Mount Vernon Mnemonic

The Mount Vernon neighborhood in Baltimore is the cities oldest, and in my opinion, its prettiest district. There are some fine photos on another blog here.

Here's a funny acrostic mnemonic device I made up the other day for remembering the streets that constitute Mount Vernon.
In the course of a volunteer job I undertake a few times monthly, Ive found myself wishing I had a better grasp of the area...and thus, my mnemonic:

West to East streets:

Mnemonic	Street
Howard's	Howard
Pet	Park
Cat	Cathedral
Challenged	Charles
St. Paul's	St. Paul
Calf	Calvert
Greatly	Guilford

North to South streets:

Mnemonic	Street
Mr.	Mount Royal
Peanut	Preston
Brought	Biddle
Chase	Chase
Eagerly	Eager
Rallied	Read
More	Madison
Men	Monument
Clamoring	Center
For	Franklin
Mulberries	Mulberry

enjoy!

Sitting around Baltimore

I wanted to write a quick post about the 'urban stoop'--the small stairway used both to reach the entrance of a city dwelling and as informal social stage--before 'stoop culture' dries up again for the year.

Baltimore has thousands of stoops (on account of her thousands of row homes), and as a result of this fact, is historically well known for its 'stoop culture'--the culture of interactions taking place between friends, citizens and strangers as they sit on their stoops or walk by on the sidewalks.

As the colder weather arrives and people are pushed indoors, the streets start to revert to an emptier state and I am caught thinking about the emptying stoops and reflecting on their peculiar value to a neighborhood.


A stoop.

The stoop asks interesting questions about the way a buildings design influences the social interactions that can occur around it.

If there are utilized stoops, there are 'eyes on the street'. A neighborhood is lively and safer. Perhaps, though, residents want more privacy or more comfort? Porches offer these these qualities more abundantly, but because they are more withdrawn from the street, create less safety, in theory.

A stoop seems better than a porch at catalyzing social interaction and maintaining community safety when a certain level of safety is already present, and probably a little worse (than porches) when there's little or no pretext of street safety.

The stoop is an interesting element to consider as it applies to the concept of New Urbanism--the renewed interest promoting, creating and living in walkable, mixed use (dwellings, businesses and services in close proximity) urban neighborhoods.

What kind of social environment will people who want a 'new urbanism' be interested in? Will they want stoops? Will they sit outside or people watch? Or will they want to dash down the steps to their waiting smartcars?









A collection of porch stairs and stoops from around Charles Village, Baltimore. Baltimore is known for its large supply of stoops.

This apartment building on Calvert street exemplifies one way it can go. It features a sort of modified stoop--pretty much too narrow to sit on and facing the wrong way-- useful only as a way to get in and out.


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Heres another view, from the alley, showing how the straighter, wider stoops only face one another inside the protective courtyard and fence. Why not just build a porch?

Who is going to sit on these stoops, if anyone? There are no people, buildings or traffic to watch inside a courtyard.

Perhaps the people who live here don't have time to watch anyone. Perhaps there are no nearby stores, or little street traffic anyway. I wonder how this building development has and will continue to impact it's surrounding neighborhood.

I don't want to come across as 'pro' or 'anti' stoop; only to consider the wide-ranging effects of a minor design decision.


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Pretty Ruins

There is a certain building, standing on a (frankly) ugly section of street several blocks south of my home, for which I have a strange affection, despite its being in a nearly complete state of ruin.

I like the home because of its unique brickwork, tall windows and interesting 'pistachio' paint-job. I decided to write about my affection for the home after I recently discovered 2 tidbits relating to its existence.


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First, while googling some addresses as a time-waster, I found a photo of the home in 2006 and was shocked by its much superior condition. Its obvious that a fire occurred on the second floor sometime between September 2006 and 2008. The internet was unable to bring me any details of this unfortunate event.

-->Beautiful photos of the home, pre-crumble, on Flickr here: thepeoplemachine.
(Via Flickr.)

According to city records (If you have time, check out this cool tool.) the home was built in 1890 (along with many homes of the Charles Village district) and is currently owned by the Housing Authority of Baltimore City. I sincerely hope they do not plan to demolish it (they own nearly the whole block it is situated in)--although, I don't know who would possibly be able to front the money to repair it.

Ok, second, also by way of the net, I learned about an artistic revitalization effort focusing on the 2100 block of N. Calvert, called Axis Alley. Its goal, from its website here, is to activate the back alleys of Baltimore and explore the "toxic beauty" and "fascinating possibility of urban intervention and creative gesture" by installation of art/design works in the alleys behind distressed buildings and spaces.

I especially like the phrase "toxic beauty". I feel like this is exactly what drew me to this home and this block in the first place.

Sadly, the deadline for submissions has passed, but it appears applications for proposed projects will perhaps continue to be accepted on an ongoing basis, so who knows, perhaps I will have an opportunity to interact with my favorite building in a more personal way.