Mount Washington

Location

In northwestern Baltimore City, bordered on the east by the Jones Falls, Northern Parkway to the south, Key Avenue & Glen Avenue to the west and essentially the city line to the north. This location uniquely situates Mt. Washington in a country setting with easy access to the Jones Falls Expressway, by which the Inner Harbor is only a fifteen minute drive.

Zip Code: 21209

Description

The neighborhood is comprised of approximately 1600 residences surrounded by attractions, natural and man made. On the Northwest edge, Luckman Park is a lovely setting in which to play tennis, picnic or walk through the woods. At the other (southeast) end of the neighborhood, the University of Baltimore Fields include playing fields for lacrosse and rugby, and a golf driving range open to the public. The Mount Washington Village, part of the eastern section of the neighborhood, includes restaurants, salons, clothing stores, specialty shops and even a veterinarian. Also in the village is Baltimore Clayworks, a nationally recognized non-profit educational art institution that promotes the exploration of ceramics in the setting of an old library building. Across the Jones Falls from the village is the Mount Washington Mill, an historic mill complex along the Jones Falls reborn as a shopping center including a Whole Foods natural foods grocery store, Starbucks, Framin Place, Amazing Glaze and Smith & Hawken. Mt. Washington boasts two swim clubs: the Mt. Washington Swim Club (contact Cindy Freeman, 410-664-7774 or swimmw@yahoo.com),a neighborhood non-profit summer time swim club, and Meadowbrook, a year-round swim club and fitness center with Olympic-size swimming pools that actually produce Olympic swimmers such as Anita Nall. To the south is the beautiful Cylburn Arboretum, which includes specimen trees, well marked nature trails and bird watching. The Mt. Washington Arboretum is also a lovely venue for walks and learning about native flora. The neighborhood is served by the Light Rail, with service to Camden Yards and the Airport, and several bus lines. Major employers in or near Mt. Washington include the Johns Hopkins Conference Center, Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital and Sinai Hospital.

History

Mt. Washington was founded in the middle of the nineteenth century as a place to escape the oppressive conditions of the city. One of the first "street-car suburbs" of Baltimore, Mt. Washington housed some of the finer families, including H.L. Mencken, during their summer escapes. The neighborhood quickly grew into a year round community. The Mt. Washington Improvement Association was founded in 1885, and continues to this day as one of the oldest neighborhood associations in the country. The Association's mission is the preservation and betterment of Mt. Washington. There is also a merchant's association for Mt. Washington Village merchants, and the Mt. Washington Preservation Trust, Inc., is a non-profit trust dedicated to preserving the open space in the neighborhood.