Unity @ Park Avenue
Renovating the lot at Park and North is part of an ongoing project to revive the southeast side of that intersection. Despite its prominent location at the north end of the neighborhood, the corner of Park Avenue and North Avenue has turned into a neglected piece of Bolton Hill.
The artist Ernest Shaw in 2021 painted murals on two row house walls facing North Ave. The renovated lot beneath the east mural will create an inviting, activated space for residents, passersby and people waiting for buses and more opportunity for social connections between Bolton Hill and Reservoir Hill. This renovation would produce more permeable surfaces and water runoff retention zones containing native trees, shrubs, and additional plants. Installing a creatively reimagined bus shelter is the third phase of the project.
This DNR grant funding will allow Midtown to support the ongoing work by the BHCA as we engage with partners at CityScape Engineering LLC and EnviroCollab, both Women Owned businesses. The monies will be used to produce plans for up to 30% of the design work which will allow the project to move to it's next phase of development.
Midtown is excited for this partnership with the Bolton Hill Community Association and what this means for propelling this project into the future.
Project Updates
October 2023: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) awarded $30,000 to renovate the southeast vacant lot and bus stop at the corner of Park and North Avenues. This funding will be used to create engineered design plans based on existing concept plans covering studies of the grounds; technical specifications for concrete removal and new permeable hardscaping, landscaping and lighting; and permitting requirements. The engineered design plans will effectively make the project shovel-ready for implementation, conditional on funding.
September 14, 2021: Twin murals at Park and North Avenues completed. The paired murals at this site were painted in the Fall of 2021 by Baltimore artist and educator Ernest Shaw. This project received strong support of the buildings’ owners and the generosity of private donors and others including: Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, Abell Foundation, Baltimore Community Foundation, PNC Bank, and Bolton Hill Community Association.
October 20, 2020: Park and North Bus Shelter Redesigns Community Input
October 6, 2020: Park and North Lot Redesign Input Session 2
September 16, 2020: Unity@Park Avenue: an update on revitalizing Park and North Avenues
June 15, 2020: New mural design for corner of Park and North unveiled
February 14, 2020: Early Efforts Underway to Transform Lot at Park and North Avenues
Midtown wishes to thank DNR for their generous project support.