The secret pathways of Roland Park @rolandparkplace - Tumblr Blog

Roland Park Place resident Jean Silber shares a story of creating a garden with her daughter.

Mrs. Thomsen talks about her introduction into the Roland Park Women’s Club.

Mrs. Truelove talks about her love of the paths and a surprising trip to Boston.

Climbing Path

From here, it’s best to circle back and make your way to the car. If you’re up for walking, head toward Falls Road Terrace and turn right. Walk straight for about .2 miles and look for a pathway between two homes that leads up to a white garage, fence and home. Note that there is no sign for climbing path.

It was laid out, but never completed.

To locate this path, it’s best to park on Engelwood Road and look for the St. Margaret’s Sign. Once you see the sign, proceed straight through what seems like a driveway for two homes. You will then see a metal canopy. Proceed through it and enjoy the creek and vegetation. The path will end next to an apartment complex and an alleyway.

What is Be Here: Baltimore and why is Roland Park Place involved?

Roland Park Place is a continuing care retirement community in Baltimore City. For over 30 years, we have connected with many residents who have called this community home.

When you tell the story of Baltimore, you can’t forget Roland Park. When the MuseWeb Foundation challenged innovators to tell stories of Baltimore, we jumped at the chance.

What resulted was a blog that invites visitors to walk the paths of Roland Park while listening to the stories of its residents.

On this Tumblr page you will find links to walking trails, stories from Roland Park Place residents/community members and pictures of what you can see when you come by.

We look forward to your visit!

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Roland Park Place (RPP) is the only full-service, accredited not-for-profit continuing care retirement community (known as a CCRC or life-care community) in Baltimore City offering independent living, residential care (assisted living) and comprehensive/skilled nursing care to Baltimore’s greater senior community. Roland Park Place's profound commitment to its residents and their families promotes independence at the highest functional level throughout the continuum of residency. Roland Par

Through the Be Here;Baltimore project, we want to strengthen our connection to the city by telling the stories of the many residents who call our community home.

#rolandpark #izi #ccrc #storytelling

Navigating Hilltop Path If you’re on Briar Path, turn right on St. Johns Path and head towards the cul-de-sac. Look for a Tudor style home. Right next to it, you will find the sign for Hilltop Path.

As you have experienced, Roland Park was designed to reflect the natural terrain of the land. That was the thought process landscape designers the Olmsted Brothers had in mind when they started the design process over a century ago

As you travel down Hilltop Path, you will notice a recently planted fruit orchard. The trail will take you to the front door of a stone home. Your two choices are to go left or right. Go left, down a flight of stairs leading onto Beechdale Road. If you go right, you will end up back on Indian Lane.

Navigating Briar Path Briar Path is located between two homes on Midvale Road. Make sure to look for the wooden post with the Briar Path name.

Once you see the sign, continue downward. You will notice an array of flowers and historic homes on each side of you. At your first cross section, you will stop on St. Johns Road.

At this point, you have two choices. You can either continue to the end of Briar Path, which let out on Beechdale Road, or you can turn right into the cul-de-sac and continue onto Hilltop Path.

Information and photographs for this project were provided by RolandParkhistory.org and the Baltimore CityPaper.

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Navigating Laurel Path

Notice the sign for Laurel Path in front of you. In 1991, the paths were refurbished and most are marked by cedar posts and handmade white oak replicas of the original “breadboard” signs. This short path is another into some lush vegetation. As you walk, you will come to a fork. To the left, a dirt path will take you through the backyard of some historic homes. If you choose to take this route, make sure to double back onto Laurel Path.

The right trail leads you onto Longwood Road and the end of Laurel Path. Take it to the end. You will get lost in Roland Park’s historic architecture.

From here we suggest you head back onto Laurel Path and make your way back onto Squirrel. Make sure to look out for that stone garage you saw earlier, as it will show you are heading the right way.

Once you come to the intersection in the woods, turn and head up the stairs to the Midvale Road cul-de-sac. Make sure to look for Briar Path. It’s easy to miss as it’s wedged in between the front yard gardens of two homes.

Information and photographs for this project were provided by RolandParkhistory.org and the Baltimore CityPaper.

Navigating Squirrel Path

For best access to the Squirrel, Laurel, Briar and Hilltop Path walk, we suggest parking between Edgevale Road and Indian lane. After you park, walk to the cross-section of the streets and head up the narrow road. We suggest good walking shoes and water as this walk is hilly.

As you walk up the hill, look for a sign the says “Squirrel Path.” Cross a small bridge and walk up. Many of the paths were named to evoke a “country” feel. As you make your way up the hill, be sure to look left for some terrific views toward TV Hill, home to many of Baltimore’s television stations.

Keep walking and you will come to an intersection.You can turn right to go up a small hill to a cul-de-sac on Midvale Road, which will lead you to Briar Path.

If not, continue straight onto Squirrel Path. The path will lead you to a driveway. Look for the stone garage, as this is part of the route. Keep walking straight across Elmwood Road to reach Laurel Path.

Information and photographs for this project were provided by RolandParkhistory.org and the Baltimore CityPaper.

Learn More about Roland Park. Roland Park is considered one of the first planned suburban communities in the United States. It was created in 1891 when Jarvis and Conklin, a Chicago investment firm, purchased 500 acres of land near Lake Roland and founded the Roland Park Company.

The neighborhood was named for the early Baltimore county landowner, Roland Thornberry.

The firm soon sold the Roland Park Company to the firm Stewart and Young. They hired Kansas City developer Edward Bouton to help with the community’s first designs.

Landscape designers John Charles and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., whose father helped design Central Park, were also hired to help with layout.

Their plans called for the creation lush neighborhood that had natural views, vast vegetation and strict housing codes. The brothers chose to build upon the community’s hilly terrain instead of incorporating a grid system like many other parts of the city

What resulted was an oasis that created “a naturalistic landscape of rugged terrain, rocky outcroppings, and lush vegetation that lend an air of wildness and mystery.” (CityPaper, 2016).

The Olmstead brothers also created a series of pathways within the community to help expedite pedestrian traffic. Over a century later, those paths still exist for visitors to walk.

As you enjoy your time in Roland Park, please enjoy our guided tour of these pathways, while learning about the community through the residents that have called this place home.

Information and photographs for this project were provided by RolandParkhistory.org and the Baltimore CityPaper.

Barbara Bonnell

Barbara graduated from the Calvert and Bryn Mawr Schools. She is also a graduate of Wellesley College (BA) and Johns Hopkins University (MA). In 2002, after 42 years, she retired as Director of Communications for the non-profit corporation which implemented the $4.5 billion redevelopment plans for downtown Baltimore, Charles Center and the Inner Harbor. She is married to Bob Bonnell. Together they had five children along with two dogs, Troon and Burgess.

Story

Barbara grew up in Guilford and regularly took the streetcar to school. She loved it for the chance to catchup with friends.

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Martin Millspaugh

Martin has lived in Roland Park for most of his life, during which he has had four distinct careers: first as an investigative reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun; second, in Government as Assistant Commissioner of the U.S. Urban Renewal Administration; third, in real estate development as CEO of the non-profit company that managed the redevelopment of the Inner Harbor and the surrounding 240 acres of downtown Baltimore, and finally, as an international urban development consultant – advising cities on five continents on how they could emulate Baltimore’s world-famous waterfront revitalization.

Story

Mr. Millspaugh grew up in Roland Park. While playing on the pathways as a child, he had to help his sister, who got into a bit of trouble.

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