East Monument Historic District (also known as B-5162) or Little Bohemia, is a national
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
in
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, Maryland. It is a large residential area with a commercial strip along East Monument Street. It comprises approximately 88 whole and partial blocks. The residential area is composed primarily of
rowhouse
A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...
s that were developed, beginning in the 1870s, as housing for Baltimore's growing
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n (
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
) immigrant community. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the neighborhood was the heart of the
Bohemian community in Baltimore. The Bohemian National Parish of the Roman Catholic Church,
St. Wenceslaus
Wenceslaus I ( ; 907 – 28 September 935), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Prince (''Knyaz, kníže'') of Duchy of Bohemia, Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his you ...
, is located in the neighborhood.
The historic district includes all of
McElderry Park and Milton-Montford, most of
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and
Madison-Eastend, and parts of
Ellwood Park.
History
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the neighborhood was known colloquially as Little Bohemia or Bohemia Village. Bohemia is the historical name for the western portion of the modern day
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, and was the source of many (but not all)
Czech language
Czech ( ; ), historically known as Bohemian ( ; ), is a West Slavic language of the Czech–Slovak group, written in Latin script. Spoken by over 12 million people including second language speakers, it serves as the official language of the ...
speaking immigrants to the area.
The folk art of
screen painting
Screen painting is painting on window screens. It is a folk art form originating in immigrant working-class neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland, in the early 20th century.
The wire screen section of a screen door is typically painted with bu ...
is said to have originated in the neighborhood, at a produce store located at North Collington and Ashland Avenues.
By 1969, the
Czech-American community in Little Bohemia was predominantly composed of aging homeowners who lived alongside more recently arrived
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
residents. According to a reporter with ''The Baltimore Sun'', "The older people of Bohemian extraction still live in the houses they own...but they share the neighborhood with black people whom they do not seem to appreciate or understand." This was the last generation of
Czech-Americans to remain in Little Bohemia in large numbers, with the neighborhood transitioning into a predominantly
African-American neighborhood
African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American ...
by the 1970s and 1980s.
The neighborhood was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on December 8, 2009.
See also
*
History of Czechs in Baltimore
The history of Czechs in Baltimore dates back to the mid-19th century. Thousands of Czechs immigrated to East Baltimore during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, becoming an important component of Baltimore's ethnic and cultural heritage. T ...
*
Baltimore East/South Clifton Park Historic District
*
Highlandtown, Baltimore
Highlandtown is a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
Description and history
The area currently known as Highlandtown was established in 1866 when the area known as "Snake Hill" was established as a village outside the Baltimo ...
*
Patterson Park (Neighborhood), Baltimore
Patterson Park is a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Named for the 137-acre park that abuts its north and east sides, the neighborhood is in the southeast section of Baltimore city, roughly two miles east of Baltimore's down ...
References
External links
Historical & Architectural Preservation / Historic Districts / Maps Of Historic Districts / East Monument including map of boundaries from the Baltimore City government website.
*, including undated photo an
boundary map at Maryland Historical Trust
The Czech & Slovak Heritage Association of MarylandSt. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church
1870s establishments in Maryland
Czech-American culture in Baltimore
Czech communities in the United States
East Baltimore
Ethnic enclaves in Maryland
Italianate architecture in Maryland
Queen Anne architecture in Maryland
Neoclassical architecture in Maryland
Middle East, Baltimore
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore
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