Northwood is a neighborhood in the northeastern section of

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 in the United States. Northwood is served by the New Northwood and the Original Northwood community associations. The area is also home to the Northwood Shopping Center and the Northwood Baseball League. Morgan State University is located in this area. The proposed Green Line Subway extension would include a station in this neighborhood, as well as a station at Morgan State University.

New Northwood

As the name implies, New Northwood is composed of newer homes, built in the mid 1950s. The houses are generally brick

row house A terrace, terraced house (British English, UK), or townhouse (American English, US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses party wall, sharing side walls. In the United States ...

with trees and shrubs lining most blocks. New Northwood is served by the New Northwood Covenant Association.

Demographics

According to the 2000 US Census, 7,000 people live in New Northwood with 96.2% African-American and 2.4% White. The median household income is $31,105 and 94.1% of the houses are occupied.

Original Northwood

Original Northwood is composed of single family and townhouses ranging in price from $175,000 to $500,000. Development began in September 1930 with themes such as half-timbering and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

, irregular massing, and the New England house form with jetty. Development began when The Roland Park Company purchased the estates of John W. Garrett,

Enoch Pratt Enoch Pratt (September 10, 1808 – September 17, 1896) was an American businessman in Baltimore, Maryland. Pratt was also a committed active Unitarian, and a philanthropist. He is best known for his donations to establish the Enoch Pratt Free ...

and

Arunah Shepherdson Abell Arunah Shepherdson Abell (August 10, 1806 – April 19, 1888) was an American publisher from New England who was active in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Born in East Providence, Rhode Island, Abell learned the newspaper business as an apprentice at ...

. By January 1, 1932, about 25 families had bought homes in Original Northwood. Today, Original Northwood comprises 369 homes and is one of the top 15 city neighborhoods in wealth. Original Northwood was designated an Historic District in 1998 and represents the largest unified collection of the architect, John A. Ahlers. Ahlers planning for the inclusion of the natural terrain in his design, with a canopy of oaks and elms, made Original Northwood among the first totally planned communities in the nation. During the 1930s and 1940s, when the neighborhood was being built,

racial covenants A covenant, in its most general and historical sense, is a solemn promise to engage in or refrain from a specified action. Under historical English common law, a covenant was distinguished from an ordinary contract by the presence of a seal. Be ...

were used to exclude African-Americans from owning homes in the community. A typical covenant from Northwood reads: "At no time shall the land or any building erected be occupied by any negro or person of negro extraction." Northwood Historic District was listed on 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 ...

in 1998.

Demographics

According to the 2000 US Census, 1,240 people live in Original Northwood with 56.5% African-American and 37.9% White. The median household income is $64,688 and 93.5% of the houses are occupied.

Notable residents

Patricia Jessamy Patricia Coats Jessamy was the State's Attorney of Baltimore, Maryland. She was appointed to head the office in 1995 and won reelection three times. Background Born on July 26, 1948, in Hollandale, Mississippi. She received a B.A. from Jackson ...

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Baltimore City 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-larges ...

* Robert W. Curran- member,

Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The council holds regular meetings on alternate Monday ev ...

Tom Marr Thomas Aquinas Marr (October 17, 1942 – July 7, 2016) was an American talk radio host on WCBM (680-AM) in Baltimore, Maryland, known for his conservative political views. He spent nearly 20 years as a newsman and sportscaster, including ...

- Baltimore radio broadcaster for

WCBM WCBM (680 AM broadcasting, AM) is a Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland commercial radio, commercial radio station. It is owned by WCBM Maryland, Inc., and broadcasts a talk radio radio format, format, calling itself "Talk Radio 680 WCBM". radio stud ...

and WFBR, and former play-by-play announcer for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

- author

Legislative districts

References

External links

*, including photo from 1996, at Maryland Historical Trust, an
accompanying map
African-American history in Baltimore Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore Northwood Northeast Baltimore {{BaltimoreCityMD-NRHP-stub