Renewal and Expansion:
healthy & restored headquarters and A new space to build community

As we approached our 25th year of the founding of the Friends of Patterson Park, we found that our base of operations within the park was in need of major restoration in order to continue to serve our needs and those of park users, and were increasingly aware of the drawbacks of lacking an indoor programming space. We decided to renew the commitment laid out in our mission – deepening our roots within the park and Southeast Baltimore – by improving our home in the 1868 Superintendent’s house at 27 South Patterson Park Avenue AND constructing a new 2,200 square foot programming space, Volunteer Support Center and adjoining courtyard.

Check out the campaign informational video HERE.

The Superintendent’s House had not been updated since the 1970’s, and lacked reliable heating and air conditioning, had crumbling walls and ceilings, a wet and moldy basement and problematic kitchen (not to mention our staff worked side-by-side with squirrels). The time had come to renew the building, bringing it up to a healthy and useful standard, and setting a portion of it up for future use as a Visitors Center.

We kicked off the public phase of our fundraising campaign, “Deepening Roots, Cultivating Community”, for both the white house restoration and the new construction in 2020, just in time for the world to shut down for the Covid-19 pandemic. With the realities of the time, we chose to break the project into two Phases, as enough funding had been secured to target the completion of the white house restoration. This Phase 1 could be undertaken while staff safely worked from home and park programming was produced online. A virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony took place on May 9, 2020, and we held the Ribbon Cutting on the completed project April of 2021 (see wrap up here). At the (in-person!) Ribbon Cutting, we announced a $1 million grant from the State of Maryland that would cover the remaining costs and allow us to begin building Phase 2 immediately.

• Virtual Groundbreaking Video (5/9/2020)

• White House Grand Opening Unveiling Tour (4/21/2021)

For Phase 2, the construction of a new community programming venue, volunteer support center and courtyard, we envisioned a vibrant multi-use space, which would accommodate not only our ever-growing programs, but provide a meeting space for the community and better support and space for our thriving volunteer corps. The new courtyard would give us a structured outdoor venue to conduct a variety of programming.

Unfortunately, the ongoing global pandemic caused a substantial increase (2x) in construction costs; with that new reality, we were advised by our expert Capital Projects Committee to wait until the industry settled post-pandemic to re-bid the project. Additionally, we were faced with raising additional funding to be able to fully cover Phase 2 cost. We relaunched our fundraising campaign, and the community and our partners generously responded! With their support and after many challenges (including selecting a new construction company), we finally broke ground on Phase 2 in November of 2023 with North Point Builders prepared to “dig in”!

• Check out the Groundbreaking Ceremony wrap up HERE

• Check out the Phase 2 Project Updates HERE

Phase 2 was not without its challenges - not least that Friends of Patterson Park staff produced a year’s worth of events and programs with an active construction project underway - but a little over a year later, on December 14, 2024, we held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in the new building!

Why is this project is needed?

The construction of a Community Space adjacent to our offices in the 1868 Park Superintendent’s house will support our growing need for flexible indoor programming space. A Volunteer Support Center will help us to safely make tools available to our volunteers, and a courtyard and garden will serve as additional programming areas.  We envision being able to lend the space to our community partners, and even generating revenue for our work by renting the space as available.

Phase 2 Project Goals

The Friends of Patterson Park’s Phase 2 capital project will:

• Enhance the community’s year-round access to park resources by adding indoor space to accommodate community programs and events in a newly constructed building;

• Replace a closed fence with a welcoming entrance to park visitors coming from north of the park, enhancing safety for visitor and residents;

• Ensure the organization’s capacity to support increased programming and events that serve a diverse set of stakeholders.

Construction Planning

With a team of people encompassing the Friends of Patterson Park Board and staff, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, and our Capital Projects Advisory Committee, we have made sure to plan with our partners in a thoughtful and thorough way. Construction on Phase 1 (white house renovation) was completed in the spring of 2021. We are due to break ground on Phase 2 in the fall of 2023.

We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of these organizations in supporting this project:

Phase 1:

Abell Foundation
Baltimore National Heritage Area (pre-design support)
Clayton Baker Trust
France-Merrick Foundation
Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds
Middendorf Foundation
State of Maryland - Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative
State of Maryland - Maryland Heritage Areas Authority
State of Maryland - Program Open Space
Venable Foundation

Phase 2:

Abell Foundation
Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds
France-Merrick Foundation

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