This neighborhood breaks my heart. I have only driven through it a few times, when NJG lived in Canton and we would drive through Broadway East on our way to the Haven Lounge to listen to live jazz. I would always study this neighborhood and marvel at it. I know I have roots near this neighborhood because my mother's people were of German ancestry and this was a heavily German area. Mom was born on Biddle Street, which is the southern boundary of Broadway East. A good deal of the homes appear to be abandoned, but what struck me hardest was the homes that are not abandoned. I found signs of pride among the boarded up neighborhoods. I saw houses that refuse to be identified by their humble surroundings. I saw homes cheerfully and tastefully decorated at Christmastime. I really would love to know what motivates people to stay in neighborhoods like this.
Anyway, if you watch The Wire, which I don't, you will recognize the neighborhood. Apparently, the show makes good use of the nearly abandoned neighborhood. The neighborhood boundaries are North Ave to the north, Biddle St to the south, Milton Ave to the east and Broadway to the west.
It is home to the American Brewery Building. Built in 1887 by John F Wiessner, the brewery employed many German immigrants. Although there were already 21 breweries in and around Baltimore City, American Brewery became one of the most prominent. Mr. Wiessner was forced to sell his business during prohibition. The last brewery to operate there was Allegheny Beverage Company, which brewed American Beer there until 1973.The average sale price of a home in this neighborhood in 2007 was $53,634.
2 comments:
I hate it when old neighborhoods go to seed like that. They tend to have the best buildings, too, as evidenced by the American Brewery Building.
I so love what you are doing here with this blog.
That neighborhood used to be simply gorgeous in its day but the ravages of time have not been kind.
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