Druid Hill Park played a significant role as Park’s own playground when the school was located on Auchentoroly Terrace. The postcard images from 1905-1918 reflect what Park students would have seen during their outings in the Park. The black-and-white images of Druid Hill Park today were shot by senior Tihira Turrell, a Druid Hill Park resident.
The Grand Promenade led to the Park’s Bandstand, which featured Moorish architecture. It no longer stands. (1912 postcard)
The Madison Avenue Gateway was a stop a horse-drawn railway and trolleys. (1918 postcard)
When the Boat Lake froze, it was used by ice skaters in the winter. The Lake’s Island Cottage was used as a changing facility for women. (1907 postcard)
The statue of William Wallace on the edge of the reservoir was erected as a replica of one in Stirling, Scotland. The inscription reads “Wallace, Patriot and Martyr for Scottish Liberty, 1305.” (1907 postcard)
Park visitors could draw fresh spring water from Edmund’s Well. (1915 postcard)
The Mansion House was designed by Colonel Nicholas Rogers IV and built in the late 18th century as his family home. (1908 postcard)
The Conservatory was constructed in the late 19th century. (Postcard date unknown)
The Zoological Gardens (now the Maryland Zoo) were officially opened in April of 1876 when the General Assembly authorized the formation of “a zoological collection within the limits of Druid Hill Park….” (1910 postcard)
Unlike many monuments in the Park, the William Wallace statue still stands.
The Conservatory (now known as the Howard Peter Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens of Baltimore) is home to horticultural events throughout the year.
The Madison Avenue Gateway no longer brings visitors to the Park. Madison Avenue is now one-way heading south and takes traffic away from the Park.
The Esplanade at 2525 Eutaw Place was built in 1912.
The Druid Hill Park Reservoir is a haven for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists.
The statue of George Washington, originally commissioned for the Washington Building in downtown Baltimore in 1858, was moved to the Park’s Madison Avenue entrance at Swann Drive in the late 19th century.
This cherub relief panel was one of 20 installed at the post office at Calvert and Fayette. The building was demolished in 1930, and one of those panels was relocated just west of the Madison Avenue Gateway in 1933.
Promise of Park Student Life Initiatives
Gifts to the Promise of Park can now support upgrades to the softball and baseball fields at Sugar Campus, the revitalization of the Challenge Course, and the creation of an endowed fund providing support for student travel.
Sugar Campus
Softball and baseball upgrades at Sugar Campus include improvements to the playing surfaces of both fields, along with bleacher improvements for the fans of each of team. Additions include new batting cages that will benefit both teams, a new baseball bullpen setup and backstop, and other enhancements. The baseball field scoreboard and dugouts are now sporting Park colors — with more to come ’neath the Brown and White!
Challenge
Park’s Challenge Course — a longtime signature program of our Middle and Upper Schools — is being renovated to expand accessibility school-wide for our Pre-K through Grade 12 students. Further, we are introducing new, innovative elements — including a three-pole climbing tower — and creating an additional community gathering area. The newly-renovated course will be managed by a course-certified teacher, and the program will renew the essential role of student leaders as a part of the Challenge experience at Park!
Student Travel
Student travel provides opportunities to engage with people beyond our campus, beyond our region, and beyond our country. The Park Jazz Collective’s experience in New Orleans; our immersive language trips — French, Spanish, and Chinese; the Civil Rights Trip; Model UN conferences; and co-curricular journeys yet-to-be-imagined all represent unforgettable possibilities for Park students.
Promise of Park Lower School Initiatives
The Promise of Park has already impacted the lives of our students and teachers, and, this spring, we are thrilled to share another giving initiative — this time in support of Park’s youngest students.
Gifts to the Promise of Park can now support a full renovation of the Lower School Pearlstone Wing — including the creation of a Lower School Multipurpose Room. We are combining three existing rooms adjacent to the fourth grade classrooms to create a new, large, flexible gathering space that will be able to accommodate multiple grade levels for events, assemblies, and more. This space is designed to optimize flexibility so that it can host various types of school and community events.
We are delighted to share that this new space will be dedicated in memory of Linda Halpert, a beloved Lower School faculty member.
Further, the hallway, as well as all of the fourth grade classrooms, will be fully reimagined and modernized; and all systems (HVAC, lighting, tech, etc.) in the Pearlstone Wing will be replaced.
Please see the renderings of the new spaces below.
Lower School Multipurpose Room:
Pearlstone Building Corridor:
Pre-K through Grade 12 Appalachian Challenge
Park will redesign and rebuild the first-of-its-kind Appalachian Challenge Course as an anchor to an expanded Pre-K through Grade 12 outdoor education program. We will welcome students of all ages – as well as potential partner organizations in and around Baltimore — to experience the benefits of outdoor education in Park’s unique environment.