FEBRUARY 2002

President's Message:

I'm happy to see so many people renewing their membership, another one of those annual tasks. Our yearly expenses (e.g. publishing the newsletter and committee needs) keep on rolling. Planting the trees, and the painting of parking spaces require a few bucks, for example, and we need BHA backing. So you can join or renew at the February 6th meeting, by mail or by dropping it in the mail slot of the white house at Patterson Park. Applications on the back of the Newsletter.

In addition to Aynsley Hamel's introduction to Baltimore Historical Society our February meeting will be addressing a huge neighborhood concern with PARKING. Dan Winner will be returning (he spoke to BHA in 2000) to offer some options and suggestions dealing with parking, a problem we share with all the other areas near us. It is only going to get worse, so it's time to grapple with the challenge. Let your voice be heard on parking if you care. In that same vein the MTA is asking for feedback on their rail projects for the next 20-40 years. Light Rail, Metro, or MARC coming our way? How about a neat shuttle right now to connect us to the systems! The Southeast meeting is/was Jan 31, but additional information on the project is on www.baltimorerailplan.com.

Check out the celebration: Patterson Park trash cans at the rink in the Park on February 14th. But if you're looking for a close, convenient fun way to celebrate Valentine's Day with your valentine, or just have a good time, Baltimore-Linwood is having a dinner dance, Saturday, Feb. 16, 8-Midnight at St. Elizabeth's Church on Baltimore St. Call 410-563-1444 for tickets or information.

And--if you like to read and care to join similarly interested neighbors--check out the Butchers Hill Book Club. No dues, no strict rules, a little social intercourse, snacks and an enjoyable discussion, once a month. Just drop in and check it out. This month's book is White Noise by Don Delillo, and the meeting is Tuesday, February 26th at 7 pm at 2029 E. Pratt. Call 410-522-6773 for information.
-Sue Noonan, 410-422-6773, tbolita@erols.com.

DUMPSTER DAY
Saturday, February 16th, 100 block South Collington
Two volunteers are needed to park their cars on the 100 block of S.Collington on Friday, February 15th and move them Saturday, February 16th at 8:30 a.m. This will give us a place to put the dumpster. Also, anyone interested in helping the Trash Committee pick up debris in the neighborhood on Saturday February 16th please meet us at the dumpster at 8:30 a.m. Thanks.
Susan (410)522-3932 / sbwhitson@hotmail.com

CHANGES IN RECYCLING DAYS
Effective immediately, BLUE BAG recycling (bottles and cans) will be collected citywide every 2nd and 4th MONDAY of each month. PAPER will be collected every 2nd and 4th FRIDAY of each month. (Note that for some months, these days will fall in the same week; for other months, they will fall on alternating weeks. This may be confusing; please follow the recycling calendar in this Newsletter.) The changes are to enable Public Works to address illegal dumping. Recycling material will be collected from the front only. Regular trash days continue to be Tuesday and Friday. Information: 410-396-5916.

NO TRASH PICK-UP Tuesday, February 12

BHA COMMITTEE CHAIRS, COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND MONTHLY MEETINGS

Block Rep/Crime Prevention: Wednesday, February 20th, 7 p.m., 2105 E. Baltimore St. The committee meets monthly to share information from our 20 block representatives and to coordinate action. Contact: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991, e-mail c.boitnott@verizon.net.

Crime Alerts:

1. There have been several thefts of stained glass over the past month from unoccupied houses in the neighborhood. Please keep an eye on any vacants or houses where your neighbors are away and be sure to call the police. Please call the police for all thefts and vandalism, police are deployed based on the amount of criminal activity. If they don't know about it, there will be less surveillance. Also let your block rep or Carolyn know so we can track patterns.

2. Be wary of people collecting money door to door for "good causes." If it really interests you get a phone number and address so you can verify.

Butchers Hill Citizens on Patrol (C.O.P.) conducts its walk-around on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of this month. We meet at 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Patterson Park Avenue and Lombard Street. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Evan Helfrich at 410-342-2148.

