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BPD steps up traffic stops on Lafayette Avenue and elsewhere
November 2026
Baltimore Police have stepped up traffic law enforcement in and around Bolton Hill in recent months, a comprehensive search of online data suggests. It comes after years of protests by residents concerning high speed traffic and disregard for stop signs on, among other places, West Lafayette Avenue.
John von Briesen Jr, train aficionado and transportation expert, dies
November 2026
John von Briesen died on Oct. 26 at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after complications from a fall. He was 84 years old.
Meet Lion Park’s wicked witchy dog trainer
November 2026
Among its attractions and quirks, Bolton Hill has become an epicenter for Halloween celebrations, luring child (and adult) trick-or-treaters from much of central Baltimore. Residents, often costumed, decorate and sit on their stoops (frequently with a cocktail), ready to dole out candy. John Street neighbors host pumpkin-carving. And this year’s celebration on Mason Street between Lanvale and Lafayette streets was simply spectacular.
BHCA is wary of city council’s latest housing bill
November 2026
Baltimore City Council’s Land Use and Transportation Committee is again considering a bill that would legalize accessory dwelling units (ADUs), such as basement apartments, converted attics, carriage houses and new backyard structures across Baltimore. If approved, it could incentivize developers to buy large Bolton Hill properties and cut them into multiple units or build backyard additions.
State plans to knock down State Center buildings
November 2026
Stop if you’d heard this one before: the state plans to find a developer to create a massive transit-centered new development at State Center with new office buildings, townhouses and apartments (some affordable, some market-rate), a hotel and – oh, yes: a new supermarket. But don’t hold your breath.
Attention property owners: you have sidewalk responsibilities
November 2026
With colder weather ahead, BHCA’s president, Lee Tawney, did a deep dive into city laws and ordinances to find out who is responsible for what when it comes to sidewalks. What he found underscores that property owners bear most of the burden for dealing with snow, ice and related neighborhood issues.
A residence of artist Gabrielle Clements still stands in Bolton Hill
November 2026
No Baltimore home is complete without local etchings, especially of our Washington Monument (the first such monument, of course). The works of Don Swann – senior and junior – are ubiquitous, and a municipal series by M. Paul Roche is nice as well. But few artists executed these scenes better than Gabrielle de Veaux Clements (1858-1948), who was at times a Bolton Hill resident.
Janet Levine and Susan Haun: what are you reading?
November 2026
The latest edition of “What Are You Reading?” features Janet Levine (W. Lanvale St.) sharing her take on Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred, a compelling time-travel novel set in antebellum Maryland that confronts the harsh realities of slavery, as she prepares to reread Kamala Shamsie’s Home Fire. Meanwhile, Susan Haun (Wilson St.) discusses Thrity Umrigar’s The Museum of Failures—a heart-wrenching story recommended by a taxi driver in Medellín, Colombia—about a man returning to India to adopt a baby and uncover the hidden struggles of his estranged mother.
Bolton Hill Notes
November 2026
🏛️ WNADA names interim director: Wendi Redfern-Curtis 🏛️
🎨 MICA is hosting business programs for artists 🎨
🎺 Baroque holiday concert at Brown Memorial on Dec. 13 🎺
🪵 Free wood chips at Camp Small 🪵
🎲 Lillie Carroll Jackson Museum is hosting a game night 🎲
