Seton Hill Collection
Content Description
The collection contains documentation on the Seton Hill neighborhood from the 1960s to the present, with the bulk of the records from the 1970s through the 1990s. Included are organizational records for the Seton Hill Neighborhood Association and Seton Hill Organizations Together (SHOT), as well as the historical research files of longtime neighborhood leader, Tom Kravitz. Types of records include newsletters, bylaws, meeting minutes, maps, historical narratives, photographs of buildings in the neighborhood, event flyers, neighborhood data, grant applications, and architectural profiles. Topics covered include historic preservation, rezoning, African American history, Catholic history, architectural history, and citizen engagement with local government.
Dates
- Creation: 1960s-2010s
- Creation: Majority of material found in 1970s-1990s
Creator
- Kravitz, Tom (Person)
- Seton Hill Neighborhood Association (Baltimore, Md.) (Organization)
- Seton Hill Organizations Together (Baltimore, Md.) (Organization)
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Use
To the extent that they own copyright, the donor has assigned the copyright of this collection to the University Foundation. However, copyright for some items in this collection are held by their respective creators.
Biographical / Historical
The Seton Hill Historic District is a primarily residential rowhouse neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Located in the western portion of downtown Baltimore, it surrounds St. Mary’s Park and is bounded by Orchard Street, Monument Street, Eutaw Street, Franklin Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue. The development of the neighborhood, known as Baltimore’s French Quarter, began in the 1790s. The project was overseen by master architect Maximilian Godefroy. As part of the larger project, Godefroy designed Saint Mary’s Seminary Chapel, a church considered to be the oldest Gothic Revival Church in the United States. Adjacent to the church is another notable building in the neighborhood, the Mother Seton House. This was the home of Elizabeth Ann Seton, known as Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is noted for being one of Baltimore’s earliest intact neighborhoods, with buildings ranging from small two-and-a-half story row houses to early 20th century commercial sites.
The information contained in this note draws heavily on the neighborhood's entry in the Maryland Historical Trust's database of Maryland's National Register Properties (http://mht.maryland.gov/nr/).
Extent
14.00 Linear feet (14 containers)
Custodial History
The collection was donated to the University of Baltimore Foundation by Tom Kravitz on October 24, 2017.
Processing Information
This collection is currently unprocessed.
Genre / Form
Geographic
- Maryland--Baltimore
- Maryland--Baltimore--Seton Hill Historic District
- Maryland--Baltimore--West Baltimore
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for the Seton Hill Collection
- Status
- Unprocessed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Aiden Faust (2017). Revised by Laura Bell (May 2020).
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2017: Collection accessioned, finding aid created
- May 2020: Descriptive notes added
Repository Details
Part of the Baltimore Studies Archives Repository
H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, Room 104
1415 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore Maryland 21201 USA
410-837-4253
specialcollections@ubalt.edu