Investing in the Historic Jonathan Street Community

Preservation Maryland will work in partnership with members of the historic African-American Jonathan Street neighborhood to lead a community driven planning effort that will identify the places and resources that matter to the people who live there. Additionally, Preservation Maryland will deploy new resources and develop new partnerships to help invest in threatened historic resources that can be reused and revitalized to support the needs of the historic community.

Partners: Western Maryland Community Development Corporation, Habitat for Humanity, Ziger/Snead Architects, State Highway Administration

The Problem

Hagertown’s historic African American commercial corridor along Jonathan Street has seen a long period of disinvestment and recent demolitions.

The Fix

Preservation Maryland will work in partnership with local citizens to facilitate a community-driven planning effort to identify and support areas of strategic reinvestment.

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Jonathan Street looking Southeast, 1982. Photo from Maryland Historical Trust.

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Jonathan Street in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Updates

SEPTEMBER 2020

at the invitation of Preservation Maryland, the Maryland State Highway Administration conducted an archaeological investigation of 417 North Jonathan Street – a property purchased by Preservation Maryland as a part of the organization’s property redevelopment program.

ARCHAEOLOGY PHOTOS

MAY 2020

After several years of thoughtful planning and listening to the needs of communities around the state, Preservation Maryland is proud and excited to announce the planned acquisition of 417 North Jonathan Street is an historic circa 1830s small log home in the heart of the historic Jonathan Street community of Hagerstown, one of the state’s oldest African American neighborhoods and nearby well-documented Green Book sites.

WATCH MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT

See More Updates

RESOURCES

2002
Heritage Preservation Project: Jonathan Street, Hagerstown, Maryland
Prepared for the Department of Planning & Economic Development by Heritage Resources Group, Inc.

1982
Hagerstown Commercial Core Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

NEWS

11/13/2019
Retired professor investigates Jonathan Street Community History
LocalDVM

07/30/2019
The historic Jonathan Street building has been demolished
LocalDVM

05/07/2019
Hagerstown agrees to halt demo of Jonathan Street building, pending engineer’s assessment
The Herald Mail

05/06/2019
Statement: Future of Historic Jonathan Street Community in Hagerstown
Preservation Maryland

04/24/2019
Jonathan Street building demolition delayed; proposal to save building expected May 7
The Herald Mail

06/16/2017
Maryland’s African American Community Strives to Preserve Heritage
VOA News

Save History Today

The Six-to-Fix program allows Preservation Maryland to take direct action to fulfill its mission to protect the best of Maryland. Your donation helps provide technical assistance through Preservation Maryland staff and preservation experts to threatened and underutilized historic places – your donation has a direct impact on saving Maryland architecture and history.

Donate Now

Be Part of the Fix

You can help. Six-to-Fix rallies the Maryland preservation community around discrete and necessary tasks and projects to advance each project. Folks with all skills and interests are encouraged to sign-up. You will receive periodic announcements with opportunities to participate, and we hope you can join us to save history together.

New Projects Investing in the Historic Jonathan Street Community