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A few homeowners
in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore have
discovered that they can enjoy all the amenities of
city living without the usual anonymity or lack of
green space. Hidden behind eleven narrow row houses,
Chandlers Yard is a tree-shaded courtyard carved out
of the backyards of surrounding homes. Here, the neighbors
of Chandlers Yard are assured a pleasant green view
from their homes and private yards. It is a quiet
place, perfect for reading the morning paper and enjoying
a cup of coffee. It is also a crossroads, where neighbors
sometimes stop and talk about their day, or catch
up on each other's news.The courtyard is an intimate
space that includes a small green lawn shaded by mature
crabapples, and a flagstone terrace just large enough
for a patio table and chairs.
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Looking
down the garden path towards Chandlers Yard
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A view of the green at Chandlers
Yard |
The
expansive tree overhanging the terrace gives diners
a shady spot to sit and is a point of community pride,
though there is a running debate as to whether it
is a dawn redwood or a bald cypress. At the east end,
the courtyard narrows into a landscaped path. This
asymmetry, which adds to the charm of the space, came
about because several contiguous neighbors decided
not to participate when the courtyard was created.
A low wooden fence delineates the transition from
the neighbors' private backyards to the courtyard
they share. Each homeowner has a matching gate, giving
them access from their private yard to the shared
courtyard. The fence and gates are owned and maintained
by the Chandlers Yard Homeowners Association. Today,
Chandlers Yard is a secret gem in the Federal Hill
neighborhood, where many people walk to work in downtown
Baltimore, and in the evenings, step out to a local
pub for a pint. Today, people who choose to live in
Federal Hill are generally in their twenties and thirties.
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Many of
them are students and some probably consider themselves
hip and trendy. In the 1960s, it was the hip and trendy
twenty-somethings of that era that began the process
of reviving Federal Hill. However, this work was almost
short-circuited before it even began. In the mid 1960s,
the Baltimore City Council gave serious consideration
to a proposal to demolish much of the neighborhood
and parts of Fells Point and Canton to make way for
the "East-West Expressway" that would become part
of Interstate 95. In preparation, the City condemned
many of the homes in Federal Hill and gave residents
a cash settlement.
Ironically, this event led to the neighborhood's rebirth,
rather than its destruction. A group of citizens,
concerned about the loss of their neighborhoods, organized
and initiated a campaign to reroute the highway project.
Eventually,
the citizens' coalition was successful in getting
both Fells Point and Federal Hill listed on the National
Register of Historic Places as historic districts.
This move effectively blocked the City's proposal
because federal law prohibits the construction of
a federally-funded highway through a National Historic
District.
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Chandlers
Yard
A view into the courtyard from the narrow end. The
tall fence on the right side of the picture (behind
the tree) borders the property of homeowners who decided
not to be part of Chandlers Yard. This resulted in
the flag-shaped layout of the courtyard.
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Cross
Street, Baltimore, Maryland.
(One of the streets bordering Chandlers Yard). |
The
City found itself the owner of hundreds of properties
in these neighborhoods. They launched the Dollar House
Program that fueled a revitalization of Federal Hill.
Winners of a lottery were allowed to buy one of the
condemned row houses as long as they agreed to rehabilitate
and live in it. Because the demand for houses was greater
than the number available, not everyone who entered
the lottery was able to buy a dollar house. Many of
those who missed out decided to buy in Federal Hill
and Fells Point anyway, thus accelerating the regeneration
of these neighborhoods.
Around this
time, fledgling developer Bill Struever bought and rehabbed
a house on Gremlenn Street in Federal Hill. Despite
the renewed interest in the neighborhood, he had difficulty
finding a buyer. Someone suggested that to be successful
at this endeavor he should buy and rehabilitate an entire
block of houses. He bought several homes on Gremlenn
Street, including three industrial garages that he rebuilt
as modern row houses. |
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Initially
many of the homes were only shells of their former
selves. The backyards were delineated only by a narrow
footpath and more often than not were filled with
junk and rubble. Some were cemented over, a common
situation in Federal Hill. According to one homeowner,
they were "little, little plots."
Bill Struever
wanted to improve this situation and so developed
the idea of a shared interior courtyard.He convinced
several homeowners on Cross Street to go along with
his vision and eventually recruited eleven households
willing to pay 1000 dollars and give up a portion
of their backyards to construct the courtyard.
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Chandlers
Yard, before construction |
Chandlers
Yard, during construction |
Construction
of the courtyard was achieved by designating the group
of homes a Planned Unit Development (PUD), which is
a planning device usually used for much larger development
projects. The PUD designation allowed Struever much
more flexibility in designing the size and shape of
the reorganized lots than traditional zoning. Because
several of the abutting homeowners decided not to
go along with Struever's plan, the shared courtyard
ended up in a flag shape. Amy Gould designed the courtyard
with a narrow path at one end that leads to a rectangular
green and flagstone terrace.
