Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Druid Hill Park Druid Hill Park is a urban park in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are marked by Druid Park Drive (north), Swann Drive and Reisterstown Road (west and south), and the Jones Falls Expressway / Interstate 83 (east).Park Heights. Included within its boundaries are Frederick Douglass High School, and

Mondawmin Mall Mondawmin Mall is a three-level shopping mall in West Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The mall was a development of the Mondawmin Corporation, a firm set up in 1952 by James Rouse and Hunter Moss under the Moss-Rouse Company. When it first ope ...

. The

Baltimore Metro Subway The Metro SubwayLink is a rapid transit line serving the greater area of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, and is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. The segment in Downtown Baltimore is underground, and most of the line outs ...

serves the neighborhood, with a station at

Mondawmin Mall Mondawmin Mall is a three-level shopping mall in West Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The mall was a development of the Mondawmin Corporation, a firm set up in 1952 by James Rouse and Hunter Moss under the Moss-Rouse Company. When it first ope ...

that is also a hub for many bus routes.

Location

The neighborhood is bounded by Longwood Street and Hilton Parkway to the west, Liberty Heights Avenue and Druid Park Drive to the north,

Druid Hill Park Druid Hill Park is a urban park in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are marked by Druid Park Drive (north), Swann Drive and Reisterstown Road (west and south), and the Jones Falls Expressway / Interstate 83 (east).Fulton Avenue to the east, and North Avenue to the south. It occupies part or all of the zip codes 21215, 21216, and 21217.

Description

Mondawmin is perhaps the most diverse square mile in Baltimore in terms of social class. It is a historically

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

community composed of young professionals, retirees, and working people, where each block has its own character. Some streets are lined with trees and marble steps, front porches and gardens. The neighborhood clusters around

Mondawmin Mall Mondawmin Mall is a three-level shopping mall in West Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The mall was a development of the Mondawmin Corporation, a firm set up in 1952 by James Rouse and Hunter Moss under the Moss-Rouse Company. When it first ope ...

, an urban shopping mall, and features schools ranging from elementary to four-year college, green space on wide boulevards and small streets, convenient small businesses, many active churches and dedicated neighborhood associations. Mondawmin is a community rich in character and history.

Highlights

*

Mondawmin Mall Mondawmin Mall is a three-level shopping mall in West Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The mall was a development of the Mondawmin Corporation, a firm set up in 1952 by James Rouse and Hunter Moss under the Moss-Rouse Company. When it first ope ...

, a shopping center featuring a full-service grocery store, and over 100 stores and shops * Mondawmin Transit Hub: The second-largest transit hub in Baltimore City, with access to Metro Subway and more than nine bus routes *Easterwood Park and Recreation Center *Hanlon Park *Parkwood Recreation Center *Bon Secours Liberty Village, a comprehensive health care center with residential complex for senior citizens Within walking distance is Druid Hill Park, which includes basketball and tennis courts; Druid Hill Conservatory and

the Maryland Zoo The Maryland Zoo — also known as The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and formerly known as The Baltimore City Zoo or the Baltimore Zoo — is a 135-acre park located in historic Druid Hill Park in the northwestern area of the City of Baltimore, Mary ...

; and The Avenue (formerly Lafayette) Market. Nearby professional and college institutions include Urban Medical Institute,

Coppin State University Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland and a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. In terms of demographics, the Coppin State stu ...

, and one of two campuses of

Baltimore City Community College Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a public community college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the only community college in the city and the only state-sponsored community college in the state. It is accredited by the Middle States Commiss ...

. The neighborhood is five minutes by car from the nearest light rail station; the area is also served by the

Maryland Transit Administration The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Baltimore-Washingt ...

's

Mondawmin Shuttle Bug Route 82, also known as the Mondawmin Shuttle Bug or Mondawmin Shuttle, is one of two neighborhood shuttle routes operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore. It was the second and is so far the final in the series of shuttle bus ...

bus. It is exploring a more comprehensive regional shuttle system.

Housing stock

Most of the neighborhood's residential areas consist of brick

rowhouse In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...

s. Those built before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

have large front porches and in some cases Victorian styling. Those built after the war tend to be two-story brick structures on wider lots than generally found in the inner city. A few single dwellings near the

Walbrook Walbrook is a City ward and a minor street in its vicinity. The ward is named after a river of the same name. The ward of Walbrook contains two of the City's most notable landmarks: the Bank of England and the Mansion House. The street runs ...

neighborhood reflect their origins as summer homes built in the early 20th century.

History

The area was estate countryside in the 19th century, characterized by large homes built by prominent city residents on the hilly countryside several hundred feet above the

Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...

area. Mondawmin takes its name from the estate owned by Dr. Patrick Macaulay (1795–1849), physician, city councilman,

B&O Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

director and patron of the arts. Tradition relates that

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

visited Dr. Macaulay, who asked him what to name his home, then surrounded by corn fields. The poet allegedly looked around and replied, "Why not Mondamin, after the Indian corn god?" (Mapmakers later added a "w" to the name, and it stuck.) The area known as Southern Mondawmin prides itself on a long history of stable homeownership. Many residents moved into the community in the late forties and early fifties as the area developed as the cultural and education center for

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s. Robert W. Coleman, one of the community's renowned residents, established the first school for the blind for African Americans, at a time when public facilities and schools were segregated. Because of those early pioneers and the stability of the community, Southern Mondawmin was never designated as an urban renewal area. While the community has changed over the past 15 years, residents, churches, businesses, and community associations are diligently working to return the area to its early luster. Recently, Southern Mondawmin was chosen by Baltimore city's government as one of six Healthy Neighborhoods. Parts of the community are included as part of the empowerment zone. Mondawmin still has many blighted areas.

Schools

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Coppin State University Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland and a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. In terms of demographics, the Coppin State stu ...

*

Baltimore City Community College Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a public community college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the only community college in the city and the only state-sponsored community college in the state. It is accredited by the Middle States Commiss ...

* Frederick Douglass High School *William H. Lemmel Middle School *Gwynns Falls Elementary *Robert W. Coleman Elementary *William S. Baer Elementary *Mathew Henson Elementary School * Carver High School *

Walbrook High School Walbrook High School formerly known as Walbrook Senior High School (1971–1998) and Walbrook Uniform Services Academy (1999–2005), was a public high school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. History Establishment Walbrook was foun ...

*George G. Kelson Elementary/Middle School *Westside Elementary School Students living in Mondawmin can also attend Baltimore City's elite public high schools, such as the nearby

Western High School Western High School may refer: Schools in the United States *Western High School (Anaheim, California) – Anaheim, California * Western High School (Illinois) – Barry, Illinois * Western High School (Florida) – Davie, Florida * Western High S ...

and

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, colloquially referred to as BPI, Poly, and The Institute, is a U.S. public high school founded in 1883. Established as an all-male manual trade / vocational school by the Baltimore City Council and the Baltim ...

.

Library Branch

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Enoch Pratt Free Library The Enoch Pratt Free Library is the free public library system of Baltimore, Maryland. Its Central Library and office headquarters are located on 400 Cathedral Street (southbound) and occupy the northeastern three quarters of a city block bound ...

- Penn North

External links

Healthy Neighborhoods: MondawminMondawmin MallCoppin State UniversityBaltimore City Community College
{{Baltimore neighborhoods Neighborhoods in Baltimore