Recently, the City of Baltimore announced it had found a developer to renovate the historic Upton Mansion at 811 W. Lanvale Street, considered a rare surviving example of a 19th century Greek Revival country house.
Dating back to 1838, and possibly the design of architect Robert Cary Long, Jr., Upton was built as the home of a prominent attorney and U.S. Senator before becoming the home of a radio station (WCAO), then an African-American musical conservatory, and later a Baltimore City Public School division. During urban renewal efforts in the 1970s, the neighborhood and later the nearby subway station embraced the mansion’s Upton name. For too much if its recent history, however, it was a target for vandals, who valued it more for its copper wiring and pipes, despite its fencing and location above street level.
The new development project is being led by the Afro-American Newspaper, which plans to revitalize the building for its own offices, in addition to space for other local organizations.