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Mount Royal Improvement Association Records

 Collection
Identifier: R0078-MRIA

Scope and Contents

The collection documents the actions and business of the Mount Royal Improvement Association between 1928 and 1979. The collection includes meeting minutes, correspondence, newsletters, membership lists, financial records, flyers, legal briefs, newspaper clippings, maps, blueprints, and a scrapbook in addition to subject files.

Dates

  • 1928-1979

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Historical Note

The Mount Royal Improvement Association (MRIA) exists in a Baltimore City neighborhood area bounded by Druid Hill Park, Eutaw Place, Dolphin Street and Mount Royal Avenue. It was organized and incorporated in 1928 by residents to keep the neighborhood from declining in value. The stated objectives of the MRIA were to maintain and improve the appearance and values of neighborhood properties.

The bulk of the MRIA collection pertains to the involvement of the MRIA with the projects and policies of the Baltimore Urban Renewal and Housing Agency (BURHA), a city agency. During the 1960s, BURHA had included the Mount Royal District within the designated Mount Royal-Fremont Urban Renewal Area. The MRIA became concerned about BURHA projects for the area, including the development of a shopping area, apartment projects, expressway construction, park development, urban beautification, housing inspection, and zoning.

The MRIA also became involved with locally established institutions, including the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Lyric Theatre, and area churches. More recently, the MRIA has restricted the scope of its activities to a subset of the Mount Royal District, Bolton Hill, which is a national historical preservation area.

Extent

3.3 Linear Feet (7 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Collection is organized in six series:

  • Organizational Records, 1928-1954
  • Minutes, 1957-1974
  • Office of the President, 1961-1971
  • Publications, 1955-1972
  • General Correspondence, 1928-1977
  • Subject Files, circa 1970s

Custodial History

The collection was donated to the University of Baltimore by Nancie E. Verkerke on August 1, 1979.

Title
Finding aid for the Mount Royal Improvement Association Records
Author
Finding aid created by Special Collections and Archives staff. Revised by Aiden Faust (2011). Revised by Laura Bell (2021).
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Baltimore Studies Archives Repository

Contact:
H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, Room 104
1415 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore Maryland 21201 USA
410-837-4253