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Bolton Hill Community Association Records

 Collection
Identifier: R0078-MRIA

  • Staff Only
  • Place requests at folder level.

Scope and Contents

The collection documents the activities of the Mount Royal Improvement Association from 1928 to 2005, and the Bolton Hill Community Association from 2018 to 2021. The collection includes meeting minutes, correspondence, strategic plans, newsletters, membership lists, financial records, flyers, legal briefs, newspaper clippings, maps, blueprints, and a scrapbook in addition to subject files.

Dates

  • 1928-2021

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

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.

Historical Note

Originally known as the Mount Royal Improvement Association, the MRIA was organized and incorporated in 1928 by neighborhood residents to maintain and improve the appearance and values of neighborhood properties. It represented a geographical area of Baltimore City bounded by Druid Hill Park, Eutaw Place, Dolphin Street and Mount Royal Avenue.

The bulk of the 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. The MRIA eventually restricted the scope of its activities to a subset of the Mount Royal District, Bolton Hill, which is a national historical preservation area. Records in the collection since 2018 document the activities of the MRIA's successor organization, the Bolton Hill Community Association.

Extent

4.00 Linear Feet (8 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Collection is organized in seven 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
  • David Nyweide Records Transfer, 1978-2021

Custodial History

The collection was donated to the University of Baltimore by Nancie E. Verkerke on August 1, 1979. An additional accrual was transferred by David Nyweide, BHCA president, on June 5, 2023.

Processing Information

Series 1-6 were processed by archives staff prior to 2006. Series 7 was inventoried by Aiden Faust in June 2023.

Title
Finding aid for the Bolton Hill Community Association Records
Author
Finding aid created by Special Collections and Archives staff. Revised by Aiden Faust (2011, 2023). 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