Rodgers Forge Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MARYLAND – The neighborhood of Rodgers Forge in Baltimore County has now been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list maintained by the National Park Service of historic places worthy of preservation.

Rodgers Forge is a community of primarily over 1,700 rowhouses built by Baltimore developer James Keelty and his sons between 1931 and 1957. The development is named after smithy, George Rodgers, whose blacksmith shop was located at the intersection of York Road and Stevenson Lane.

The listing marks the culmination of a multi-year project initiated by the Rodgers Forge community association’s Historic Preservation Committee. Committee members Liz Buxton, Jean Duvall and Sarah Kahl obtained a grant from Maryland Historical Trust to allow the preparation of a full report on 20th Century Rowhouses in Baltimore, which would serve as a backbone to the National Register nomination.

The report and nomination were prepared by Mary Ellen Hayward, co-author of The Baltimore Rowhouse and author of Baltimore’s Alley Houses: Homes for Working People since the 1780s. According to the nomination, Rodgers Forge stands out as a significant illustration of both the English and the Early American style rowhouse. As construction continued through the depression, the shift in style from English garden suburb to Colonial architecture was apparent. The variation among the houses in a single style, however, was a significant feature and a key selling point at the time: advertisements boasted “no houses were alike.”

Committee member Sarah Kahl says, “I am thrilled to have the neighborhood listed on the National Register, which I hope will be a source of pride for the community. I also hope that homeowners will look into the tax credits that are available for preservation of listed properties.” Committee member Jean Duvall summed up the excitement of the Board: “This project has been one of the most educational and rewarding endeavors that I have ever had the pleasure to be affiliated with in any manner. We are very appreciative that the Board of Governors agreed to support this effort financially.”

For more information about the National Register and other legacy preservation projects, see the Maryland Historical Trust website at http://mht.maryland.gov/nationalregister.html. For more information about Rodgers Forge, see the community website at http://www.rodgersforge.org/.