4 sites granted landmark protection

The Baltimore Sun

Baltimore's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation has voted to grant landmark protection to four sites, including a noted African-American church, a South Baltimore park that had a role in the War of 1812 and a distinctive old brewery.

The preservation panel, however, has delayed action on the most controversial item on its agenda -- landmarking the Scottish Rite Temple of Freemasonry against the wishes of the Masonic organization that owns the North Baltimore building.

As with downtown's Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, CHAP agreed at the owner's request to postpone consideration of the temple until August. The theater and the temple owners promised not to demolish any parts of the buildings until then.

The Scottish Rite Holding Co., which owns the temple at 39th and Charles streets, considers CHAP's effort to landmark the building a hostile move, said the group's attorney, John B. Gontrum.

"Their initial view is this was an attack on the institution," he said. "Nothing short of inverse condemnation."

The freemasons say they can't afford the upkeep on the 1932 structure and that the protected status will make it harder for them to sell the building and move to Hunt Valley.

To become a landmark, a property must also be approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council. If a property has the designation, to demolish it or change it in a significant way, the owners need the permission of CHAP.

During its meeting Tuesday, CHAP voted unanimously to landmark:

Riverside Park: A park along East Randall Street in South Baltimore that provided a key vantage point that helped prevent the British from sneaking past Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.

Union Baptist Church: A Gothic Revival church at 1219 Druid Hill Ave. that has been at the center of Baltimore's African-American community since the 1800s.

American Brewery: An eclectically designed brewery built in 1887 at 1701 N. Gay St.

Though the panel was split, it voted 5-2 to also landmark Bolton Square, a 40-year-old development of 35 brick townhouses within the Bolton Hill historic district.

jill.rosen@baltsun.com

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