Before suburbia there were Small Towns, a few thousand people at the most living on streets that stemmed from a single main street that housed all of the Town's services. Everybody knew each other and watched over each other. That was small Town America of yesteryear, the pride and joy being Main St.
Now take a City like Baltimore, Baltimore's an old city with an old infrastructure of densely developed streets that follow a classic urban grid. Before suburbia resulted in a net loss for population Baltimore's topped out at 987,000 in 1957. Today, and for the past few years the population has hovered at 640,000. Small town America and Baltimore are seemingly at opposite ends of the spectrum but maybe within Baltimore there lies an example of what was once Small Town America and could hold that title yet again.
Brooklyn/Curtis Bay is just one example of how small town America has knitted its way into the fabric of Baltimore City. Built to house workers from the Fairfield Shipping yards on the Middle Branch, the water is much deeper than that of the Inner Harbor. Industry flocked to the area in droves in the late 1800s. They included Southern Baltimore Wheel Company, an Oyster packing plant (whose owner developed housing in the area too), Davison Brothers Chemical Company moved to Curtis Bay as did the Maitheson Chemical Company. Bethlehem Steel built a shipping yard here during World War I. This caused railroad service to begin constructing lines that reached Brooklyn/Curtis Bay. This connected Brooklyn/Curtis Bay to Baltimore, which it still wasn't a part of. The official annexation wasn't until 1919. The residences grew with the industry. my guess is that there were a lot of different builders because the style of houses is different on every block. You can't say it's predominantly row homes or single family homes because it's an even split. It's a checkerboard all across the two neighborhoods between row homes and single family homes. In Brooklyn retail began to grow along Patapsco Avenue and in Curtis Bay, the Pennington Avenue and Curtis Avenue couplet.
Industry continued to flourish even through the great depression since most of the businesses could cater to World War II. All good things must come to an end however. I'm not saying World War II was a good thing I'm saying that the success of businesses in Brooklyn/Curtis Bay. The decentralization of jobs and the post World War II industrial slowdown sent Brooklyn/Curtis Bay into a slow decline. This is most prevalent along the communities' Main Streets and Fairfield, which is the designated name for the industrial area. The residential and retail component have been demolished.
Today the Main Streets of Brooklyn/Curtis Bay consist of vacant storefronts and businesses that give the neighborhood a poor run down image. The neighborhoods of Brooklyn/Curtis Bay have experienced decline and a rise in crime but I think their retail can be a improved upon to give the residents the oppurtunity to shop in their neighborhood and boost the perception of the neighborhood. After all a neighborhood is only as good its retail.
The biggest thing that needs to be done on the retail sector is in Curtis Bay not Brooklyn. The couplet of Pennington Avenue and Curtis Avenue should be redone. Pennington Avenue should be made into a two way street and Curtis Avenue rezoned to residential only. The intersection of Pennington and Patapsco Avenues should be upgraded to reflect this change.
Just because Brooklyn and Curtis Bay aren't wealthy neighborhoods we can certainly give their residents good neighborhood services like they had in the neighborhood's heyday. A full service grocery store at Potee St. and Patapsco Avenue. I'm thinking a MARS, they're clean and reputable but aren't over priced. That would be a perfect addition and anchor to the Brooklyn/Curtis Bay neighborhood. As for Patapsco and Pennington Avenue, we should look to the past and bring back Main Street America. New retail should include Dry Cleaners, Banks, Florists, Bakeries, Pharmacies, a Subway, a Marshalls, Sit Down Restaurants, a Book Store, a new Library, and a Bike Shop. In Brooklyn there should be a Police Substation as a crime deterrent. Retail should mimic row homes and have a residence above them. Retail that should be scaled back if not done away completely should be Dollar Stores, Laundromats, Check Cashing Places, No name Cell Phone Dealers, Bail Bondsman, Auto Oriented Businesses, Beauty Supply, "Corner" Grocery and Liquor stores. Stores should not have bars and tacky advertising in and on the windows.
The streets themselves (Patapsco and Penington) would receive complete makeovers as well. They include but aren't limited; to repaving, a landsacped median, new sidewalks, brick crosswalks, bus shelters with seating, and new updated traffic signals with count down pedestrian signals. Neighborhood identification signs would also be put up where necessary. Patapsco Avenue will be narrowed down to one travel lane in each direction for on street parking. Parking meters will not be installed. With Pennington Avenue being converted to two way traffic there won't be any room for on street parking.
Away from the Main Streets of Brooklyn there is room new development. Brooklyn should be expanded to include more houses above Patapsco Avenue. There is room for infill development on Pontiac Avenue.
Last of all Brooklyn Homes the three blocks directly above Brooklyn Homes and Brooklyn Apartments should redeveloped into a mixed income development known as "Baybrook Overlook" Every low income unit in Baybrook Overlook will have a Washer and Dryer in house. In Curtis Bay there has been new development overlooking the park already. The residential reinvestment in Curtis Bay will take place along Curtis Avenue which will be rezoned to residential only. What is currently vacant storefronts will be converted to row homes once again.
There is a large vacant industrial building that spans a generous portion of Curtis Avenue that will be perfect for loft apartments.
