Posts Tagged Advocacy
Owner Intent Should Guide Johns Hopkins University’s Development Plans for Belward Farm
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Montgomery County, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Stories on March 21, 2013
In 1989, Elizabeth Banks sold the beautiful, historic 138-acre Belward Farm to Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for $5 million. 
At the time, the property was estimated to be worth $54 million. What accounts for the substantially reduced sale price? According to Ms. Banks’ heirs, the sale was contingent upon an agreement with JHU that the majority of the Belward Farm property would serve the university primarily for educational purposes.
By all accounts, Ms. Banks was a staunch preservationist. She is reputed to have resisted the offers of developers for the family’s property for years, even going so far as chasing them off her land. But she apparently had a soft spot in her heart for JHU and the assurance that they would do the right thing, in her eyes, with her family’s property.
In 1997, JHU and the family agreed on a plan to build a 1.4 million-square foot satellite campus on Belward Farm. The plan has since morphed into a 4.7 million square feet high rise commercial office park and high density, residential development. Which brings us to the lawsuit that has recently been filed by the “Family” in Montgomery County Circuit Court?
According to Tim Newell, nephew of Elizabeth Banks and lead plaintiff, “Early in the process, we made known to the University the Family’s objections to its current plans. Instead of working with us to address these concerns, the University has simply maintained that its new plan is not at odds with what my Aunt Elizabeth had in mind,” Newell said. The Family strongly disagrees. It is sad and ironic that Johns Hopkins, the University my Aunt was so fond of, has become the type of developer that she tried so hard to protect the Farm from. It is unsettling to think that a Family with the best of intentions to support a University and preserve a farm of historic importance have had their legal rights and donative intent ignored by the gift’s recipient, Johns Hopkins University.”
In 2010, Preservation Maryland, along with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local historic preservation organizations advocated for the preservation of the historic core of the site and the consideration of reduced density development of the farmstead. We further encourage all involved to ultimately consider the wishes of those who owned and protected Belward Farm before its sale. Stay tuned: we’ll keep you updated on court actions going forward.
UPDATE:This blog was first published in January 2012. In October 2012, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Ronald B. Rubin ruled to remove all development restrictions on the property. The family is appealing the decision. Said Tim Newell after the decision; “Institutions should be required to honor donor intent, and our family intends to fight for Belward Farm, Aunt Liz, and donors around the country who trust that their donations will be used as promised.” The struggle continues…
For the latest information on the Belward Farm case, check the website www.scale-it-back.com.
Marilyn Benaderet/Preservation Services Director
Preservation in Action
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Stories, Stories from the Field, Travel on March 8, 2013
Last week preservationists from across the nation came to Washington DC to participate in our annual Lobby Day, which is coordinated by the National Conference for State Historic Preservation Officers and Preservation Action.
I always enjoy the train ride from Baltimore to Washington and bumping into friends and colleagues on their regular commutes to the nation’s capitol. Filing off the train into the grandeur of Union Station and walking across Capitol Hill to the House and Senate office buildings never fails to both impress and inspire me. Talk about the power of place.
Playing the role of a grassroots lobbyist takes both preparation and a fair amount of stamina. This year seven Marylanders, representing the Preservation Maryland, the National Trust, Maryland Historical Trust, Preservation Action, Annapolis Historic District Commission, and University of Maryland Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, split into teams to cover our visits to members of the Maryland delegation. I participated in six visits with House and Senate staffers and calculated that I walked three miles doing so.
Our focus was to ask for support of a $65 million appropriation for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), which funds the work of the State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices to survey the nation’s historic resources and to administer the tax credit and compliance programs. We also asked for support of the Creating American Prosperity through Preservation Act (CAPP), which would enhance the federal rehabilitation tax credit program to make it usable for smaller Main Street scale projects.
We are very fortunate to have strong leadership and support of historic preservation by members of Maryland’s congressional delegation. Last year Senator Cardin became lead sponsor of the CAPP Act and Senator Mikulski was recently appointed chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which includes oversight of the HPF. Even so, after the President’s budget and CAPP bill are introduced, we’ll need your help to get them passed. So stay tuned.