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Neighors
maintain private backyards that are delineated by
short, wooden fences. To unify the space, the same
material was used for all fences, including the taller
fences that border the yards of neighbors who chose
not to participate in Chandlers Yard. Additionally,
many homeowners have added second and third story
decks to their homes which take advantage of both
the view of the courtyard and the views of downtown
Baltimore and the harbor.
Each homeowner
was given a share in the courtyard, which was indicated
by a separate deed attached to the deed of each house.
This arrangement specified that when a house sold
on Chandlers Yard, the new homeowner bought into the
courtyard by signing both the deed to the house and
the deed to the courtyard. A homeowners association
with elected officers was formed and bylaws established
to manage the space. Despite this formal arrangement,
neighbors have found it easier to make decisions about
the space informally. Residents may reserve the courtyard
for private events by sending around a note to neighbors
explaining their intentions. The Fourth of July, however,
is set aside as a special day so that everyone can
enjoy the fireworks display over the harbor from within
the courtyard.
Soon after
Vaughn moved onto the courtyard in 1994, the homeowners'
dues, which were quite modest, increased to 360 dollars
per year. These funds feed into a capital fund established
by the Chandlers Yard Neighbors Association. The proceeds
from this fund were recently used to re-landscape
the courtyard. The work included re-leveling of the
lawn and terrace, as well as the addition of new plantings.
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Overlooking
Chandlers Yard from one of many private upper story
decks. |
One homeowner
who has lived on Chandlers Yard since its inception in 1976,
described the early days when neighbors spent evenings together
in the courtyard. She said, "someone would bring out a bottle
of wine, and someone else would bring out some chicken and
we would stay out [in the courtyard] late into the night."
Now, she said, people are older and their time is more limited.
Vaughn jokingly added, "I guess we are too old. The neighborhood
is too established."
Current residents
of Chandlers Yard tend to be in their thirties, forties
and fifties, somewhat older than many other Federal Hill
residents. Most are singles or couples. Some neighbors observe
a tendency for families to move away once their family begins
to grow, perhaps desiring more space and better schools.
Currently, only one household on the courtyard has school-aged
children. According to current residents, even if homeowners
on Chandlers Yard move away because of retirement or to
buy a vacation home, their love for Federal Hill is so great
that they choose to locate in another part of the neighborhood.
A sense of security
provided by the enclosed courtyard attracted Vicki Vaughn
to Chandlers Yard. She said, "I feel a lot safer with the
courtyard there. Its pretty hard to get back there. I feel
its unlikely that someone would break into the front of
my house. Even if someone did get back [in the courtyard],
how would they get out? I feel a sense of security because
I know all my neighbors; I feel they are watching out for
me, yet I never feel on display when I am using the space.
We have a real sense of community."
Vaughn also described
how she looked at houses all over the Federal Hill neighborhood,
and that while many kept their own private backyards nicely
maintained, many did not have back fences and the view from
the alley was often cluttered with items such as old refrigerators.
Because the private backyards of Chandlers Yard are visible
from the common area, she can also be assured that people
will maintain their own private spaces. These beautiful
private spaces add to the charm of the courtyard and visually
the public and private spaces merge, creating a sense of
expansiveness in this small space. Residents we spoke with
agreed that the lack of green space in other parts of Federal
Hill made Chandlers Yard very attractive to them.
Being an anomaly
does have its drawbacks, though. Finding a landscaping company
that will agree to maintain a small space like Chandlers
Yard has been a problem. Also, maintenance of the community
lawnmower has been challenging. Vaughn described how she
detached the mower blade and carried it down to the local
hardware store to get it sharpened. She said the owner,
"looked at me like I was crazy!" They didn't have the equipment
to sharpen a lawnmower blade because no one in Federal Hill
has lawns!"
Routine maintenance
of the space is taken care of by the neighbors themselves.
They rotate mowing responsibilities and have a weeding party
each spring. Automatic landscape lights that sit low to
the ground light the space. Both the electricity for the
lighting and water are provided by one of the houses on
the courtyard that was occupied by the president of the
Homeowners Association. This homeowner sends a bill to the
Association at the end of each year.
For homeowners,
increasing property values have been an added benefit to
living on Chandlers Yard. A newly refurbished home could
be bought for approximately $95,000 in 1976. One home on
the block recently sold for $290,000, which is quite high
for Baltimore, a city where it is still affordable to live
downtown. Recent new construction in the neighborhood starts
at $250,000. It is difficult to predict the effect of the
courtyard on property value at Chandlers Yard because some
homes also have a view of the harbor from second and third
story balconies.
It is clear that
residents feel Chandlers Yard offers a unique opportunity
in city living. The amenities of the city are only a walk
away and the serenity and safety of the suburbs is at their
backsteps. Additionally, they feel part of a community of
neighbors. They have discovered how to achieve a balance
of privacy and community that allows them to fully enjoy
living in the city.
This profile was developed by Anne Morris
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