Reservoir Hill, Baltimore

Reservoir Hill Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location:	North Ave.--Madison Ave.--Druid Park Lake Dr.--Mt. Royal Terrace, Baltimore, Maryland
Coordinates:	39°18′54″N 76°38′0″W
Area:	200 acres (81 ha)
Architectural style:	Early Republic, Late Victorian
Governing body:	Local
NRHP Reference#:	04001376
Added to NRHP:	December 23, 2004

Reservoir Hill is a neighborhood in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is located south of Druid Hill Park, north of Bolton Hill, east of Penn-North, and west of Jones Falls. It is bounded by Druid Park Lake Drive, the Jones Falls Expressway, North Avenue (U.S. Route 1), and McCulloh Street. It is contained in the 21217 zip code.

About the area

Reservoir Hill has some of the best examples of Victorian, italianate and empire style homes in Baltimore. The housing stock features a wide variety of nineteenth century architecture, including ornate Victorian mansions overlooking the Druid Hill Park, brownstones, and the smaller brick rowhouses that characterize much of Baltimore. Part of Reservoir Hill is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although restoration efforts have brought new life to portions of the area, many houses are in poor condition.

Portions of Reservoir Hill are within easy walking distance of the North Avenue station on the Baltimore Light Rail line and the Penn-North station on the Baltimore Metro Subway, as well as Pennsylvania Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.

Writer Gertrude Stein lived in Reservoir Hill for a short period of time on Linden Street, near Whitelock Street.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Baltimore was the second largest port for immigrants coming to the United States behind Ellis Island of New York, and many of these immigrants lived in Reservoir Hill. Although many came over from Russia, certain parts of Reservoir Hill housed many migrants from Eastern Europe and more specifically Russia.Benjamin and Celia Pugatch were two such Russians to make their way to Baltimore. They arrived in the country in 1905 before receiving United States citizenship in 1916. In what was a reflection of Baltimore of the time, the Pugatch family lived mainly in areas where they were surrounded by other first or second generation immigrants, the majority of which were Jewish. After living on Lombard Street, Bejamin, Celia, and their four children moved to Reservoir Hill on Linden Avenue in 1936. According to U.S. Census records, there were other Russians such as the Finkelstein, Steignberg, Storovsky, and Fingold families, while there were also Italians, Austrians, and Germans living in a close vicinity. A large portion of these families on the 2200 and 2300 blocks of Linden Avenue spoke Yiddish at home.

As was the case with many families living in Reservoir Hill, Benjamin Pugatch was a working class man whose profession was carpentry. As he grew older, his daughters began to marry, and unfortunately Benjamin's health deteriorated to the point that by 1942 he could no longer work and had no use his left arm. A year later, he and his wife suffered a horrible loss when their daughter Hilda, who had married Louis Shulman, died on August 28, 1943. Only a few months later, Benjamin himself passed away on November 30. According to Baltimore City Tax Records found in the Enoch Pratt Public Library, Celia continued to live on Linden Avenue until 1959.

Although Benjamin and Hilda's lives ended prematurely, Benjamin and his family are just one example of a Jewish, foreign couple who made their way to the United States, and more specifically Reservoir Hill. Benjamin was able to earn himself a living as a carpenter to the point where he could raise four children, including three daughters, who were all married at the time their father died. The Pugatch story is one of many that could be told about immigrants making their way to Reservoir Hill.

Abraham Finkelstein and his wife Sarah also emigrated from Russia and arrived to the United States in 1901. Like Pugatch, Finkelstein had four children all born in the United States and he worked as a cabinetmaker. The family made their home on 2319 Linden, and the home remained in the family until 1980.

Philip Friedman and his wife Mette arrived from Russia in 1908 and plied his trade as a tailor, while Max Reiser also worked a working class job as a painter after arriving from Russia and making a living as a painter.

A synagogue originally built in Reservoir Hill by the Chizuk Amuno Congregation in 1922 is now the home of Beth Am, one of two non-orthodox Jewish congregations located in Baltimore.

Mount Royal

A section of Reservoir Hill is known as Mount Royal. It is just across North Avenue from Bolton Hill and close to the Jones Falls. It is generally more expensive and contains very well-preserved homes. A portion of this has been declared the Mount Royal Terrace Historic District by Baltimore City.

Mt. Royal Terrace (1890-1940)

The Baltimore City directories from Enoch Pratt library indicate that many residents of Mt. Royal lived in their homes for several decades. It was a community based neighborhood where everyone knew each other. The Baltimore City directories also show that many residents were employees of blue collar companies. Many people from these blocks were either factory workers, construction workers, electricians, police officers, nurses, etc. The historical Baltimore Sun contains a vast amount of information regarding residents of Mt. Royal Terrace between 1890 - 1940.

Many residents of Mt. Royal lived quiet hard working lives. One man named Samuel W. Filbert is an example of a common Mt. Royal resident. Filbert resided on 2200 Mt. Royal Terrace with his wife "Miss May (Filbert). Samuel, like many of the Mt. Royal residents worked a rigorous blue collar job as a construction worker for the "Filbert Paving and Construction Company." It was a family owned business located in Baltimore, Md. Samuel was the General manager of the company until he joined the military. Like many young men, Filberts career was affected by World War I. Filbert became a soldier in the 4th Maryland Regiment where he would soon be promoted to Lieutenant - Colonel of the infantry. Filbert became a very decorated military figure in the Mt. Royal area. He was held several titles in the 4th Regiment of Maryland including Captain and Lieutenant - Colonel.

Samuel W. Filbert represented the common lifestyle of a resident in not only the Mt. Royal area, but Baltimore city during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The people in these areas were very hard working, communal, and loyal to the area. Many people kept their homes for a number of decades. Many of the residents passed their homes off to their children, nephews, and nieces. 1890 - 1940 was a hard time in American History. The Great Depression greatly affected many lives during the 1920s, 30's and 40's. Many residents of Baltimore lost job opportunities. Many young men took advantage of joining the military. The Filbert Paving and Construction Company went out of business right after the stock market crash of 1929. Samuel Filbert elected to join the military in order to earn some type of wage. In the military he was fortunate enough to become very successful. Despite The Great Depression, Mt. Royal still remained very much alive. Today, the Mt. Royal area is the home of many Baltimore residents.

Upper Eutaw Madison

The Upper Eutaw Madison neighborhood is also designated as an historic district. It is located on the western side of Reservoir Hill. This neighborhood includes many grand houses on Eutaw Place and Madison Avenue, as well three large historic apartment buildings that are located directly across from Druid Hill Park on Madison and Eutaw. Chauncey Brooks' mansion Cloverdale was once located in this area.

Demographics

• Population: 6,900 (According to the 2000 Census)
• Black/African - American: 89.8%
• White/Caucasian: 8.0%
• Hispanic/Latino: 1.0%
• Asian/Pacific Islander: 0.8%
• Native American and/or Mixed: 0.4%

External links

• Profile on LiveBaltimore.com
• Reservoir Hill Improvement Council
• Reservoir Hill Neighborhood Association
• "Mortgage Crisis Reverses Tide of Urban Renewal," The Washington Post
• "I Can't Imagine Living Anywhere Else," Christopher Forsberg, City Paper
• "Homeowners Challenge Developers for the Right to Buy and Rehab Houses," Anna Ditkoff, City Paper
• "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Stacy A. Teicher, Christian Science Monitor
• Inside a Victorian Mansion in Baltimore's Reservoir Hill
• Mt. Royal Terrace Historic District
• Reservoir Hill Revitalization Initiative
• Real Estate for Rent and Sale in Reservoir Hill, Craigslist