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AUGUST 2001 President's Message: What a spectacular showing for the Independence Day picnic. I hear that people showed up as late at 9:15. (And, despite my threat, there was still a little food left.) Thanks Rich Pardoe for an excellent job of organizing and cooking. What a delight to see Mary Halcott and so many familiar faces, plus a great number of new faces. Great showing! The August Meeting is a good opportunity to let your voice be heard. We are considering opening our membership roles to those who live within the historical Butchers Hill district. Details will be available the meeting. Whether or not you have read about it, there is a plan to widen and improve Orleans Street, and we would like to hear how you feel about the idea. Only you can tell us how you believe Butchers Hill would be impacted. Come discuss it! Barry Glassman has been asked to create a Bulletin Board for our Butchers Hill Website. If you would like to see how it operates in a similar neighborhood, look at www.boltonhill.org. We need the membership input to determine if this would be a worthwhile endeavor. There is expense and effort involved, but it could also prove quite useful, productive and enjoyable. Come hear the details and let your voice be heard. If you have any issues you would like to air, this is a opportunity to bring them before the member-ship. If you would like them on the agenda, you can contact me before the meeting at 410-522-6773 or . If not just bring them up in the open forum. Be sure you don't miss the next spectacular performance of Fluid Movement's synchronized swimming extravaganza. Six opportunities, July 27-29, August 3-5 at Patterson Park Pool. If you've seen any of their other productions, you know this is a must! See you there. This will be your first opportunity to sign up for the free tour of the newly renovated Walters Art Museum on Thursday evening, November 1st. Group size will be limited, so sign up early. Families are welcome. New neighbor packets are finally ready. Becky Proctor, Membership Chairman, will be there to give them to new residents and also to accept membership applications. --Sue Noonan AUGUST BHA GENERAL MEETING Wednesday, August 1st. Coffee & cookies, 6:45 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Church hall, corner of Chester & Lombard Sts. (entrance on Lombard) AGENDA:
"We have so much strength when we work together as a community." BHA COMMITTEE CHAIRS, COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND MONTHLY MEETINGS Block Rep/Crime Prevention: Wednesday, August 15th, 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. Crime Prevention Tips: Be sure water is cut off to any outside faucets. Drug users who are injecting need a source of water and often will find a place to shoot up near those locations. Watch vacant houses near you and report any use of yards or the buildings. Be sure all doors and windows are locked and secure in your house; there have been a number of daytime break-ins in the past two months. Report any suspicious activity and develop a support system with your neighbors. 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: Larcia Premo (410-675-5634). Community Representative, School 27 School Improvement Team: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991. Land Use: Virgil Bartram (410-327-4964). The Land Use Committee would like to remind homeowners in the 2100 and 2200 blocks of E. Baltimore Street and the 2200 block of E. Pratt Street that you live in a City historic district. All exterior work and painting must be submitted to CHAP and Butchers Hill. We are always happy to help with any questions you may have. Call Virgil Bartram: 410-327-4964. CHAP's number is 410-396-4866. Marketing/House Tour Committee: Tuesday, August 7th at 7, 14 North Chester Street. Contact: Gregory Maley 410-563-0678 or Rick Gilmour 410-342-7061 Trash Committee: Tuesday, August 28, 7:00 p.m., 2127 E. Baltimore St. (The committee meets the last Tuesday of each month.) We work with the Sanitation Dept. to help keep Butchers Hill streets clean. Contact Sue Whitson, 410-522-3932. 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, August 22nd at 7, 2214 E. Pratt St. (The committee meets the fourth Wednesday of each month.) Contact Noel Brown (410-534-8057), . Book Club: TBA. BHA Executive Committee: Tuesday, August 14th, at 7, 2029 E. Pratt St. Sue Noonan, 410-522-6773. Newsletter: The deadline for the September Newsletter is Friday, August 24th. Drop off written items at 103 S. Chester St. Contact Steve, 410-342-3842, ; e-mail text only, no attached files. A community dumpster will be available in the unit block of S. Chester St. on Saturday, August 18th. Gus Hansen, age 8, in his backyard, in 1939. (Sorry, photos not available) The houses in the background are part of a row of seven houses which once stood on the site of what is now Halcott Square (Duncan Street Park). Gus standing in the same location in his backyard, July 2001. The structure in the background is the frame of the Overhead Door to his parking pad. There's No Place Like Home In the 1930s when the Hansen Family moved to Collington Avenue, they joined a collection of ethnically diverse families in Butchers Hill. It was a place where the Polish, the Irish, the African-American and the Italian families lived and played together. "There was never anything about color," said Gus Hansen, now 70 years old. He remembers the days when Mr. Svoboda and his son Joe would go