View source for Mount Vernon, Baltimore

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                     = Mount Vernon
| native_name              = 
| native_name_lang         = 
| other_name               = Midtown
| settlement_type          = [[Neighborhood]]
| image_skyline            = WashingtonMonumentView.jpg
| image_alt                = 
| image_caption            = Northward view from the Washington Monument
| image_flag               = 
| flag_alt                 = 
| image_seal               = 
| seal_alt                 = 
| image_shield             = 
| shield_alt               = 
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = 
| image_map                = {{infobox mapframe|zoom=12}}
| map_alt                  = 
| map_caption              = Neighborhood boundaries
| pushpin_map              = 
| pushpin_map_alt          = 
| pushpin_map_caption      = 
| coordinates_footnotes    = 
| coordinates              = {{coord|39|17.9|N|76|37|W|type:city(4500)_scale:5000_region:US|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. states|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Maryland]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[U.S. cities|City]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Baltimore]]
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
| founder                  = [[John Eager Howard]]
| named_for                = [[Mount Vernon|Mount Vernon Estate]]
| seat_type                = 
| seat                     = 
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| leader_title             = 
| leader_name              = 
| unit_pref                = 
| area_footnotes           = 
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| timezone1                = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset1              = -5
| timezone1_DST            = EDT
| utc_offset1_DST          = 
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 21201, 21202<ref>{{cite map|author=Maryland Department of Planning Planning Services Division|title=Baltimore City, MD 2017 Zip Code areas|URL=https://planning.maryland.gov/MSDC/Documents/zipcode_map/2017/BACIZC17.pdf}}</ref>
| area_code_type           = [[Area code]]
| area_code                = [[Area codes 410, 443, and 667|410, 443, and 667]]
| website                  = {{URL|http://www.mvba.org/}}
| footnotes                = 
| module                   = 
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                     = Mount Vernon Place Historic District
| embed                    = yes
| nrhp_type                = nhld
| designated_nrhp_type     = November 11, 1971<ref>{{cite web | url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/106775892 | title=National Archives NextGen Catalog }}</ref>
| nocat                    = yes
| architect                = [[Robert Mills (architect)|Robert Mills]] and others
| added                    = November 11, 1971
| refnum                   = 71001037<ref name="nris">{{NRISref |refnum=71001037|version=2010a}}</ref>
| designated_other1        = Baltimore City Landmark
| designated_other1_abbr   = BCL
| designated_other1_date   = 1975
}}
}}
'''Mount Vernon''' is a [[neighborhood]] of [[Baltimore, Maryland]], located immediately north of the city's [[Downtown Baltimore|downtown]]. It is named for [[George Washington]]'s [[Mount Vernon]] estate in [[Virginia]], as the site of the city's [[Washington Monument (Baltimore)|Washington Monument]].

== Overview ==
The Baltimore City Planning Commission defines the neighborhood as being bound by [[Eager Street]] to the north, the [[Interstate 83|Jones Falls Expressway]] to the east, [[Franklin Street (Baltimore)|Franklin Street]] to the south, and [[Eutaw Street]] to the west. The [[Mid-Town Belvedere, Baltimore|Mid-Town Belvedere]] neighborhood, named for the Belvedere estate of [[John Eager Howard]], lies immediately to the north, and the two are sometimes considered to be one neighborhood.

The [[Baltimore Light RailLink|Light RailLink]] line runs along [[Howard Street (Baltimore)|Howard Street]] on the western side of Mount Vernon, and the [[Baltimore Metro Subway|Metro Subway]] runs beneath Eutaw Street. [[Pennsylvania Station (Baltimore)|Penn Station]], served by [[Amtrak]] and [[MARC Train|MARC]] commuter rail, is located north of Mid-Town Belvedere.

[[Image:Mt Vernon UMC.png|150px|right|thumb|[[Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury House|Mt Vernon Place UMC]]]]

Although mainly residential, Mount Vernon-Belvedere is home to a mix of institutions, including the [[Peabody Conservatory]] of the [[Johns Hopkins University]], [[Walters Art Museum]], [[University of Baltimore]], [[Maryland Center for History and Culture]], [[Maryland Institute College of Art]], [[Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall]], [[Baltimore School for the Arts]], [[Lyric Opera House]], [[Center Stage (theater)|Center Stage]], the Central Branch of the [[Enoch Pratt Free Library]], Spotlighters Theatre, the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute, and formerly the [[Peabody Bookshop and Beer Stube]].

