Druid Hill Park Historic District
Druid Hill Park was in the vanguard of great urban parks in the United States. In 1860, the Baltimore Park Commission purchased the Druid Hill estate with funds gleaned from a then-unique policy of land purchases, financed by a tax on revenue from privately owned streetcar operations. The estate had been laid-out in the manner of an English garden; the focal point was the Mansion House (1801 - architect unknown). The park contains miles of carriage and bridle paths, a lake, and picnic groves. The designers made every attempt to utilize the natural terrain with minimal intrusion.
There are many structures within the park including the remaining 18th-century buildings associated with the original estate and those added during the conversion to a public park. Of note are Orem's Way Station (1864); the main entrance gates at Madison Ave. (1867-68); Chinese Pagoda (1865); and, the Conservatory (1888). Various well-known architects, including John H. B. Latrobe, Howard Daniels, and George A. Frederick, designed buildings located in the Druid Hill Park Historic District.
Druid Hill Park Historic District is bound by Reisterstown Rd., Swann Dr., Cloverdale St. and West Jones Expressway south of Druid Park Dr. Druid Hill Park is open to the public daily, dawn to dusk.
Information and photos courtesy of the National Register for Historic Places Baltimore, MD Travel Itinerary, a subsidiary of the National Park Service.
