McElderry Park, Baltimore

McElderry Park
—  urban neighborhood  —
Coordinates: 39°17′50″N 76°34′53″W / 39.297211°N 76.581316°W / 39.297211; -76.581316Coordinates: 39°17′50″N 76°34′53″W / 39.297211°N 76.581316°W / 39.297211; -76.581316
Country	United States
State	Maryland
City	Baltimore
Area
– Total	.161 sq mi (0.4 km2)
– Land	.161 sq mi (0.4 km2)
	[1]
Population (2008)[1]
– Total	4,477
– Density	27,807.5/sq mi (10,736.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	21224 and 21205
Area code	410 and 443

McElderry Park is a neighborhood in Southeastern district of Baltimore. Its boundaries are marked by Fayette Street, Monument Street, Linwood Avenue, and Patterson Park Avenue. South of McElderry Park is the neighborhood of Patterson Park; Butchers Hill is to the southwest. Ellwood Park is located to the east, and Johns Hopkins Hospital to the west. To its north is the neighborhood of Madison-Eastend.^[1]

In the early 1980s, McElderry Park suffered from white flight and abandonment by working class homeowners. The closing of nearby public housing flooded the neighborhood with Section 8 tenants, street crime, and illegal drug trade. Throughout the 90s, the area became the most crime-ridden in East Baltimore. Efforts are underway to turn things around, replacing abandoned buildings with productive uses such as public gardens.

The 2000 census reported that 34.3 percent of McElderry Park's families had incomes below the poverty line. Although predominantly black, the neighborhood has significant white and Hispanic populations.^[1]

Jimmy Carter lends a hand

Former president Jimmy Carter assisted 300 volunteers on October 5, 2010 at a Habitat for Humanity project in McElderry Park. This weeklong project was restoring vacant houses in the 2400 block of Jefferson Street.^[2]

Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake has been working with the Monument McElderry Fayette Revitalization Plan Board since 2006 on a long-term plan to restore blighted portions of McElderry Park. When they began work in 2007, only two of 43 houses in the 2400 block of Jefferson Street were occupied. The plan board's co-chairman expected to have 32 of the houses owner-occupied by the end of 2010.^[2]

Amazing Port Street Sacred Commons

Amazing Port Street Sacred Commons is a prayer labyrinth, perennial garden, and open, grassy field located behind the Amazing Grace Lutheran Church (founded 1996), located at 2424 McElderry Street. The space currently used by the commons was previously occupied by abandoned, dilapidated houses. It was purchased and developed developed by the church as open green space with a grant from the TKF Foundation. The commons is open to the public, of all faiths, as required by the grant. Produce from the garden is distributed by the church's food pantry, the Center for Grace-full Living.^[3]

Public services

Schools

• Tench Tilgman Elementary and Middle School (Pre-K to 8), located at 600 N. Patterson Park Avenue, enrollment: 360.
• William Paca Elementary School (Pre-K to 5), located at 200 N. Lakewood Avenue, enrollment: 624.

Library

• Patterson Park Branch Library, 158 N. Linwood Avenue

Transportation

Route 35 (MTA Maryland) provides bus service between Downtown Baltimore and White Marsh, with stops along Monument Street and Madison Street. The Route 40 Quickbus stops at Fayette Street and Linwood Avenue along its crosstown course between Woodlawn (west) and Essex (east). Route 13 passes through the neighborhood along Milton Avenue, McElderry Street and Linwood Avenue. Route 20 and Route 23 provide crosstown bus service along Fayette Street.

See also

List of Baltimore neighborhoods

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Mcelderry Park neighborhood" City-Data.com. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
2. ^ ^{a b} Liz F. Kay (October 6, 2010). "A presidential assist in Baltimore and Annapolis." The Baltimore Sun, p. 1.
3. ^ Anne Raver (October 15, 2008). "Public Spaces Meant to Heal". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/garden/16garden.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1. Retrieved 2010-10-07. 

External links

• HUD Helps McElderry Park Restore Vacant Lands
• Monument-McElderry-Fayette Area Plan, September 2006
• Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition, Inc.
• Southeast District Maps, Baltimore City Neighborhoods Portal