It's safe to say that after this Brooklyn/Curtis Bay will return to its Main Street America roots. Baltimore, being a city of neighborhoods has a lot of former "Small Town America" towns within its boundaries that were built before city annexation, lets see if you can spot them.
Before suburbia there were Small Towns, a few thousand people at the most living on streets that stemmed from a single main street that housed all of the Town's services. Everybody knew each other and watched over each other. That was small Town America of yesteryear, the pride and joy being Main St.
Now take a City like Baltimore, Baltimore's an old city with an old infrastructure of densely developed streets that follow a classic urban grid. Before suburbia resulted in a net loss for population Baltimore's topped out at 987,000 in 1957. Today, and for the past few years the population has hovered at 640,000. Small town America and Baltimore are seemingly at opposite ends of the spectrum but maybe within Baltimore there lies an example of what was once Small Town America and could hold that title yet again.
Brooklyn/Curtis Bay is just one example of how small town America has knitted its way into the fabric of Baltimore City. Built to house workers from the Fairfield Shipping yards on the Middle Branch, the water is much deeper than that of the Inner Harbor. Industry flocked to the area in droves in the late 1800s. They included Southern Baltimore Wheel Company, an Oyster packing plant (whose owner developed housing in the area too), Davison Brothers Chemical Company moved to Curtis Bay as did the Maitheson Chemical Company. Bethlehem Steel built a shipping yard here during World War I. This caused railroad service to begin constructing lines that reached Brooklyn/Curtis Bay. This connected Brooklyn/Curtis Bay to Baltimore, which it still wasn't a part of. The official annexation wasn't until 1919. The residences grew with the industry. my guess is that there were a lot of different builders because the style of houses is different on every block. You can't say it's predominantly row homes or single family homes because it's an even split. It's a checkerboard all across the two neighborhoods between row homes and single family homes. In Brooklyn retail began to grow along Patapsco Avenue and in Curtis Bay, the Pennington Avenue and Curtis Avenue couplet.
Industry continued to flourish even through the great depression since most of the businesses could cater to World War II. All good things must come to an end however. I'm not saying World War II was a good thing I'm saying that the success of businesses in Brooklyn/Curtis Bay. The decentralization of jobs and the post World War II industrial slowdown sent Brooklyn/Curtis Bay into a slow decline. This is most prevalent along the communities' Main Streets and Fairfield, which is the designated name for the industrial area. The residential and retail component have been demolished.
Today the Main Streets of Brooklyn/Curtis Bay consist of vacant storefronts and businesses that give the neighborhood a poor run down image. The neighborhoods of Brooklyn/Curtis Bay have experienced decline and a rise in crime but I think their retail can be a improved upon to give the residents the oppurtunity to shop in their neighborhood and boost the perception of the neighborhood. After all a neighborhood is only as good its retail.
The biggest thing that needs to be done on the retail sector is in Curtis Bay not Brooklyn. The couplet of Pennington Avenue and Curtis Avenue should be redone. Pennington Avenue should be made into a two way street and Curtis Avenue rezoned to residential only. The intersection of Pennington and Patapsco Avenues should be upgraded to reflect this change.
Just because Brooklyn and Curtis Bay aren't wealthy neighborhoods we can certainly give their residents good neighborhood services like they had in the neighborhood's heyday. A full service grocery store at Potee St. and Patapsco Avenue. I'm thinking a MARS, they're clean and reputable but aren't over priced. That would be a perfect addition and anchor to the Brooklyn/Curtis Bay neighborhood. As for Patapsco and Pennington Avenue, we should look to the past and bring back Main Street America. New retail should include Dry Cleaners, Banks, Florists, Bakeries, Pharmacies, a Subway, a Marshalls, Sit Down Restaurants, a Book Store, a new Library, and a Bike Shop. In Brooklyn there should be a Police Substation as a crime deterrent. Retail should mimic row homes and have a residence above them. Retail that should be scaled back if not done away completely should be Dollar Stores, Laundromats, Check Cashing Places, No name Cell Phone Dealers, Bail Bondsman, Auto Oriented Businesses, Beauty Supply, "Corner" Grocery and Liquor stores. Stores should not have bars and tacky advertising in and on the windows.
The streets themselves (Patapsco and Penington) would receive complete makeovers as well. They include but aren't limited; to repaving, a landsacped median, new sidewalks, brick crosswalks, bus shelters with seating, and new updated traffic signals with count down pedestrian signals. Neighborhood identification signs would also be put up where necessary. Patapsco Avenue will be narrowed down to one travel lane in each direction for on street parking. Parking meters will not be installed. With Pennington Avenue being converted to two way traffic there won't be any room for on street parking.
Away from the Main Streets of Brooklyn there is room new development. Brooklyn should be expanded to include more houses above Patapsco Avenue. There is room for infill development on Pontiac Avenue.
Above Photo From Google Earth
There is a large vacant industrial building that spans a generous portion of Curtis Avenue that will be perfect for loft apartments.
It's safe to say that after this Brooklyn/Curtis Bay will return to its Main Street America roots. Baltimore, being a city of neighborhoods has a lot of former "Small Town America" towns within its boundaries that were built before city annexation, lets see if you can spot them.
