Row houses - Baltimore Style

As I said before I grew an obsession with the old historic housing in Baltimore which I googled and found out is referred to as "row housing". I tried to find some history on them. 

Basically I found that they were built to create affordable housing at the time for working class people. 

"Baltimore is noted for its near-omnipresent rowhouses. Rowhouses have been a feature of Baltimore architecture since the 1790s, with early examples of the style still standing in the Federal Hill and Fells Point neighborhoods. Older houses may retain some of their original features, such as marble doorsteps, widely considered to be Baltimore icons in themselves. Later rowhouses dating from the 1800s–1900s can be found in Union Square and throughout the city in various states of repair. They are a popular renovation property in neighborhoods that are undergoing urban renewal, although the practice is viewed warily by some as a harbinger of "yuppification." Elsewhere in the city, rowhouses can be found abandoned, boarded-up, and reflective of Baltimore's urban blight."

- Wikipedia 

Here are some photos of the row housing neighborhoods we passed. They were everywhere! I also ready somewhere Baltimore has the most row houses of any city in the US. 

Lots of them had back alleys like this one. Which most people would be creeped out by but I wanted to explore and love and have photo shoots in.

"Because of rapid industrialization, both Baltimore and Philadelphia grew frenet- ically between the Civil War and World War I. Thousands upon thousands of jobs emerged in the factories, ports, ship yards, and rail systems. Speculatively built rowhouses provided most of the housing that modestly paid workers could afford. Although streetcar lines made it possible by the late 19th century for middle-income families to live in more spread-out surroundings miles from their workplaces, many blue-collar workers couldn’t afford twice-a-day trolley fare. They didn’t have to; urban neighborhoods contained factories and mills right next to houses or within a few blocks of them. Employees walked to work, walked to taverns, walked to neigh- borhood stores." ( via google) 

Side walk garage sale - row house style. 

They have cute little front and back porches! 

The last few photos are of the row housing in the "ghetto". Sadly a very run down and drug inhabited part of town. 

I still thought they were so cool and wanted to get out of the car to take pics. Chris vetoed that idea. 

Most likely a mid afternoon drug bust. 

A lot of them in this area were abandoned, burnt or falling down and very sad looking. Again, all I see are photo shoot opportunities and fabulous history! 

"As neighborhoods have become poorer, crime-ridden, and bereft of legitimate jobs, many houses have been sold to absentee landlords or have deteriorated after their elderly owners died. Landlords have milked their properties and abandoned them when they turned unprofitable. Unoccupied houses have been stripped or used for drug hangouts and other illegal activities. With their doors and windows covered by plywood, chipboard, or sheet metal or left open to the elements, derelict houses have given their neighborhoods a shabby appearance, exacerbating the demoralization." ( via google) 

It is sad to me that some of the areas have become so run down and drug inhabited. There is a really artsy area though that we went to for "hon fest" and thats where I totally want to live. That's where I took most of the first photos. My new goal is to become friends with someone there that lives in one so I can check out the inside! Or maybe I can just contact a realtor. Whichever happens first.