During the 1970s, Mount Vernon became Baltimore's main [[gay village]]. The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore, now known as the [[Pride Center of Maryland]], was established in Mount Vernon in 1977.<ref name="glccb.org">{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://www.glccb.org/about-us/our-history |url-status=dead |access-date=12 April 2018 |publisher=The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland |archive-date=13 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413124604/http://www.glccb.org/our-history/}}</ref>

== Architectural history ==
The centerpiece of the Mount Vernon neighborhood, the cruciform arrangement of parks surrounding the Washington Monument, represents one of the nation's first examples of city planning for the express purpose of highlighting a monument. The [[Washington Monument (Baltimore)|Washington Monument]] was completed in 1829 to a design by [[Robert Mills (architect)|Robert Mills]], and in 1831 the Howard family was granted permission to lay out the surrounding parks<ref name="mht_ihp"/> which eventually were lined by stately homes.  The parks, which have survived almost intact, are considered to be the finest existing urban landscapes by the Beaux-Arts architectural firm of [[Carrère and Hastings]], who also designed the [[New York Public Library Main Branch|New York Public Library]], portions of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the residence that houses the [[Frick Collection]].

Elsewhere in the neighborhood are many older apartment buildings and three and four-story [[Terraced house|rowhouses]]. The [[Belvedere Hotel]], opened in 1903, was converted to condominiums in 1991.<ref name="mht_ihp">{{cite web|url=https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-63.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mt. Vernon Place Historic District |date=February 1972|access-date=2016-03-01 |first=Mrs. Preston | last = Parish|publisher=Maryland Historical Trust |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407102006/https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-63.pdf |archive-date=Apr 7, 2016 |at=Map of district on page 24}}  </ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2024}}

The [[Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury House|Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church]] lies northeast of the Washington Monument. Conceived as a cathedral of [[Methodism]], it was built on the site of the Charles Howard mansion, the house in which [[Francis Scott Key]] died.  In 2021, the church's owners sought planning permission to subdivide the building, separating the church from the adjacent Asbury House.<ref>{{cite web |title=Judge reverses Planning Commission decision granting subdivision of Mount Vernon church |url=https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/judge-reverses-planning-commission-decision-granting-subdivision-of-mount-vernon-church/ |website=Baltimore Fishbowl |date=20 August 2021 |access-date=21 August 2021 |first=Ed |last=Gunts}}</ref> The southeast corner from the monument is occupied entirely by the Peabody Institute, and the southwest corner includes three buildings forming part of the Walters Art Museum.

The former [[The Stafford Apartments|Stafford]] Hotel on Washington Place, built in 1894, now serves as an apartment building primarily housing Peabody Institute students.<ref name="jhu.edu">{{cite news|url=http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2004/19jul04/19vernon.html|title=Mt. Vernon: 96 Apts, Peabody View|first=Greg | last = Rienzi|date=July 19, 2004|work=The Gazette|publisher=Johns Hopkins University}}</ref>

The old Mount Vernon Hotel at 702 Cathedral Street, built in 1847, was the mansion home of U.S. Congressman [[William Albert|William Julian Albert]] where he entertained [[Abraham Lincoln]]. It was converted into a hotel in 1967, and was where [[Oscar Wilde]] stayed as part of his 1882 lecture tour of the United States.<ref name="balto5">{{cite web | url=http://www.oscarwildeinamerica.org/lectures-1882/january/0126-baltimore.html | title=Oscar Wilde's 1882 Lecture Tour of America | work = Oscar Wilde in America | publisher = John Cooper | date = 2013 }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2024}}

The Mount Vernon Place Historic District, surrounding the Washington Monument, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] and further designated as a [[National Historic Landmark District]] on November 11, 1971.<ref name="nris"/><ref name="mht_ihp"/>

Selected parcels with the National Historic Landmark District have been designated [[Baltimore City Landmarks]], including:
*Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place (defined as the city square of the monument and the cruciform-shaped area of parks radiating north, south, east and west)<ref name=BCL-list-2012>{{cite report|type=none|url=https://chap.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Baltimore%20City%20Landmarks%20publication.pdf |title=Baltimore City's Designated Landmark List |date=July 2012 |publisher=[[City of Baltimore]] |author=Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation |access-date=October 2, 2022}}</ref>
*Peabody Institute, 1-21 E. Mount Vernon Place<ref name=BCL-list-2012/>
*Thomas-Jencks-Gladding House, 1 W. Mount Vernon Place<ref name=BCL-list-2012/>
*George Howard House, 8 E. Madison Street

The National Historic Landmark District also includes:
*Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury House, individually NRHP-listed
*[[Stafford Hotel]]