Tyler Gearhart
Under Construction – Rosenwald Schools Initiative
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Endangered Maryland, Funding Programs, Preservation Stories on February 21, 2013
I am excited to announce that Preservation Maryland will soon kick of the Rosenwald Schools of Maryland Initiative. The Rosenwald School building program played a prominent and pivotal role in the education of African Americans in the early 20th century. A result of a partnership between Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute and Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, the Rosenwald Fund provided matching grants for more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher’s residences built in 15 southern states, between 1917 and 1932. The schools became obsolete in 1954 with the Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation in education. Many of the schools were abandoned or demolished and their invaluable contributions forgotten. There are an estimated 800 schools still standing around the country.
Despite their critical role in the education of a large portion of the southern population, Rosenwald Schools are a largely unfamiliar component of the educational history of the United States. As a consequence, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) named Rosenwald Schools to its 2002 list of Most Endangered sites. More recently, Rosenwald Schools were designated as one of the first thirty-two of the National Trust’s “National Treasures.” A result of the restructuring of the National Trust, the campaign will eventually establish a portfolio of 100 National Treasures to preserve and protect, with the direct assistance of local preservation partners such as Preservation Maryland.
Restored Ridgeley Rosenwald School
Of the more than 5,000 Rosenwald program buildings constructed, only 156 of the schools and ancillary structures were built in Maryland. However our state boasts a higher percentage than average of extant schools, with 53 currently surviving. Additionally, Maryland is one of the few states where a survey of the schools has been completed. A Multiple Property Documentation Form has been submitted with the expectation that Maryland’s Ridgeley Rosenwald School will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Preservation Maryland has previously supported projects at this site, as well as the Galesville Rosenwald School in Anne Arundel County and Wicomico County’s San Domingo Rosenwald School. All three sites have been successfully restored and are in active use by the communities in which they are located. The Rosenwald School Initiative seeks to increase the number of schools across the state that will fall into this category. The goal is to raise public awareness about the schools and put as many as possible back into everyday use. Preservation Maryland intends to serve as a statewide online clearinghouse for information regarding the schools. We expect to partner with local and national preservation organizations to provide general information and training opportunities on preservation practices, organizational development and financial assistance to restore and adaptively re-use those schools that are currently vacant. We’ll also share success stories of those who have labored to save a treasured school.
In the coming months our website will be updated with useful links to pertinent sites related to Rosenwald Schools around the country and in our state. There will also be opportunities for interested parties to share information about the schools. I’ll keep you updated.
Marilyn Benaderet/Preservation Services Director
Advocacy Alert! Budget Cuts Proposed. Contact Your Representatives.
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Advocacy Alert, Funding Programs on February 8, 2013
On January 16, Governor O’Malley released his proposed budget for FY2014. This week the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) presented budget recommendations to the Maryland General Assembly subcommittees. DLS recommended a $1.5 million decrease in funding for the Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit program from the Governor’s proposed amount of $10 million.
***If your community benefited from these recent commercial projects or any of the 597 other commercial projects or the 3,650 residential projects throughout the state, contact your representatives and ask them to maintain the Governor’s proposed funding level.
***If you want to see a new rehabilitation project in your community funded with this tax credit, contact your representatives and ask them to maintain the Governor’s proposed funding level.
Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit projects have produced more than $1.7 billion in total direct rehabilitation expenditures by owners and developers, assisted by over $370 million in state tax credits – a nearly fivefold return on Maryland’s investment. This program is good for Maryland and good for historic preservation.
In other historic preservation funding news, DLS recommended maintaining the funding for the African American Heritage Preservation Program ($1 million) and the Maryland Heritage Areas ($3 million)
Take Action!
1) If your representative is listed below as a subcommittee member, please contact them to encourage their support of the $10 million allocation in the Governor’s budget for the Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit program. Otherwise, please contact the committee chairs. Be sure to give examples of tax-credit projects in your community that have benefited from this program.
SENATE
Senate Budget and Taxation Committee: Capital Budget Subcommittee
- Amount in Governor’s Budget:
- $10 million for Sustainable Communities Tax Credit
- Committee Members (Click on the name for contact information)
HOUSE
House Appropriations Committee: Capital Budget Subcommittee
- Amount in Governor’s Budget:
- $10 million for Sustainable Communities Tax Credit
- Committee Members (Click on the name for contact information)
2) Familiarize yourself with the issues. Use the fact sheets on our Advocacy Resource Page to help craft your message to Legislators.
3) To identify your state representatives, click here.
