 formerStewart's building | |
| Owner | City of Baltimore |
|---|---|
| Location | Baltimore |
| Postal code | 21201, 21218, 21230 |
| North end | Art Museum Drive and 29th Street |
| South end | Cal Ripken Way (I-395) and Conway Street |
Howard Street is a major north–south street through the central part of the city ofBaltimore, Maryland. About2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) long, the street begins at the north end ofI-395 nearOriole Park at Camden Yards and ends nearJohns Hopkins University, where it splits. To the right, it becomesArt Museum Drive, the one-block home of theBaltimore Museum of Art. To the left, it becomesSan Martin Drive, which winds road along the western perimeter of theJohns Hopkins University campus and ends atUniversity Parkway. Howard Street is named in honor of former Maryland governorJohn Eager Howard.[1] Two other streets in Baltimore, John andEager Streets, are also named after him.[2]
At one time, Howard Street was atwo-way street throughout its entire route. In 1989, when construction began on theCentral Light Rail line, Howard Street was made one-way in a northbound direction betweenPratt Street andMartin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; as such, southbound traffic now usesEutaw Street, one block to the west. The light rail runs along Howard Street within this area, which is most ofDowntown Baltimore, and near Howard Street for much of the remainder of its route in the downtown area.
Howard Street around Lexington and Clay Streets was the center of upscale department and specialty store shopping until decline and eventual store closures in the 1970s, withHutzler's,Stewart's,Hecht's andHochschild Kohn all located on or facing Howard. Three of the four had side entrances on Lexington Street, which was lined with smaller shops. Lexington connected to Charles Street which was lined with boutiques, jewelers and linen shops nearby O'Neill & Co., a 19th-centurycarriage trade store, which closed in 1954. Despite much redevelopment in Central Baltimore, these blocks of Howard have been largely abandoned for 40 years or more.[3]
Notable landmarks on or near Howard Street include:
In the downtown area, a tunnel owned byCSX Transportation runs below Howard Street. This tunnel was first proposed in the 1880s and built in the 1890s as part of theBaltimore and Ohio Railroad.[4][5]
Antique Row is a cluster of antique shops along the 800 block of North Howard Street in downtown. It dates back to the late 19th century as a cabinetmaking center.[6] In the 1950s Antique Row was at its height, and there were over 50 shops. In the 1960s, the expansion ofMaryland General Hospital eliminated those on the west side of the street.[6] Antique Row declined further when the department stores along Howard Street closed, the last one, Hutzler's, in 1989. The construction of the Baltimore Light Rail beginning that same year also slowed down business for the shops for three consecutive years. Once construction was complete, light rail brought more people to Antique Row, although it hasn't regained its former popularity.
Antique Row has also had to battle the increased interest in other downtown attractions such asFells Point and theInner Harbor. The lack of activity on Howard Street has resulted in an increase in crime and fewer visitors. In turn, the decline in customers is causing shop owners and dealers to move in search of better business; the owners of one long-time shop downsized and moved to a stall.[7]
Antique Row is known for its contribution to the community as well as its vast collection of antiques. The neighborhood supports the arts, and became a home to the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center at 847 N. Howard Street in 2000. It is hoped that the opening of other art institutions will aid in the revival of Antique Row.[8]
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One of Howard Street's unique features is the twin steelarch-style bridge that crosses theJones Falls Expressway, theCSX andNorthern Central Railway (and currently the light rail), andFalls Road. Built between 1937 and 1939 by theJ. E. Greiner Company to replace an earlier 19th-century iron arch bridge, the 979-foot-long (298 m) bridge begins shortly after theMt. Royal Avenue underpass, and continues to the intersection atNorth Avenue.[9][10][11]
At times, there has been debate over what colors to paint the bridge.[12] Request has been made from citizens to get involved in making the decision.[13] Polling has been used as a method to determine the color the bridge should be painted.[14]
On November 17, 2011,Occupy Baltimore protesters marched on the Howard Street Bridge.[15] The bridge was chosen by the protesters because they said it was a symbol of the city's decaying infrastructure and the need to get Americans back to work.[16]
During the 1980s, a series of decorative arches were installed along the downtown part of Howard Street in order to add a unique style to the area and its shops. However, when light rail construction began, most of these arches had to be removed because trains would not have been able to pass underneath.
On July 18, 2001, afreight train in the tunnel below Howard Streetderailed, causing a chemical fire that raged for six days and did damage to Howard Street and the light rail that took several months to repair.
39°17′44″N76°37′11.35″W / 39.29556°N 76.6198194°W /39.29556; -76.6198194