Education: Esther Braud (410-327-5584)

Community Representative, School 27 School Improvement Team: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991.

Land Use: Virgil Bartram (410-327-4964).

Marketing Committee: Tuesday, February 12, 7:00 p.m. 2223 E. Pratt St. Contact Rick Gilmour (410-342-7061). gilmour@mdo.net. We need gardens for the May Garden Tour, and we need Co-Chairs for the June Flea Market and the October House Tour. Please Help!

Trash Committee: We work with the Sanitation Dept. to help keep Butchers Hill streets clean. Anyone interested in joining the committee should e-mail me there name and telephone number and they will be contacted with the date, time and location of any trash committee meetings. Contact Sue Whitson, 410-522-3932, e-mail sbwhitson@hotmail.com. If you have bulk trash items that were not picked up (after you made the proper arrangements), please call Sue Whitson to report the location and items that were missed.

Streetscape: Wednesday, February 27 at 7, 2214 E. Pratt St. (The committee meets the fourth Wednesday of each month.) Contact Noel Brown (410-534-8057), brownnola@aol.com.

Book Club: Tuesday, February 26th at 7. The February selection is White Noise by Don Delillo. The discussion will be at 2029 E. Pratt. All are welcome. Try us. Call 410-522-6773 for information.

BHA Executive Committee: Tuesday, February 19th at 7, 2029 E. Pratt St. Sue Noonan, 410-522-6773.

Newsletter: The deadline for the March Newsletter is Saturday, February 23. Drop off written items at 103 S. Chester St. Contact Steve, 410-342-3842, young@umbc.edu; e-mail text only, no attached files.

FEBRUARY BHA GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday, February 6th. Coffee & cookies, 6:45 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Church hall, corner of Chester & Lombard Sts. (entrance on Lombard). Contact: Sue Noonan, 410-522-6773.

AGENDA:
Guest Speaker Aynsley Hamel, Baltimore Historical Society;
Guest Speaker Dan Winner, Parking and Traffic; Form Parking Committee

"We have so much strength when we work together as a community."

Ground Rents -- A Boon to Baltimore's Development

With origins in medieval British property and inheritance laws, the ground-rent system brought to Maryland by Lord Calvert become an engine of affordable housing in the heyday of Butchers Hill development (1865-1915).. This system was then what the 30-year mortgage became in the 20th century: a way for wage-earners to spread the cost of home ownership over time.

Under this system, a homeowner does not own the land under the house, but instead 'rents' the land indefinitely for an annual fee. A house subject to ground rent might sell for half the cost of same house with its land. There were other benefits. Tradespeople found it easier to move up to master builders (contractors), since their risks did not include the costs of land. For the same reason, speculative builders could more easily satisfy housing demand. And investors found readily traded ground-rent contracts to be safe and secure. When bank interest rates were 2% to 3% and railroad bonds perhaps twice that, ground rents returned 6%.

So good were ground rents that builders often lost money on the house in order to establish the cash flow of the ground rent. Developers and speculators did not scrimp on elegant details like marble highlights, wood mouldings, and wallpaper, because they wanted their houses to sell well and to justify the ground rents.

Consider a project described in The Baltimore Rowhouse.* In 1890, the Patterson heirs contracted with Edward J. Gallagher, a 25-year-old developer, to build 19 houses on a quarter city block just north of the Park fronting on Fayette. Gallagher got fee-simple title to 7 of the lesser lots, provided he completed building in 11 months. The developer immediately sold ground-rent contracts on his 7 lots to raise money for building. He then completed the project on time, netting $2300 from sale of the 7 ground-rent contracts, but only about $1500 from profit on the 19 houses.

