5108 Roland Avenue
Baltimore, MD
21210
On this popular seasonal adventure, you will discover and explore the unique footpaths of the Roland Park community while learning about the history and architecture of the neighborhood. In developing this community in the late 1800s, the Roland Park Company incorporated into its plan a series of footpaths, 18 in all, designed to expedite foot traffic between various sections of the neighborhood, especially in those where the terrain made it difficult to build roads. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., son of the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., in collaboration with Edward H. Bouton, general manager of the Roland Park Company, the paths were part of a hierarchical system of roads in front of houses, service lanes in the rear, and footpaths that provided convenient ways to cross through the neighborhood in a natural setting. Each path is named with a distinctly country ring: Squirrel, Hilltop, Laurel, Tulip; others are decidedly British: Audley End, Tintern, St. Margaret’s, Litchfield.
NOTE: Meet at Roland Park Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 5108 Roland Avenue.
Judy Dobbs has lived in Roland Park since 1981. As a member of the board of the Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks & Landscapes, she is committed to promoting the rich heritage of Roland Park and other Olmsted-designed communities in Maryland.
For most of her life Kathy Hudson, 1967, has lived on a Roland Park footpath. She has written about the community, its residents and architecture for more than 25 years in The Baltimore Messenger, The Sun and Baltimore Style magazine.