crabbing or fishing and bring home enough for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. When the U.S. joined the war in 1941, patriotism was strong in the neighborhood. The kids collected scrap metal and had it piled as high as a second floor window at the corner of Duncan and Lombard. Born on Broadway, Gus Hansen moved with his parents, brother and sister to Butchers Hill in 1934. His mother, Helen, was a seamstress, who volunteered many hours at Baltimore's hospitals, including Hopkins, Sinai, and Mercy. Charles, his father, was a seaman who played a major role in organizing the nation's shipyards in the labor movement. Gus recalls how in 1934-35, the National Maritime Union "sprung into action" in his kitchen. His family welcomed seamen who came to Baltimore's port, renting them a room and playing games of cards in the basement. They also opened the house for elections, back in the days when houses were used for voting. As a teenager in the 1940s, Gus lived for dances at the CYO club. In 1950 he was drafted into the Army Signal Corps. Four years later he returned to Baltimore and began learning the ropes as a tile setter in the shipyard. He worked for various tile works until he won an award from the Building Congress of Baltimore for his work on Towson Town Mall. After that, his phone rang off the hook with offers for several years and he formed his own company, Hansen Tile and Marble. His talent has taken him to places like Canada, Bermuda, and Colorado, and landed him the job of tiling the Maryland State Lottery Headquarters. Twenty-eight years ago, Gus returned to the family home on Collington Avenue, to care for his mother, Helen. He took care of her for ten years, until her passing. His home is a celebration of the Hansen Family. A photo wall traces the family history. Another wall honors the union organizing work of Charles and the volunteerism of Helen. Still another wall showcases the work of Hansen Tile and Marble. Of course, tile work in the kitchen and bathrooms demonstrates the talent of the award-winning tile setter. Gus still tends a beautiful garden that has graced the back yard since the 1930s. A portrait of Pope John Paul II hangs on a wall in the kitchen. Gus admires this leader of the Catholic Church for all he has done to promote peace in the world. "The last thing in my prayer every day is for peace, for once and for all." Asked how he feels about Butchers Hill, Gus said, "there's no place like home - there's no place like East Baltimore." He reflected on the changes in the neighborhood in the last 20 years. "The redevelopment of the neighborhood has been a blessing," said Gus. "The infusion of young professional homeowners has brought the neighborhood up to an enjoyable standard of living." He continued, "neighbors seem cheerful, helpful and take pride in their homes. It's still a mixture of diverse people." The Work of CARTER GLASS August 6 through September 9 Simon's Pub & Eatery, 2031 E. Fairmount Avenue The mixed media works of Carter Glass will be on display at Simon's Pub and Eatery from Monday, August 6th, through Sunday, September 9th. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday August 7th from 6 to 9 P.M. The current exhibit features collages, oil paintings, and 3D constructions. The work spans a gamut of emotions from the painfully personal to the humorous. Carter has previously worked in a variety of media including mosaic, collage, and jewelry making. Until now his works have been acquired privately. After retiring from a career in state service, he has pursued his vocation as an artist. Carter is a long-time resident of Butchers Hill, and is currently enrolled in the Fine Arts Program at Maryland Institute College of Art. Simon's is located at 2031 E. Fairmount Avenue in Butcher's Hill. Artists Wanted: If you're interested in showing your art at Simon's Pub, please contact Carole Poppleton at 410/276-0333 or email her at: carpoppleton@prodigy.net. Looking to rent garage space for motorcycle in neighborhood. Interested in full garage or space in one. Please contact Tracy at 410-342-4342 or tgosson@radicus.net. ROOMMATE WANTED Nice bedroom and private bath on the second floor of my "house of fun" at 105 S. Chester Street. $425 a month plus 1/2 utilities. Available September 1st. Non smoker only. Contact William A White at 410-563-7941. NEED A PLACE TO PARK?? 5 garages for sale. Call 410-276-7786. FOR SALE: 2207 East Baltimore Street. Currently 3 apartments and owner's office. Approx. 5000 sq. ft. Contact Todd Vaughan: 410-276-7786. CIRQUE D'AMOUR Step Right up! Do not miss Fluid Movement's French-inspired, circus-themed, co-ed synchronized swimming extravaganza, Cirque de L'Amour, The Circus of Love. You will be amazed! You will be Astounded! You will feel every emotion known to the human race, but most of all, you will Feel the Love. Patterson Park Pool (on Linwood Ave. Between Baltimore St. & Eastern Ave.) July 27-9 and August 3-5 Starting at 7 p.m. sharp!! Admission a mere $5. Info: (410)-342-0600 or www.fluidmovement.org. Friends of Patterson Park, This summer's water ballet is coming up. We hope everyone can attend and we hope many of you will want to volunteer to sell tickets, move bleachers (that should be fun!) or usher at one of the performances. Please phone the office (410-276-3676) or e-mail us back if you can help between 5 pm and 9 pm on July 27, 28, 29 or August 3, 4 or 5th. UPCOMING BUTCHERS HILL EVENTS Mark your calendars!
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