The houses, selling for about half of equivalent fee-simple homes, went to ship's carpenters, shoemakers, clerks, tailors, cigar-makers and the like, for prices ranging from $500 to $1100 and with annual ground rents of $30 to $35.--Rick Gilmour

*The Baltimore Rowhouse, by Mary Ellen Hayward and Charles Balfoure, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999, pp. 107-110.

TUTORS NEEDED AT OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (SCHOOL #27)
Starting in February, the school is looking for people who can give at least one hour a week between 1:15 and 2:15 to work with groups of 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade students that are behind in math. Materials and instruction will be given the tutors by teachers. This effort will run from February through April. Contact Carolyn Boitnott if you can help or if you need more information (phone 410-522-4991 or e-mail c.boitnott@verizon.net).

Have You Seen the New Post Office? The Patterson Park branch of the U.S. Post Office serving our zip code (21231) has just moved from its small Gough Street counter to roomy new digs in the 700 block of Wolfe Street (in Fells Point).. Check it out!

FAMILY FUN NIGHT at the Ralph Young Rec Center behind Commodore John Rogers Elementary School between Fairmount and Fayette, Friday, February 8th, 6:30-8 p.m. Roller skating. A night specially set aside for adults and children who live in Butchers Hill. Call Sherman Cypress for more info 410-342-6313.

-NO TRASH PICK-UP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12th: LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY-

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY Simon's Pub & Eatery, 2031 E. Fairmount Avenue
Opening Reception Tuesday, February 5th, 7 to 9
Many patrons of Simon's already know Elizabeth Dougherty as one of the friendly faces who keeps their glasses full; however, in Elizabeth's "real life," she is an artist. February will showcase Elizabeth's latest artistic creations which are tables that hang on the wall. Elizabeth gravitated to this new medium in an effort to satisfy her struggle for the practicality of the object and the functionality of a product. She has tried to merge these ideas to create tangible pieces, to balance useless with useful. Combining painting with construction has satisfied some of her concerns about validation. Her show will hang from February 6 through March 6 with an opening reception on Tuesday, February 5, from 7-9 p.m. See you at Simon's (open daily from 5 o'clock)! For more information, call Simon's Pub at 410-522-4477.

Artists Wanted: If you're interested in showing your art at Simon's Pub, please contact Carole Poppleton at 410/276-0333 or e-mail her at: carpoppleton@prodigy.net.

Property Rentals: 1 Beautiful rowhouse (3BR/2.5 BA) and 2 charming Apts (each 1BR/1BA) available for rent in or near Butchers Hill. Call 443-562-9120 to see.

Tax Specialist offers personal service and reasonable rates.
Barbara Gilmour, 410 342 7061.

WHAT'S DOING IN PATTERSON PARK

Thursday, February 7th, 7-9 p.m. at the White House -FREE- View slides of Patterson Park Boat Lake wildlife taken by renowned wildlife photographer Middleton Evans.

Valentine's Day-Thursday, February 14th, 7-9 p.m. Love Patterson Park? Hate Trash? You are not alone. Come to the Ice Rink at Patterson Park and celebrate the installation of 80 brand new green, yellow and red 30-gallon metal trash cans. More than 50 friends and neighbors joined together with the Friends of Patterson Park to ensure a clean park in 2002. The Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Public Works are working together on new routes and pick-up schedules. Take part in this fun filled love fest! Skate on glowing red ice! Drink hot cocoa and eat love cakes by the fire! At the MimiDiPietro Ice Rink in Patterson Park. Rink Admission $3, Skate Rental $2.

Theresa "The Cleaning Lady"
A special thanks and note of appreciation to Theresa and Ron, spotted Thursday afternoon, January 10th (Theresa has been spotted several times after that), performing Random Acts of Kindness: sweeping the sidewalks and gutters on both sides of the 100 block South Chester Street. Theresa also extends her acts of kindness to Pratt and Washington. An inspiration to us all!

BHA Events Calendar
May 19 - Garden Tour
June 8 - Flea Market
July 10 - Picnic
October 13 - House Tour
December 15 - Holiday Pot Luck