Charles Village - Abell Historic District
Located directly north of Mount Vernon Place, the Charles Village-Abell Historic District is a transitional neighborhood, between the heavily urbanized neighborhoods to the south and the garden suburbs to the north. The well-landscaped front lawns are rare for Baltimore rowhouses, but common throughout this district. The development of this area was fostered by prominent developers, builders and architects of the time including Francis E. Yewell and the Olmsted Brothers. Famous residents ranged from Baltimore Mayor Thomas Hayes to Baseball Hall of Famers Wilbert Robinson and John McGraw.
The Charles Village-Abell Historic District is a large district encompassing 45 city blocks and 1603 contributing buildings. Constructed between 1895 and 1915, the rowhouses primarily line the north-south streets, as the blocks were designed to be long and narrow in order to eliminate the alley housing that was prevalent in 19th-century Baltimore. The district combines an urban grid pattern with landscaped front yards found in suburbs.
The Charles Village-Abell Historic District is roughly bounded by University Pkwy., Guilford Ave., and 25th, Mace, Charles, and Barclay Sts. The district is predominately private.
Information and photos courtesy of the National Register for Historic Places Baltimore, MD Travel Itinerary, a subsidiary of the National Park Service.