Your voice is crucial to funding these important programs. Thanks for your support!
Tyler Gearhart
Discover Historic African American Sites During Black History Month
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Colleagues Corner, Education Programs, Endangered Maryland, Funding Programs, Montgomery County, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Stories on January 25, 2013
February is Black History Month. This annual commemoration of African American achievements was started in 1926 as “Negro History Week” by Dr. Carter Woodson. He chose February as the month of celebration as it was the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Since February has been set aside to honor the accomplishments of African Americans, I’d like to suggest a few related sites around Maryland you may consider visiting.
The Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park in downtown Baltimore is an educational and national heritage site that highlights African American maritime history and the establishment of the African American Community in Baltimore during the 1800’s. The museum chronicles the saga of Frederick Douglass’ life in Baltimore as an enslaved child and young man. You will also examine the life of Isaac Myers, a free born African American who became a national leader. The complex incorporates the oldest industrial warehouse on the waterfront.
The Charles H. Chipman Cultural Center is located in Salisbury Maryland. It is housed in the 1838, John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest standing African American church on the Delmarva. The building is now a cultural and special events center and small museum honoring the history of African Americans of the Eastern Shore region. Call to schedule an appointment.
Alex Haley monument in Annapolis
In Annapolis, there are two memorials commemorating African Americans. The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at the Annapolis City Dock features a life-size bronze statue of Alex Haley, author of Roots, located next to a plaque honoring his ancestor Kunta Kinte, an enslaved African brought to Annapolis in 1767. The statue was designed by nationally acclaimed African-American sculptor Ed Dwight. The Thurgood Marshall Memorial on Lawyer’s Mall at the Maryland State House honors Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. His most famous case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 1954, ended racial segregation in American public schools.In Southern Maryland, the restored slave cabin at Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood is one of few extant dwellings of enslaved African Americans in the state. Built between 1830 and 1850 it is the only surviving slave cabin at Sotterley, the sole Tidewater Plantation in Maryland that is open to the public.
The Warren Historic Site in Poolesville interprets an African American community hub with all the essential structures traditional to such communities established around the United States at the end of the Civil War. The one room school (1886), the Warren UM Church (rebuilt 1903) and the Love and Charity Lodge Hall (1914) are located in Montgomery County.
Most Maryland counties have guidebooks of African American sites in their areas. Check the websites of Visitor Centers and historical societies also. Enjoy your journey into the rich history of African Americans in Maryland.
Marilyn Benaderet/Preservation Services Director
Advocacy Alert! General Assembly in Session
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Advocacy Alert, Funding Programs on January 22, 2013
On January 9, 2013, the 433rd session of the Maryland General Assembly convened. During this session the General Assembly will consider many issues including gun control, the death penalty, funding roads and mass transit, rebuilding Baltimore’s aging schools, and the construction of offshore wind turbines. The most immediate issue is passing a FY2014 budget which Governor O’Malley introduced on January 16. Included in the Department of Planning’s budget are three historic preservation programs which will need your action. Future Advocacy Alerts will provide dates and locations for hearings on these programs. Fact sheets which provide information on projects supported by each program and the amount we are asking to be appropriated are available on our advocacy resource page.
- Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit: $10 million (level funding from FY2013)
- Maryland Heritage Areas: $3 million (level funding from FY2013)
- African American Heritage Preservation Grant Program: $1 million (level funding from FY2012)
Take Action!
1) Identify your representatives in the Maryland General Assembly by clicking here.
2) Now that the Governor’s budget was released on January 16, please contact your state senator and delegates to encourage their support of the three programs above. Be sure to give them examples of museums, historic sites, and tax-credit projects in your district which have benefited or could benefit from these programs.
3) Use our fact sheets to familiarize yourself with the issues. Also, familiarize yourself with the legislative process and the way the General Assembly works. Our advocacy page has everything you need to begin supporting preservation legislation and budget issues in Maryland. Among the resources are a description of the legislative process, important dates to remember, and talking points on key preservation issues.
4) Join colleagues at the 38th Annual Maryland Preservation Awards hosted by the Maryland Historical Trust on January 31, 2013. The awards ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Governor Calvert Ballroom in the Governor Calvert House located at 58 State Circle, Annapolis. The event is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required.
Your voice is crucial to funding these important programs. Thanks for your support!
Tyler Gearhart
