East Monument Historic District (also known as B-5162)[citation needed] or Little Bohemia, is a national historic district in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a large residential area with a commercial strip along East Monument Street. It comprises approximately 88 whole and partial blocks. The residential area is composed primarily of rowhouses that were developed, beginning in the 1870s, as housing for Baltimore's growing Bohemian (Czech) immigrant community. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the neighborhood was the heart of the Bohemian community in Baltimore. The Bohemian National Parish of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Wenceslaus, is located in the neighborhood.[2] The historic district includes all of McElderry Park and Milton-Montford, most of Middle East and Madison-Eastend, and parts of Ellwood Park.
History
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the neighborhood was known colloquially as Little Bohemia[3] or Bohemia Village.[4] Bohemia is the historical name for the western portion of the modern day Czech Republic, and was the source of many (but not all) Czech language speaking immigrants to the area.
The folk art of screen painting is said to have originated in the neighborhood, at a produce store located at North Collington and Ashland Avenues.[5]
By 1969, the Czech-American community in Little Bohemia was predominantly composed of aging homeowners who lived alongside more recently arrived African-American residents. According to a reporter with 'The Baltimore Sun', "The older people of Bohemian extraction still live in the houses they own...but they share the neighborhood with black people whom they do not seem to appreciate or understand." This was the last generation of Czech-Americans to remain in Little Bohemia in large numbers, with the neighborhood transitioning into a predominantly African-American neighborhood by the 1970s and 1980s.[6]
The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 2009.[7]
See also
- History of Czechs in Baltimore
- Baltimore East/South Clifton Park Historic District
- Highlandtown, Baltimore
- Patterson Park (Neighborhood), Baltimore
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Mary Ellen Hayward (November 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: East Monument Historic District" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
- ^ "Baltimore's painted screens get fresh look". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
- ^ "Market Value". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- ^ "Oktavec's Painted Window Screens". Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- ^ "Baltimore's Czech and Slovak Festival is a surprising reflection on heritage". Baltimore City Paper. Archived from the original on 2017-07-23. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
- ^ "NRHP listing for MARYLAND - Baltimore County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
External links
- Historical & Architectural Preservation / Historic Districts / Maps Of Historic Districts / East Monument, including map of boundaries from the Baltimore City government website.
- East Monument Historic District, Baltimore City, including undated photo and boundary map, at Maryland Historical Trust
- The Czech & Slovak Heritage Association of Maryland
- St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church
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