Founded in 1960, Baltimore Heritage works hard to preserve and promote Baltimore’s historic buildings and neighborhoods. For over fifty years, their annual awards program has recognized projects that achieve excellence in the restoration or rehabilitation of Baltimore’s historic buildings. This year’s Awards Celebration on June 18 honored 16 projects, including two from our neighborhood–Bolton Hill Nursery School and MICA’s Falls Road Studio.
Before Bolton Hill became a rowhouse neighborhood, 204 West Lanvale Street was a grand free standing house on the outskirts of Baltimore. Originally a single family residence, then home to the Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland, Bolton Hill Nursery School acquired the property in 2013. Restoring an old house with flaky paint, years of deterioration, and a preservation easement on the exterior was a challenge. Doing this to house pre-school children made it doubly so. Powered by the tireless will of Executive Director Louie Wilder, the work was completed in 2014, turning this historic building into a hive of activity and restoring it to prominence in the neighborhood.
MICA’s 33,000 square foot building at 1801 Falls Road was a warehouse with scant usage. Continuing its commitment in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, MICA turned this unfinished warehouse into art space, including studios for programs in Illustration, Art Education, Social Design, and Sculpture. Containing state-of-the-art digital labs, workshops, and classrooms, the refurbished warehouse sparkles with vibrant colors and innovative work spaces, converting this overlooked historic building into an active component in the thriving Station North arts scene.
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