Highlandtown Arts District Celebrates "ha!"

The largest such designated area in the state, Highlandtown's Arts & Entertainment District actually encompasses three distinct neighborhoods with their own unique strengths and characteristics.

At its center (and making up the biggest segment of the district), the community of Highlandtown offers artists the opportunity to live and work in one of the most ethnically, economically and culturally diverse neighborhoods in the city. Long-established Polish, Italian, Irish, German and Ukranian populations are being augmented with a growing Latino base deriving from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador, making for a truly vibrant and interesting community.

At one time the commercial and industrial hub of Baltimore, Highlandtown suffered a period of decline beginning in the 1970s, as the manufacturing sector reigned in its operations and large numbers of urbanites joined in the nation-wide exodus to the grassy lawns of suburbia. Yet, even during its darkest moments, Highlandtown remained Baltimore's most unique and intact neighborhood, with significant numbers of its people choosing to remain and raise their families there. Today, it is thanks to this loyal group that the area retains its unique character and is becoming one of the city's neighborhoods of choice. Highlandtown still boasts southeast's largest collection of retail spaces, along with an excellent and relatively affordable housing stock.

While most of the Greektown neighborhood lies just outside the eastern boundary of the A&E District, a relatively small but significant portion of its footprint falls within our boundaries. The grand old Crown, Cork & Seal building dominates the landscape of the entire district, reminding us of southeast Baltimore's manufacturing heritage and inspiring us with the possibilities of its future reincarnation. Occupying 15 acres, this massive site qualifies for all of the financial incentives that accompany inclusion in the A&E district.