Locust Point | |
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.jpg) Traditional rowhouses on East Fort Avenue in Locust Point | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| City | Baltimore |
| Area | |
• Total | .175 sq mi (0.45 km2) |
| • Land | .175 sq mi (0.45 km2) |
| Population (2009)[1] | |
• Total | 1,858 |
| • Density | 11,000/sq mi (4,100/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 21230 |
| Area code | 410, 443, and 667 |
Locust Point Historic District | |
    | |
| Location | Roughly bounded by Fort Ave., B & O RR., Woodall & Reynolds Sts.,Baltimore, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°16′13″N76°35′35″W / 39.27028°N 76.59306°W /39.27028; -76.59306 |
| Area | 98 acres (40 ha) |
| Architectural style | Late Federal / Greek Revivals, Italianate, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 12001084[2] |
| Added to NRHP | December 26, 2012 |
Locust Point is apeninsularneighborhood inBaltimore,Maryland. Located in South Baltimore, the neighborhood is entirely surrounded by the Locust Point Industrial Area; the traditional boundaries are Lawrence street to the west and thePatapsco River to the north, south, and east. It once served as a center ofBaltimore'sPolish-American,Irish-American andItalian-American communities; in more recent years Locust Point has seen gradualgentrification with the rehabilitation ofTide Point andSilo Point. The neighborhood is also noted as being the home ofFort McHenry and the western end of itsnamesake tunnel that carries eight lanes ofInterstate 95 under the river.[3]
Locust Point has been called "Baltimore'sEllis Island" because the neighborhood was once the third largest point of entry for immigrants to the United States after Ellis Island and thePort of Philadelphia. From 1868 until the closure of the Locust Point piers in 1914, 1.2 million European immigrants entered Baltimore through Locust Point.[4]
It was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2012.[2]
In 1776, with the outbreak of theAmerican Revolution, the citizens of theCity of Baltimore, assisted by theState of Maryland, dug fortifications at the end of the "Whetstone Point" peninsula that juts intoBaltimore Harbor between the Northwest Branch of thePatapsco River on the north and the Middle Branch and the Ferry Branch (now the Southern Branche) to the south. This fort was named "Fort Whetstone". This fort escaped British attack, although it was nearly attacked in August 1777 when a British fleet fromNew York City sailed up theChesapeake Bay to theHead of Elk inCecil County in the northeastern corner of the state. There the ships disembarked troops heading for the new Americancapital city inPhiladelphia, and thus engaged in theBattle of Brandywine and theBattle of Germantown. However, Baltimore was considered safe enough for theContinental Congress to meet in when Philadelphia was overrun.[5]
Later near the war's end, French troops under Comte deRochambeau and the American Continental troops underGeorge Washington marched through the area and they camped for several weeks during their southward movement to trap the army of British General Lord Cornwallis atYorktown, Virginia, in 1781. Hence, Fort Whetstone's batteries of cannon never yet had to fire in anger.
In 1789, there was the reorganization of theFederal Government of the United States in 1789 under the newU.S. Constitution, and the establishment of a newU.S. Army andU.S. Department of War. Then starting in 1793 the Fort was rebuilt from scratch. By 1798, a new star-shaped fortification with additional buildings, barracks, storehouses, and bunkers was constructed under the design of Frenchmilitary engineer Jean Foncin, and it was renamedFort McHenry forJames McHenry of Maryland, thirdU.S. Secretary of War.
When Fort McHenry blocked the attempted invasion of Baltimore's inner harbor by British warships in September 1814, it was located on a grassy peninsula that was used for pasture. The grassy but jaggedly shaped peninsula point had been known as Whetstone Point, also the name of a park in London, since it was established as a port of entry by the Maryland Colonial Assembly in 1706, twenty-three years before the establishment of the town. Whetstone Point and the future South Baltimore peninsula was annexed by the City of Baltimore in 1816. The peninsula was renamed Locust Point in 1846, for the locust trees growing on the peninsula.[6][7]
Many of the streets built here during the later half of the 19th century bear the names of local heroes from theWar of 1812.[7] The oldest buildings are from circa 1840-1850, two-story houses on Cuba, Clement, and Towson Streets.[6] Portions of the neighborhood were listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2012.[8]
The area of Locust Point was featured in the second season of theHBO cable TV seriesThe Wire.
On June 10, 2013, atornado hit the Locust Point area as a part of a severe storm system sprawling across the East Coast. The tornado caused damage to a warehouse nearby.[9]
Procter & Gamble chose the Locust Point neighborhood as the location its second East Coast soap manufacturing plant in the late 1920s, reflecting the strengths of Baltimore's industrial infrastructure in the early 20th century. By 1990, theProcter and Gamble Baltimore Plant was producing only soaps likeIvory andCamay, and synthetic liquid detergents likeJoy,Dawn, and liquidCascade.
In 1993, Procter & Gamble set aside reserves to fund a major restructuring of the corporation, including plant consolidation. On January 13, 1994, they announced that the Baltimore Plant was one of four that would be closed. The Baltimore Plant ceased production in 1995.
In 1996, A&E International, a Korean firm, purchased the property with the intent to manufacture a specialty liquor for shipping to the Far East. Forced to abandon their plans because of the Asian financial crisis, A&E sold the plant to Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, Inc. in 1999.
Struever Brothers Eccles & Rouse rehabilitated the historic waterfront located at the end of Hull Street, calling it Tide Point. It was the first major redevelopment in the neighborhood in decades. When the project was completed in 2002, the former soap factory was turned into Class A office space. It is currently occupied by the sportswear firmUnder Armour. Three silos next to the company's campus now display murals ofMichael Phelps,Ray Lewis andCal Ripken Jr.[10]
There are two marine terminals of theHelen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore located within the neighborhood, as well as the massiveDomino sugar factory, a reminder that theindustrial use of Baltimore Harbor is still a very important component of the local economy.
Locust Point is located inBaltimore City's 11th District, with the current district representative Eric Costello. Locust Point is part of Maryland's 46thLegislative andState Senate District, with the current state senatorBill Ferguson and current delegatesMark Edelson,Robbyn Lewis, andLuke Clippinger. Locust Point is located inMaryland's 3rd congressional district.
Locust Point is home to theBaltimore Museum of Industry,Fort McHenry, and Latrobe Park.. Also located in Locust Point are the Locust Point Recreation Center, a Baltimore Water Taxi stop, South Locust Point Cruise Terminal, and Francis Scott Key Elementary and Middle Grades School.
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