Continuing the public-private partnership that’s been in place for 166 years, neighbors Chris Ryder and Lisa Summers (who live in the Park Avenue home built for one of the 19th century Park Place commissioners, Basil Wagner) serve as the Bolton Hill Community Association Park Stewards for the 1600 block Park median. Working together with Gary and Bobbi Schilling, the 1700 block park stewards, they helped establish Friends of the Park Avenue Medians (FOPAM) in 2022 to coordinate the restoration of Park Place.
Concerned about the invasive, overgrown euonymus bushes that blocked the views of the fountains, FOPAM launched a plan to remove them and the overgrown yews, plant native perennials, restore the sightlines and quadrant rose gardens from the 1960s renovation and install drip irrigation to support the new plantings. Grants from the Bolton Hill Garden Club and BHCA provided funding for these efforts over the past four years.
Many planning conversations happened around the fountain in the 1600 block of Park on the First Friday of the month, in what has become a tradition. This casual BYOB affair – First Friday at the Fountains – is a great way to meet neighbors and enjoy the fountains and plants that flower throughout the season.
The vases and fountains need safety, maintenance and other improvements and the park stewards and FOPAM are fundraising to restore the vases restored and make repairs on the fountains’ electrical and plumbing systems and the park’s watering hydrants. Initial budget estimates have reached $200,000. Chris Ryder, working through the BHCA Greening Committee, is pursuing public grants. BHCA’s proposal has made it through a first selection round for state funding.
Because a significant private cost-share is expected and all awards are uncertain, neighbors are encouraged to contribute donations through the BHCA website at https://boltonhillmd.org/donate/, by selecting “Park Avenue Medians” in the drop-down menu..
To be added to FOPAM’s email list for updates, just send a note to FOPAM@boltonhillmd.org with your name, email, address and phone number. All neighbors are invited to “join” FOPAM: no dues or commitments, just a way to keep in touch with residents around First Friday at the Fountains events and the work to improve Park Place.
Thank you to Chris Ryder and Lisa Summers for inviting me to write about the Park Avenue median parks and for their contributions to the text, and to our neighbor Johns Hopkins for mentioning me to them, as well as neighbors Charlie Duff and David Nyweide for talking through research findings. Research guidance from Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, formerly the Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents, was invaluable for this project and will extend to future ones, without doubt. Thanks also to Mallory Harwerth, Special Collections Archivist and Micah Connor, Library Associate and Student Research Coordinator at the Maryland Center for History & Culture, and to Bill Corrigan, Digital Archivist at the Peabody Archives at the Arthur Friedheim Library. –Kevin Cross
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