Architectural preservation, undated

The Mount Vernon District Improvement Association Records consist of six major series: 1) Legal Papers, 2) Financial Papers, 3) Meeting Minutes, 4) Subject Files, 5) 1 West Mt. Vernon Place Correspondence, and 6) Correspondence. The papers in this collection range from 1938-1942.

Series I: Legal Papers, 1939-1987,

Box 1, 2, 3

This series includes resolutions of the Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals, two files of material relating to the 1214 St. Paul Street zoning board hearing in 1947 and the highway traffic zoning board hearing in 1948, printed legal materials (ordinances, and court summaries), and Douglas H. Gordon's notes on various court cases. The provenance of the files on the Wardour apartment building case were preserved. Therefore, the papers are not in chronological order.

Series II: Financial Papers, 1940-1990,

Box 4, 5

This series consists of a daybook of receipts and disbursements, bills with attached correspondence from the daybook, corporate tax assessments for the Mount Vernon District Civic Association, Inc., the Mount Vernon District Improvement Association, Baltimore Opera Club, Inc., The Contemporary Club, Inc., and the Alliance Francaise de Baltimore. There are income tax exemption forms and correspondence for Mount Vernon District Improvement Association, a checking account ledger and papers from it, an account book of receipts, Treasurers reports and returned correspondence.

Series III: Meeting Minutes, 1944-1989,

Box 5

This series contains minutes from annual, board, and directors meetings as well as the 1962 Articles of Incorporation.

Series IV: Subject Files, 1940-1988,

Box 6, 7, 8

This series contains “Your Tax Dollar newsletter of the Commission on Government Efficiency and Economy, the Mount Royal Democratic Club newsletter, the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Improvement Association newsletter, Report of the Maryland Historical Trust (can also be found interspersed with correspondence), 1952 Directory of Civic and Service Organizations, 1987 Community Association Directory, List of medical doctors in Mount Vernon and organizations in Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery clippings, erection of the Cardinal Gibbons Monument, Maryland General Hospital services, urban renewal, the City of Baltimore-Department of

Planning CBD III Study, Poems by Joseph E, Nutter (which give a unique view to the economic, social and political sentiment of the time. They illustrate anti-African-American, anti-Semitic, and political corruption sentiment), Edgar J. Rumpf Jr. Memorial Award (given annually to the police officer who does the most to protect the Mount Vernon district).

Series V: 1 West Mt. Vernon Place Correspondence, 1953-1985,

Box 8

This series contains correspondence on the Thomas-Jencks-Gladding-Hackerman house. Some of the correspondence is with a Mrs. Robert Stevenson and some relate to furniture formally of the house.

Series VI: Correspondence, 1938-1992,

Boxes 9-21

The correspondence in this series includes both incoming and outgoing correspondence and is in descending chronological order. The dates on the files are approximate because the correspondence has been kept in its original order, which is how Douglas Gordon handed it to his secretary for filing. This means that at times the researcher will find correspondence spanning several years but all relating to the same topic. It appears that Douglas Gordon kept his own active files and when he closed them, the secretary filed them among the retired current correspondence making large back files of material.

There are numerous letters to mayors, senators, and delegates interspersed throughout the collection. They tend to address whatever problem the association was the champion of at the time. Topics including zoning (residential versus commercial), liquor licensing, signs and billboards, parking, and legal cases are found throughout every file.