Cedarcroft, Baltimore
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Cedarcroft Historic District
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Homes in Cedarcroft
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| Location | Bounded by Gittings Ave., York Rd., E. Lake Ave. and Bellona Ave., Baltimore, Maryland |
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| Coordinates | 39°22′17″N 76°36′52″W / 39.37139°N 76.61444°WCoordinates: 39°22′17″N 76°36′52″W / 39.37139°N 76.61444°W |
| Area | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| Architect | Palmer, Edward L. Jr.; et.al. |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| NRHP Reference # | 03001332 |
| Added to NRHP | December 24, 2003 |
Cedarcroft is a distinctive residential neighborhood in the North district of Baltimore, bordered by Gittings, East Lake and Bellona Avenue avenues and York Road. According to Baltimore City's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP), the houses in Cedarcroft are in the Dutch Colonial Revival, Federal Revival, Tudor Revival, Georgian Revival, Cape Cod Revival, Bungalow, and Italianate styles of architecture.
Most of the homes in Cedarcroft were built in the 1920s by the Cedarcroft Land Company. In 1885, Philip E. Lamb purchased 25 acres (100,000 m2) fronting York Road north of the rural village of Govanstown. On the property was a house that had been built in 1846. A few years later, he bought an additional 20 acres (81,000 m2). He called his estate Cedarcroft, and in 1886 built a substantial addition to the 1846 house which still stands at 6204 Sycamore Road.
The Cedarcroft Land Company was formed about 1910 by Philip and George Lamb, along with George Van Hollen, William McGeen and C.L. Applegarth. Later they were joined by Frank A. Warner, Jr., and Edward L. Palmer, the architect credited with the design of the development, which was between York and Bellona, Lake and Gittings.
Episcopalians living nearby met in makeshift quarters and were anxious to build a church. In 1911, the diocese bought land on the southwest corner of Cedarcroft and York roads for $5,000. The church was dedicated in 1913. Ten years later, it was moved a few hundred feet, from the center of the lot, on soaped beams so that a parish house could be added.
After the lots had been sold, the Cedarcroft Land Company was liquidated in the early 1920s, and its successor, the Cedarcroft Maintenance Corporation was chartered and the Cedarcroft Improvement Association formed. All of the covenants, restrictions and regulations made by the Land Company were incorporated in the Maintenance Corporation, the latter remaining the governing body of Cedarcroft. All restrictions and requirements set by the Land Company were preserved.
The records of the corporation and improvement association are maintained in a loose leaf binder entitled, "Beginning 1926", although, the records date from 1929. The 1929 treasurer's report shows payments of $13 for cutting grass on vacant lots and $112.50 for top soil, hauling leaves and operating the snow plow. These traditional codes governed the construction of single-family houses costing a value minimums of at least $6000; most of the homes sell in the $40,000 to $60,000 price ranged. They are all built according to the neighborhood plan and color scheme regulations.
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