News Release

The 63rd annual Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage will feature the historic neighborhood of Roland Park in Baltimore City from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 27. Fourteen houses and their gardens will be open to the public during the city segment of the state House and Garden Pilgrimage.

Roland Park was envisioned and designed in 1897 by Frederick Law Olmsted, co- creator of New York's Central Park, as a community of "detached dwellings with sylvan surroundings yet supplied with a considerable share of urban convenience." Restrictive covenants to control density and require architectural review prior to construction were adopted in the community to ensure its continued viability within its natural setting. Today, Roland Park retains its original character and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Highlights of the tour will include the first property sold in Roland Park by the Roland Park Corp. in 1892; Homewood House Museum begun in 1801 by Charles Carroll Jr. and renowned for its architectural elegance; the 1858 Italianate gem, Evergreen House, which housed Baltimore's only private theater; and the Nichols House, built in 1958 for Johns Hopkins University President Milton S. Eisenhower.

Tickets for the day-long tour are $20 and may be purchased at any house on the tour and includes a booklet describing the tour. Lunch will be available at Evergreen's Carriage House, 4545 N. Charles Street, from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. for $8.50 per person.

The Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage is a nonprofit organization established in 1937 to promote the preservation and restoration of Maryland's significant and historic architectural treasures. Proceeds from the annual tours benefit special preservation projects in each county. Proceeds from the 2000 Baltimore City tour will benefit the historic gardens of the Homewood House Museum.

For information, call 410-516-5589.

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