Barclay

Location

Just five blocks northeast of the Pennsylvania Train Station and seven blocks southeast of Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Campus, the Barclay neighborhood is bounded by East 25th Street on the north, Greenmount Avenue on the east, East North Avenue on the south and North Calvert street on the west.

Zipcodes: 21202, 21218

Description

Barclay is primarily residential with active local churches and strong community organizations, including the Greater Greenmount Community Association.  Residents have worked together to maintain gardens and greenspaces for children and adults to enjoy.  
 
Barclay is a vibrant community with strong architectural and cultural histories, and in 2004, the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation designated two blocks on East 22nd Street as a Maryland Historic District named, Barclay-Greenmount. The district protects the beauty of the rowhouses dating back to the late 1890s.
 
The community has excellent access to public transit, as Penn Station is only blocks away, and the intersection of North Avenue and Greenmount Avenue is the fifth-most used bus transfer hub.

History

Before becoming a part of contemporary Baltimore, the area was home to a large population of wealthy German printers, merchants, manufacturers, and brewers. It was referred to Britain Ridge and functioned as a country retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was not until 1888 that Barclay became a part of Baltimore. In 1908, Boundary Avenue, the road at the neighborhood’s southern edge, became the present-day main artery known as North Avenue.

The community continued to thrive well into the 1960s. Following the 1968 riots, Barclay’s population decreased significantly with every year. In the past decade, several organizations have worked to redevelop the vacant houses left behind: People’s Homesteading Group, Inc. Greater Baltimore AHC, Inc., St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Telesis Corporation, and Greater Homewood Community Corporation.