The Mount Vernon neighborhood also includes:
*[[First Unitarian Church (Baltimore, Maryland)|First Unitarian Church]], NRHP-listed, NHL, BCL

The entire Mount Vernon neighborhood is included within the [[Baltimore National Heritage Area]],<ref name="balto1">{{cite web | url=http://www.baltimorecity.gov/Portals/0/agencies/heritage/public%20downloads/neighborhoods_heritageareas.pdf | title=Baltimore National Heritage Area Map | publisher=City of Baltimore | date = June 2010 | access-date=March 11, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522024255/http://www.baltimorecity.gov/Portals/0/agencies/heritage/public%20downloads/neighborhoods_heritageareas.pdf | archive-date=May 22, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.explorebaltimore.org/page/bnha-boundary-map |title=BNHA Boundary Map |access-date=October 2, 2022}}</ref> which was established in 2009.

==Demographics==
As of the [[census]] of 2000,<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|work=[[United States Census Bureau]] | title = Community Facts}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2018}}{{Needs update|date=October 2023|reason=outdated census}} there were 4,520 people living in the neighborhood.  The racial makeup of Mount Vernon was 55.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 33.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 7.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.2% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.3% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.1% of the population.

60.4% of the population were employed, 3.5% were unemployed, and 36.0% were not in the labor force, largely due to the large student population. The median household income was $21,225.  About 15.2% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]].<ref name="GR2" />

5.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied. 10.2% of housing units were vacant.<ref name="GR2" />

==Education==
The [[Baltimore School for the Arts]] is located on Cathedral Street in Mount Vernon.

In 2010, the [[Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women]] (BLSYW), a [[charter school|charter]] secondary school for girls, moved into the former headquarters of the [[Young Women's Christian Association]] (YWCA) in Mount Vernon, becoming its first new public school in three decades.<ref name=GreenMoves>{{cite web|last=Green | first = Erica L.|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2010/09/29/all-girls-school-moves-into-former-ywca-building/|title=All-girls' school moves into former YWCA building|work=[[Baltimore Sun]]|date=September 28, 2010|access-date=March 8, 2017}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Maryland}}
* [[Culture of Baltimore]]
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in Maryland]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Central Baltimore]]
* [[Washington Monument (Baltimore)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mount Vernon, Baltimore}}
{{Wikivoyage|Mount Vernon (Baltimore)}}
*[https://mvba.org/ Mount Vernon - Belvedere Association]
*[https://www.explorebaltimore.org/places/washington-monument-and-mount-vernon-place Baltimore National Heritage Area]
*[https://mountvernonplace.org Mount Vernon Place Conservancy]
*[https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travelbaltimore/index.htm Baltimore, Maryland, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
*[https://www.nps.gov/places/mount-vernon-place-historic-district.htm NPS Mount Vernon Place Historic District]
*{{MHT url|id=65|title=Mount Vernon Place Historic District}} at the Maryland Historical Trust; and [http://mht.maryland.gov/nr/map/nrb65.jpg accompanying map]
*{{HALS |survey=MD-1 |id=md1624 |title=Mount Vernon Place, Charles & Monument Streets, Baltimore, Independent City, MD |photos=113 |color=6 |dwgs=6 |cap=8}}

{{Baltimore neighborhoods}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland}}
{{American gay villages}}
{{LGBT in Maryland}}
{{geographic location
|Centre =Mount Vernon
|North =[[Station North Arts and Entertainment District, Baltimore|Station North Arts and Entertainment District]]
|South =[[Charles Center, Baltimore|Charles Center]]
|Northwest =[[Bolton Hill, Baltimore|Bolton Hill]]
|West =[[Seton Hill Historic District|Seton Hill]]
|Southwest =[[Chinatown, Baltimore|Chinatown]], [[Westside, Baltimore|Westside]]
|Southeast =[[Baltimore City Hall|City Hall]], [[Inner Harbor, Baltimore|Inner Harbor]]
|East =[[Oldtown, Baltimore|Oldtown-Latrobe]]
|Northeast =[[Greenmount West, Baltimore|Greenmount West]]}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mount Vernon, Baltimore| ]]
[[Category:Historic American Landscapes Survey in Maryland]]
[[Category:Neighborhoods in Baltimore]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Maryland]]
[[Category:Gay villages in the United States]]
[[Category:LGBTQ culture in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Beaux-Arts architecture in Maryland]]
[[Category:Baltimore National Heritage Area]]
[[Category:Baltimore City Landmarks]]
[[Category:Mount Vernon Place Historic District| ]]