The LAI Baltimore Chapter hosted a most entertaining, diverse, and informative array of guided tours throughout the Harbor area and norther city residential districts.¾ The following is an overview of some of the high points.

Thursday À April 26, 2000

Evening:

We started from Fells' Point (Baltimore's original deep-water seaport and the location of our Inn at Henderson's Wharf) and went to Mount Vernon Place and Park, the Cultural District on Charles Street that thrived in the early 1800s. Mount Vernon was among the nation's first private renewal projects, initiated by a son of the B&O Railroad in the late 1880s.

The Baltimore Chapter of LAI hosted a reception at the Engineering Society, Garrett-Jacobs mansion , the former residence of the son of the B&O Railroad.¾ Guest speaker was Charlie Duff, President, Baltimore Architecture Foundation,¾ who described the initial renewal project as well as the current efforts.¾

After the reception, guided tours of the former residence highlighted the beautifully maintained and renovated structural features, stairways, windows, and rooms.

The Baltimore Chapter report, Baltimore 2000: Colonial Port to Global Metropolis, summarizes some of the more significant urban design, transportation, and private investment efforts underway in the city and should be available from the LAI web page shortly.

Friday À April 27, 2000

Morning: LAI Board of Governors' Meeting

Afternoon: Demonstration and overview of the features of the LAI web site: 209.224.198.102 and of the Los Angeles Chapter web site:¾ home.earthlink.net/~fghaffari/lambda/

Evening:

We were water-taxied from Henderson's Wharf to the downtown pier. Dinner was hosted by the Baltimore Chapter on the schooner, Clipper City, with a harbor tour narrated by M.J."Jay" Brodie, President of¾ Baltimore Development Corporation, (Baltimore Chapter member) who entertainingly highlighted all of the recent, major development and renewal projects oriented around the dynamic Balitmore City Harbor life.¾ The tour took us from the start of the harbor to the end and back.

Saturday À April 28, 2000

By bus to:

1.¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ American Can Co. site (Canton District of Baltimore): project overview and history of the American Can Company acquisition and development in the Digital Harbor District, which was established in 1999 to promote technology-oriented entrepreneurship in Baltimore, by Katie Hearn of¾ Struever Bros., Eccles, and Rouse.

The site visit included:

• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Dap Products Inc. headquarters building¾¾
• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Aviation Restaurant¾ - a hub of dining activity for the nearby office and residential areas
• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Biblelot Signature Building (consisting of lower level retail and upper level offices);
• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Emerging Technology Center, a hub of the Digital Harbor District; ETC was developed through a partnership with the Maryland Economic Development Corporation, the Baltimore Development Corporation, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and area institutions.

2.¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Tide Point: project overview and history of the 5 structure redevelopment project¾ on the former site of Proctor & Gambol's Ivory, Joy, Dawn, Cascade, and Tide manufacturing facilities; presented by Bill Struever, president of Struever, Bros. Eccles, and Rouse.

3.¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Bus tour passing by the old public housing structures which were imploded and redeveloped as mixed-income townhousing at Lexington Terrace, Murphy Homes, and Flag House Court.

4.¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ PleasantView Gardens Community Center À another mixed income townhouse project replacing former public housing towers.¾ Bag lunch hosted by Baltimore Chapter.

Video of Baltimore's "West Side" À produced by John Murphy, attorney and Baltimore Chapter member, as an advocacy presentation to persuade the new major of Baltimore and the city council to not relocate minority businesses to allow for super-retail development, but rather to preseve and assist the many viable small entrepreneurial businesses within the Western Baltimore urban core.

Presentations of Hope VI project progress in Baltimore by:

¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Pat Payne, the Baltimore City Housing¾ and Community Development Commissioner (she was previously cabinet¾ secretary for Maryland's DHCD and is also a Baltimore Chapter member) and

¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Elinor Bacon, US Department of Housing and Urban Development

Afternoon:

Tour of Baltimore homes in 5 north Baltimore districts, hosted by Herb Davis, President, Herbert Davis Associates (and Baltimore Chapter member), with the assistance of his business associates, friends and relatives.

• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Bolton Hill À in-town townhouse, past and present renovations preserve a great residence located on a closed street with a pocket park, protecting the area from all but pedestrian through traffic.
• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ ColdSpring New Town À modular unit condos by Moshe Safde; nice site plan, with small and economically built units.
• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Homeland À just drove by
• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Guilford À luxurious and spacious homes, center of the area is a luscious garden filled with multi-colored tulips
• ¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾ Roland Park À with a wine tasting courtesy of Al Copp of Windhall Wineries and long-time business associate of Herb Davis.

Independent tours during the weekend:

The Baltimore Orioles were at home for the three nights of the visit, making it possible for participants to have a first hand view of Oriole Park in Camden Yards, the most "watchable" baseball stadium in America.

Baltimore's center shopping Gallery, Renaissance Hotel and nearby Harbor Point waterfront activities show the city to be successful in promoting its "live, play, work" philosophy of dynamically, but harmoniously, mixing urban land uses.

Little Italy (or Piccola Italia) is just north of Fell's Point and provided a host of¾ small scale, traditional Mom and Pop-scale residential, restaurant, and retail activities.¾

Our thanks to Joe Nathanson of the Baltimore Chapter and to all of his associates for hosting a marvelous weekend and for Joe's terrific assistance in proofing this report.¾