[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 77 (Thursday, May 20, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S4080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BALTIMORE HERITAGE, INC.

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to pay special tribute 
to Baltimore Heritage, Inc. as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. 
Baltimore Heritage, Inc.--BHI--is beginning its fifth decade of service 
to Baltimore City. BHI was founded in 1960 by leaders of the Baltimore 
business and cultural community, including members of the Greater 
Baltimore Committee, the Maryland Historical Society, the Peale Museum, 
and the Junior Chamber of Commerce. For decades, the organization has 
effectively advocated for actions and broader policies that protect the 
city's irreplaceable historic buildings and neighborhoods.
  BHI works in three primary areas: education, planning and advocacy, 
and technical assistance. Its education programs seek to involve people 
and promote the city's heritage. To further that effort, it conducts 
monthly guided tours of historic sites, spring walking tours, a fall 
history lecture, and a reception to recognize the best historic 
preservation projects.
  Through its planning and advocacy work, BHI has helped preserve city 
landmarks and develop strategies to use Baltimore's historic buildings 
and neighborhoods as the basis for economic growth. Some successes 
include: reversing plans to demolish the historic buildings surrounding 
Mt. Vernon Place; saving the City Hall dome; and establishing the 
Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural 
Preservation, CHAP, which has gone on to help designate more than 60 
local and national neighborhood historic districts and achieve 
protected landmark status for more than 100 historic structures, parks, 
and monuments. BHI was a partner in blocking the extension of I-83 
through Fells Point and Canton and in preserving and reusing Camden 
Station and Camden Warehouse as integrated parts of the new downtown 
ballpark.
  Baltimore Heritage leaders also were partners with Preservation 
Maryland in crafting and advocating for an alternative proposal for 
revitalizing the West Side of Baltimore's downtown--an alternative that 
proved the feasibility and great economic potential of integrating, 
rather than demolishing, the district's historic structures. This 
alternative plan now serves as the guideline for the city's official 
redevelopment plan for this important downtown district.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding Baltimore Heritage for 
its dedication to showcasing our rich historic and cultural heritage. 
Baltimore is one of our Nation's most historic cities, and Baltimore 
Heritage, Inc. understands the importance of preserving the past while 
building for the future. To paraphrase Sir Christopher Wren's epitaph, 
``If you seek Baltimore Heritage's monument, look around you.''

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