Every year around Thanksgiving, Doug Kelso creates a bustling multilevel cityscape in miniature – a matter of six feet within the two front windows of his house on the 1400 block of John Street.
To the east is New York’s Flatiron Building; to the west San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge; in the middle is Baltimore’s own Bromo Seltzer Tower. In between is an array of city buildings – a public library, bank, stockbroker’s office, taxi stand and a toy store. On one side, a ferry takes passengers down a river. It is a small-scale magical world that lights up for Christmas.
Kelso, 75, started his collection of Studio 56 “Christmas in the City” little buildings 40 years ago with a fire station. The impetus was his wife’s (Claudia Sennett) nephew who had just enrolled in the Baltimore County Fire Academy. For many years afterwards, Kelso and two of his neighbors would leave the neighborhood at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 to hit the half-price sale at Watson’s Garden Center for the “motherload” of tiny buildings for the following year’s display. Over time he built his collection to 27 buildings, one bridge, and a boat; too many to fit in the window at once. Now he rotates his collection; this year the beauty shop has a front row spot.
Kelso says that “as an architect I am drawn to buildings. I get to arrange the city the way I like, and I change up the layout each year.” He also collects miniature souvenir buildings that he displays year-round on his second floor. Those he collects from antique stores and on his travels around the world.
Kelso enjoys having people stop by to gaze at the holiday scene in his window. So, stop by 1415 John Street and enjoy Christmas in the City in miniature.
–Sallye Perrin
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