Mount Vernon Place Conservancy Inc

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING, AND MISCELLANEOUS GRANTS

MOUNT VERNON PLACE, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, IS A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PUBLIC SPACES IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. ITS CENTERPIECE, THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT, IS THE FIRST PUBLIC MONUMENT TO HONOR GEORGE WASHINGTON, REVOLUTIONARY WAR HERO AND PRESIDENT, AND THE FIRST MONUMENT TO COMMEMORATE AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. MOUNT VERNON PLACE IS ALSO A MAJOR CONTRIBUTING RESOURCE TO THE BALTIMORE NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAAND CHARLES STREET NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY. IT IS BALTIMORES FIRST CITY HISTORIC DISTRICT AND A BALTIMORE CITY LANDMARK. PRESERVATION BEGAN HERE IN BALTIMORE. THE FOUR PARK SQUARES OF MOUNT VERNON PLACE WHICH SURROUND THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT, TWO OF WHICH ARE THE SUBJECT OF THIS REQUEST, ARE 100 YEARS OLD AND HAVE NOT HAD RENOVATIONS OR UPGRADES IN THAT TIME. THEY WERE REDESIGNED TO THEIR CURRENT STATE DURING THE CITY BEAUTIFUL ERA BY CARRRE HASTINGS IN 1917-20, AND ARE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST SURVIVING EXAMPLES OF THEIR WORK AND A RARE SURVIVOR OF CITY BEAUTIFUL PLANNING. NOT ONLY IS THE PHYSICAL HISTORIC MARBLE AND GRANITE FABRIC CRUMBLING AND UNSTABLE, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO MAJOR INVESTMENT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE, SUCH AS ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, SINCE IT WAS BUILT. THE PARK SQUARES VARY IN SIZE BETWEEN .45 AND .8 OF AN ACRE THE ENTIRE PUBLIC SPACE IS 6.3 ACRES.CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE OF WATER AND ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES, DRAINAGE, SOILS, ETC. AND CRACKED AND BROKEN HARDSCAPE ELEMENTS IN MARBLE, GRANITE, AND CONCRETE THREATEN THE VIABILITY OF THE PARK SQUARES. FOUNTAINS ARE NONFUNCTIONAL FOR MUCH OF THE SEASON, MARBLE BALUSTRADES ARE BROKEN OR HAVE PIECES MISSING, SIDEWALKS ARE CRACKED AND HEAVING, AND WALKWAYS AND STEPS ARE OUT OF ALIGNMENT. ACCESSIBILITY AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ARE POOR. CHANGES IN PLANTING BEDS OVER THE YEARS HAVE RESULTED IN A PATCHWORK OF LANDSCAPES WITHOUT A COORDINATED COMPOSITION. BECAUSE THERE IS NO IRRIGATION, REPLACEMENT GRASS AND PLANTINGS IN THE BEDS ROUTINELY FAIL. THIS PROJECT WILLRESTORE THE HISTORIC ELEMENTS OF THE SQUARES WHILE MAKING THEM MORE RESILIENT FOR 21ST CENTURY USE AND NEEDS. FUNDING WILL BE USED FOR HARD CONSTRUCTION COSTS OF MATERIAL, LABOR, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, ETC. FOR THE FOLLOWING PRIORITIES:RESTORATION AND REHABILITATION PLANS ARE COMPREHENSIVE AND TOUCH EVERY ELEMENT ABOVE AND BELOW GROUND, INCLUDING: STREETS: RESTORE HISTORIC BELGIAN BLOCK IN CENTRAL MONUMENT PLAZA REPLACE EXISTING ASPHALT STREETS WITH BRICK OR OTHER HISTORIC PAVING PEDESTRIAN ACCESS AND SAFETY, ADA IMPROVEMENTS: ADD SIDEWALKS AROUND PARKS IMPROVE CURB CUTS AND PROVIDE STEPLESS ACCESS INTO THE SQUARES RE-ALIGN PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS AT INTERSECTIONS ENHANCE TRAFFIC CALMING ELECTRICAL AND WATER SUPPLIES: INSTALL NEW POWER AND WATER SUPPLIES AND DRAINAGE LIGHTING AND TRAFFIC SIGNAGE: REINSTALL HISTORIC STREET AND PARK FIXTURES HIGHLIGHT FOUNTAINS AND SCULPTURESWITH SPECIALTY LIGHTING FOR NIGHTTIME PRESENCE AND SAFETY RE-ORIENT TRAFFIC SIGNAGE TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF PEDESTRIAN ZONES HISTORIC FABRIC: REPAIR HISTORIC STONE BALUSTRADES, MASONRY, EXTANT HISTORIC PAVING REPLACE EXISTING CONCRETE WALKS REPAIR AND RESTORE FOUNTAINS, FOUNTAIN SCULPTURES, PLUMBING SOILS, STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, AND PLANTINGS: REPLACE SOILS WITH ENGINEERED SOILS THAT RESIST COMPACTION AND ENCOURAGE ABSORPTION INCLUDE TREE PITS AND TREE TRENCHES FOR MAXIMUM TREE GROWTH REDO CARRRE HASTINGS DESIGN WITH NEW TREES AND PLANTINGS INSTALL IRRIGATION.OUR GOAL IS A HISTORICALLY ACCURATE, ON TIME, ON BUDGET, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE RESTORATION OF THIS HISTORIC URBAN PARK THAT CONFORMS TO THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR S STANDARDS. THE PROJECT BENEFICIARIES ARE THE RESIDENTS OF BALTIMORE AND THE STATE OF MARYLAND WHO LIVE IN OR VISIT THE CITY, AND THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL VISITORS TO THIS LOCATION AND THE SURROUNDING INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM AND PEABODY INSTITUTE OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.