Endowment/Conservancy

The Friends of Mount Vernon Place and the Mount Vernon Belvedere Association, in partnership with the City of Baltimore, have been instrumental in forming the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy. This took place in November of 2008. We expect the benefits of the Conservancy to include:

1. Mount Vernon Place is the historic heart of Baltimore City. With its wealth of cultural institutions, historic character, and pedestrian scale, the Mount Vernon neighborhood could once again become one of the most desirable places to live and visit in America. The squares of Mount Vernon Place can readily become one of Baltimore City’s crown jewels and the catalyst for economic revitalization of the entire district.
2. The City Department of Recreation & Parks, Department of Transportation and other City agencies, Midtown Benefits District, Friends of Mount Vernon Place, and Mount Vernon Belvedere Association all make significant contributions to the parks’ maintenance. Nonetheless, there is no organized management program or single entity that takes overall responsibility for its restoration and day-to-day functioning. The conservancy can be the single entity for more effective management of the parks and monument.
3. The squares require significant restoration and improvement in order to realize their potential as a major attraction for tourists and residents. The conservacy can help raise funds for this to happenThe restored squares, the fine surviving landscaping plan developed by Carrere and Hastings, and the Washington Monument by Robert Mills, the country’s first public monument to George Washington, can become world class attractions if a coordinated management and restorative plan is developed.
4. The creation of the Mount Vernon Place conservancy (to include the four squares and Washington Monument) will provide the management entity necessary to bring a new level of awareness, respect and care for this National Historic Landmark.
5. The Conservancy Partnership Agreement will represent a public/private partnership between the City of Baltimore and the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, a private nonprofit corporation. The public/private partnership will take the form of a lease agreement and include shared restoration and continuing maintenance responsibilities.
6. The Conservancy will undertake restoration of the four squares in and the Washington Monument in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. The restored squares will be a showplace of beauty and a lively venue for people, including the disabled, together and enjoy public events.