History

History of the Park Land

Indigenous Habitation

Native Land Digital, an Indigenous-led Canadian non-profit, reports that the land that is now Hillside Park was originally inhabited by the Piscataway and Susquehannock tribes. 

The Roland Park Company

According to Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, the land was part of the Oakland Estate, which was purchased in 1801 by Charles Carroll of Carrollton as a gift for his daughter Catherine, who was married to Robert Goodloe Harper. By 1818, the estate comprised more than 440 acres, bound approximately by the Jones Falls to the west, what is now Roland Avenue to the east, Cold Spring Lane to the south, and what is now Northern Parkway to the north. In 1857, the land was owned by Charlotte Harper.

In 1896, Edward Bouton, a Kansas City developer, was hired by a British group of investors to develop what is now Roland Park. On behalf of the Roland Park Company, Bouton hired many architects and landscape architects, notably Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., to create Roland Park, which is still considered by architects, landscape architects, and planners as one of the preeminent planned communities in the United States.

The Olmsted Influence

The impact of Frederick Law Olmsted (FLO), who designed Central Park in New York City, and of the Olmsted Brothers firm’s urban landscape work in Baltimore and Maryland was broad and important. In the 1870s, FLO designed the Sudbrook Park community and the four Mt. Vernon parks and was an advisor on other early Baltimore park spaces. Following FLO’s retirement, the Olmsted Brothers firm, headed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and FLO’s stepson John Charles Olmsted, continued the work, becoming the leading landscape design firm in the country.

In 1904 and 1926, they created plans for a Baltimore park system that connected green spaces, waterways, and playgrounds, as well as a blueprint for the reconstruction of downtown Baltimore following the devastating Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 (budget issues precluded the City’s big plans for an interconnected park system). They advised on the transformation of the Carroll, Clifton, Leakin, and Wyman estates into public parks, and completed the landscape design for other residential communities in Baltimore, including Homeland and Guilford. More information on the Olmsteds and their work and legacy can be found at olmsted.org and olmstedmaryland.org.

Olmsted involvement was critical for the development of the neighborhood surrounding the Hillside Park land. FLO believed in the need for public engagement in a community, so he wanted sidewalks, which allow residents to interact as they walk. A system of footpaths runs between houses, so residents can walk from one area of the community to another, kids can walk to schools, employees can reach transportation lines and, most importantly, residents can see their neighbors. The Olmsted firm, like FLO, believed that public space, and man’s connection with each other and with nature, were keys to a community’s health.

Early Days of the Baltimore Country Club

In 1898, with slow property sales, Bouton designed a recreational club on 150 of the community’s acres, hoping to attract buyers by creating a place to exercise, have fun, and share a meal. He subsidized a golf club—the first in Maryland and one of the first in the country. The Baltimore Golf Club idea worked, and sales took off. The Baltimore Golf Club was run by the Roland Park Company until it was sold to the members in 1898, creating the Baltimore Country Club (BCC). BCC leased the club building from the Roland Park Company until 1901, when they bought it for $60,000. In 1899, BCC’s golf course was the site of the 1899 U.S. Open, the fifth in history. The club added bowling alleys, acquired the Mt. Washington Cricket Club, and built four grass tennis courts. 

The club ran smoothly until 1917 when, under the Baltimore City Annexation Act, Roland Park became part of Baltimore City. BCC members were angry about the new taxes as well as flooding from the Jones Falls onto the golf course. They began to look for a new location in the suburbs. They eventually bought a county location (Five Farms) and opened a new golf course in 1926.

In 1960, Baltimore City purchased 37.5 acres from BCC for the Jones Falls Expressway and the creation of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Western High School. In 1962, the remaining 65 acres were sold to the Rouse Company for the development of the Village of Cross Keys on what was once home to an historically Black neighborhood. The club continued to use the 10 tennis courts, the site of many storied championships, until 2007, when the club moved its courts to Five Farms.

History of the Park Purchase

In 1999, Friends School offered $5.1 million for 18.5 acres of the BCC land. The offer was accepted by the leadership but was rejected by members.

In 2008, BCC leadership accepted a $12.5 million offer from Keswick Multi-Care, a nursing home, for 17.5 acres, subject to a zoning change. The membership accepted the offer, but the Baltimore City Council appeared ready to reject the zoning change and the offer was withdrawn in March 2009.

The Roland Park community made multiple subsequent offers to purchase the surplus land, but none were accepted.

In 2008, the neighborhood and eight surrounding communities developed The Greater Roland Park Master Plan, which included many green space initiatives. The purchase of the remaining BCC land to create a community park was at the top of the list.

In December 2020, BCC announced that they were looking for a buyer for 20 acres of their land. The Roland Park Community Foundation formed a committee to raise funds necessary to submit a bid. While the country was on lockdown due to COVID, the Community Foundation team held hundreds of virtual meetings to tell the Hillside Park story and raise funds.

Answering the call

The Hillside Park team began by pitching the project to potential leadership donors—those donating at least $50,000 up to more than $1 million—before expanding their efforts to include community outreach, which included weekly public Zoom presentations to explain the project and answer questions.

Many supporters hope that the park can show that Roland Park has transformed into an inclusive and welcoming community, despite its problematic history with exclusionary practices.

The community’s bid to purchase the BCC land was submitted on May 13, 2021. More than two dozen letters of support were submitted from local schools; nonprofits, including the Parks & People Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks & Landscapes, and Blue Water Baltimore; environmental groups; and 15 neighborhoods within a mile of the property.

The dedication aimed to highlight the community’s goal of creating an outdoor space that all Baltimoreans—not just the residents of Roland Park—could enjoy. 

On December 21, 2021, the community announced that it had signed a contract to purchase the 20-acre parcel for $9 million. The 650 donors to date represent 40 City neighborhoods and 26 other neighborhoods in the state. They also include people living in 24 different states. According to the Community Foundation, nearly 40 donors made gifts larger than $50,000.

The contract was signed in 2021, but settlement did not occur until 2025. BCC was required to subdivide their property, complete environmental remediation, which is routine for land formerly used as a golf course, and obtain approval by the Maryland Department of the Environment. This took three years.

BCC will keep their clubhouse and 12 acres of land.

Now Baltimore City has a new park and an opportunity to continue to honor the Olmsteds’ vision and legacy.