continue Clean Up Green Up Coming soon Continue Harbor West Collaborative + Master Planning Learn more about the partnership and master planning efforts Continue 2400 Harman Ave Under development: transforming a 3.228 acre site for a regional community center Continue Mount Auburn Cemetery Stewardship An MOU to improve site improvements and to better communicate heritage and history Continue Westport CEDC Office + News Coming soon Continue

Regional Community Center prospectus at 2400 Harman Ave Westport CEDC has responded to the City of Baltimore's request for proposals for 2400 Harman Avenue in the Mount Winans neighborhood. The CEDC is now developing a viable proforma with an area developer for the 3.228 acre site for a regional community center for the Harbor West neighborhoods, including Lakeland, Saint Paul, and Westport. 2400 Harman Avenue is currently leveled as a R-7 residential lot of the former Elementary School No. 156 (1952-1997). Property Prospectus “Located in a mixed-used residential, commercial, and industrial neighborhood of the southern area of Baltimore City, this parcel is a great opportunity to develop for various uses. The Mount Winans neighborhood is an emerging area with solid occupancy and a variety of housing stock including both detached and row houses. This large parcel is ripe for development, and is close to Florence Cummings Park, Westport Elementary School, Morrell Park, and I-295.” View the City's Expression of Interest Questions? Contact Us Links/Resources: April 4, 2012 - Baltimore City DHCD Staff Report from Planning Commission Amendment History with Zoning (Page 1) Proposal Conformity (Page 1) Site Analysis (Page 2) March 4, 2013 - Baltimore City Council Bill: 13-0197 Sale of Property Recommendations from South Baltimore 7 Organizational Assessment (pages 35-39)

Urban Farm Under the leadership of Baltimore native, Mike Tyson, Westport CEDC is coordinating an innovate urban cultivation project on two lots along Paca St. in Mount Winans. The project is funded by the Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative (BRNI). Once ready for launch, the farm will be available for personal and community gardening to residents throughout the Harbor West neighborhoods. The project began formation in 2019 and we are now fundraising. A groundbreaking is expected post-COVID-19. This page will be updated shortly. Contact Us Heading 1

New Office Westport CEDC is closing on the acquisition of a property to be renovated into a new office. This page will be updated shortly. ​ News For the latest news on Westport CEDC, browse our news feed on our Facebook page . Additionally, administrative/website updates are archived here . Lastly, you are welcome to browse our Press Room Archive as it is further developed. Heading 1