Bernet photograph album

The northwest part of Baltimore city in the 1880s was a mixture of large estates and streets of row homes. A major feature of the area was Eutaw Place, where a large boulevard with shade trees and statuary extended from Dolphin St. to the northern city line, the gift of Henry Tiffany to the city in 1853.

The Altamont Hotel on Eutaw Place was new in 1886, developed by W.L. Stork as a modern structure with central heat and filtered water. The elegant building had carved wooden stairways, stained glass, and tiled fireplaces; residents' amenities included billiard and reading rooms.

North of the city line, Druid Hill Park was established in 1860 on land from the Lloyd N. Rogers estate. This elaborate oasis was the site of many ponds, springs, and reservoirs, with various facilities for recreation and entertainment, including picnic pavilions, music stands, and the zoo. All of this was accessible by horse-drawn street cars which travelled from the city via residential Bolton Hill streets such as Linden Ave.

Also north of the city line was the Cloverdale estate, the extent of which was from the south edge of Druid Hill Lake to Whitelock St., and from Madison Ave. to Park Ave. It was the home of Walter Booth Brooks (1823-1896), president of the Canton Co., and his wife Caroline Cole Brooks. The house was built in the 1830s by Brooks' parents, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad president Chauncey Brooks (1794-1880) and Marilla Phelps Brooks.