We are happy to share with you a little something we've been working on behind the scenes! Over the past few years, we’ve been thoughtfully and carefully beginning to revert back to calling this iconic and beloved park structure “The Observatory” rather than the “Pagoda”, in response to feedback from members of our community (outlined further on in this article and in the blog post, “What’s in a Name”). We’ve had some assistance from The Mill Agency, a student-led communication and design firm located at Stevenson University (SU). They have been hard at work on a special project over the past few months, one that we hope will continue to solidify the identity of this park treasure.
These students are helping us enhance the Observatory's "brand" (look out for a new logo and swag), as well as educational resources so that audiences learn both about its history and understand the difference between our building and a true pagoda, They've also worked on our behalf with the city to have directional signage around the park and neighborhoods changed to "Patterson Park Observatory", and have helped us update language in our print materials. These students have learned a lot about working with a client - us!- and it's been a pleasure getting to know them!
The Mill Agency student team will be in the park this Saturday 4/22, from around 10:15 am - 1 pm sharing their work with park users, so be sure to look for them! They’ll be stopping to chat with park users throughout the park, and you’ll also be able to visit them at the Observatory.
Below is little more context for this project and the reason behind it from an article published in the SU student publication, The Villager, by Mill Agency students Micah Ernest and Grant DeVivo.
“The Mill Agency is a student-led communication and design firm located in Stevenson’s School of Design and taught by Dr. Leeanne Bell McManus. Students collaborate with real-world organizations to meet clients’ needs and apply various skills. This year, The Mill Agency is working with the Friends of Patterson Park to give people a fresh perspective on the Observatory and emphasize the importance of using the original name.
The Mill Agency received a grant from PNC Bank to help make this project possible. Students took a day to travel to Baltimore city and experience the community firsthand by visiting The Observatory in Patterson Park, neighborhood staple BMORE LICKS, and the Friends of Patterson Park headquarters to meet with Jennifer Robinson, the organization’s executive director.
Amanda Hostalka, the dean of Stevenson’s School of Design, is all in on The Mill Agency’s efforts with Friends of Patterson Park, even if it’s a “daunting task.”
“Change is possible,” she said. “When people have the chance to learn and expand their thinking on the subject, they’ll carry that knowledge forward with them and into the next generation. The time for the ‘Pagoda’ has passed. The Observatory is, once again, the future.”
Still, the past weighs heavily on those who love the park.
The Observatory at Patterson Park was designed in 1890 by Charles H. Latrobe, the superintendent of parks for Baltimore. It was built a year later, in 1891, and still stands strong today as one of Patterson Park’s most recognizable landmarks. In August 1891, the Baltimore Sun wrote that the Observatory was built to turn Patterson Park into a “still more beautiful spot than it ever has been.” It offers a view of the Patapsco River to Seven-Foot knoll, which includes Sparrow’s Point, Fort Carroll, Fort McHenry, and the shipping in the harbor.
The Observatory has commonly been referred to as “the Pagoda.” Traditionally, a pagoda is a sacred tower that serves cultural and religious purposes for Buddhists and other cultures originating in Asia. The word “pagoda” stems from the stupas of ancient Nepal and shares a stupa’s purpose as a reliquary or a place to store holy relics.
The issue of the Observatory being referred to as a “pagoda” has continued to grow in recent years. The Observatory is referenced as a “pagoda” on almost everything you can find related to the historical tower.”
Baltimore Asian Resistance in Solidarity’s (BARS) Tevis Tsai said that Patterson Park’s Observatory was not meant to serve as a religious reliquary but as an attraction for visitors to observe the landscape of Baltimore city.
“Its construction clearly wasn’t meant to serve Asian-Americans in Baltimore,” Tsai said. “It was meant to cater to what white Baltimoreans found cute or charming from the culture it was pulled from.”
Friends of Patterson Park have always had those same intentions for the Observatory, allowing the space and the building to be culturally equal for all visitors who gaze at its beauty. They are now making strong efforts to bring awareness to the issue with the Observatory’s nickname.
“One of our very explicit roles is trying to create a space that is welcoming and supportive of different park users and different groups that want to feel ownership of the space,” Robinson said. “As a public park, it is important that all park users can find their way of connecting.”
The Mill Agency is collaborating with Friends of Patterson Park to re-emphasize the importance of a name and to encourage people to refer to The Observatory by its original name.
One of Robinson’s goals is to be constantly connecting with the park users and finding ways for the park to support them. She wants communities to use the Observatory and Patterson Park to connect within their own group and also share their culture with other outside groups.
Hostalka added that there is “no group better suited to wrestle with this sticky problem than The Mill Agency.”
“As students majoring in communication, design, and marketing, they possess the ability to conduct research, gain insights from stakeholders, and identify and execute their strategies to influence the various audience around the park and surrounding communities,” Hostalka said.
“I’m confident their work will make a difference for the Friends of Patterson Park and their constituencies. I also think this work has the potential to foster lasting change among a younger generation and they are well-equipped to communicate effectively with this audience.”
Note: The Patterson Park Observatory will remain closed for much-needed repairs in April and early May. Stay tuned for updates.
Students from The Mill Agency at the Patterson Park Observatory
Original Architectural Drawings for “The Observatory at Patterson Park”