Wilkens Avenue

(Image courtesy of Google Images)


I somehow managed to forget to do a blog entry last week, so I am going to try to make up for it by posting a high-quality entry this week. For this post, I have decided to focus on the 2600 block of Wilkens Avenue.
Maryland Route 372, more widely known as Wilkens Avenue, is a very noteworthy neighborhood in my study of marble steps because it houses Baltimore’s longest series of row-homes, each originally adorned with marble stoops. In addition to the steps, the windows and doorframes are also accented with marble trim on this strip.




(Image courtesy of Google Images)


Wilkens Avenue is located in Southwest Baltimore and northwest of the Gwynns Falls. It is also known as the Mill Hill Deck of Cards Block because the block contains fifty-two, two-story brick townhouses which are all connected to each other. Laying more than 1,800 feet, it possibly may be the longest row of connected townhomes in the world.


(Image courtesy of Google Maps)

Baltimore’s longest rowhome block was built in 1912 on land that was owned by William Wilkens (hence how the avenue got its name). A good number of the residents at that time were employed either at the William Wilkens Company which was a hair factory, or at one of the many breweries located nearby. The original price for the homes on Wilkens Avenue ran about $1,250.00 and included full basement, complete wiring, piping for natural gas and sewage, and hot air heating.