Aw, jeez, this is terrible news. I'd really love to see this mansion get restored, but as time goes on I get less and less hopeful.

It's especially terrible to hear that the nearby church wants to convert it into a parking lot. I highly doubt the area around Lafayette Square is lacking for parking. What is it with churches in this city and letting historic houses molder away? First the townhouses on Preston in Mt Vernon, now this...

UPDATE: Looks like it was torn down.

sounds like someone keeps trying to burn it down. Gee, i wonder who that could be?

The power of Christ compels.... the church to commit arson? Sad if true

Half of the second floor is on the first floor. Labeling a property historically protected means nothing. They’ve done nothing to attempt to preserve that beautiful historic house.

There’s a theory going around that developers/owners are setting the fires so they can buy/sell the land. It’s happened a lot over the last couple years.

my money's on the church that wants the lot for parking.

Fun fact. There used to be a stone “spite” wall on the property. Google it.

I think a lot of it has to do with the congregations moving out of those neighborhoods, but wanting to be at the same church. It feels like this hits the headlines more with Black churches. But that's probably because the equivalent White Churches/Congregations did their flight far enough back in time that they could buy suburban land for a new church building.

DC has seen massive fights regrading Sunday parking. It's basically older black residents and families vs the new neighborhood residents (re: gentrification).

I hadn't thought about congregation members moving out of neighborhoods local to their church but commuting back to it on Sundays - it would also explain the big fight here in Baltimore a few years back between Fountain Baptist Church and the city over a bike lane removing street parking spots in front of the church on Monument St.

What's funny is that both of these instances are in neighborhoods that aren't gentrifying. As far as I can tell, no major development is bringing more people (and cars) to Lafayette Square, and that stretch of E Monument St isn't being redeveloped at all.

The fight I remember in DC was also over a bike lane installation. Though DC also has Sunday double parking privileges for the churches. Think of came out that Black Churches were filing a number of challenges across the city over street redesigns.

I think something similar happened in Atlanta, though it was a Black church in a poor black neighborhood. Their argument was 'This money would be better spent in targeted social services than removing street parking the neighborhood wants', which I think it's completely fair

In Olney MD three historic homes were burned after the developers were told they could not plow them down to build their housing project or strip shopping centers. Funny how mother nature seems to always favor crass commercialism.

Not far from this venerable old Baltimore building, the St Vincent Orphanage was demolished, one weekend by a developer. Naturally city hall was silent.

It pisses me off that the developers have had the thing since 2016 and just kinda refuse to actually you know, develop it.

To be fair, they did get a massive fine, but that was from the Dept. of the Environment because there was asbestos EVERYWHERE from the demolition.

Here is some drone footage of the aftermath of the fire. Honestly, I think they will have to demolish this. So sad.

Fuck. This makes me so sad. Between this and an iconic (yet small) part of Camden Yards going away, this has been a sad day

When I first moved here I was shocked by how many middle class black folks I knew would drive back into Baltimore neighborhoods many folks (black, white, or otherwise) considered blighted, just for church. Like driving in from Howard and Baltimore County just for Sunday church?? Then leave and pretend the city doesn't exist until next week.

People will talk about these neighborhoods like trash... Except on Sunday. 🥴

Had one colleague tell me not to buy "any house in Baltimore alone as a single woman, " but who comes in for church. 🙄

Wouldn’t exactly be out of character for a church

Just the cost of doing business. Probably still made money

Tore it down and the lot is still empty a few years later.

Wikipedia confirmed lol how do those things get posted so fast?

I don’t know why we feel the need to maintain/restore these ridiculous homes of 20th century robber barons. Just let them tear it down and do something else with the land.

Same with the Gundry Glass mansion. I e been waiting for the Uplands one to get set on fire any day now. A developer bought/is buying the land