The Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello community takes its name from having long been the site of many of Baltimore's elaborate country estates. Coldstream was purchased by William Patterson (donor and namesake of Patterson Park) in 1805 where the family entertained their friends with strawberry parties featuring champagne and dancing on the lawn. Homestead was built by Thomas Gorsuch around 1731. The estate lasted until 1851 when Robert Gorsuch Jr. subdivided the estate into the village of Homestead-Coldstream, which was built around 1793. Montebello was the most exquisite country estate in the neighborhood. Montebello had two nationally prominent owners: General Samuel Smith and John Garrett.
Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello contains federalist and colonial style-town and single family houses constructed during the second half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Most houses built in the late 1910s and 1920s are of the daylight type—two- story homes with large porches designed so that daylight would reach all rooms. Builders of the time advertised the neighborhood’s proximity to Harford Avenue, the Olmsted Brothers-designed boulevards, City College, Clifton Park and Lake Montebello.
Today, the residents of Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello still trumpet these amenities. City College is one of Baltimore’s premier city public high schools; Lake Montebello just underwent a $15 million renovation; and Clifton Park, with its sweeping views of the downtown skyline, features Baltimore's first public golf course built on the grounds of Johns Hopkins’ summer mansion.
Along the 33rd Street corridor, which serves as the northern boundary of the neighborhood and the gateway into the neighboring Waverly community, sits a new YMCA, offering classes, exercise programs and a pool. A quick walk down 33rd Street leads to the site of the Waverly Farmer’s Market (open Saturday mornings year-round) and a new Giant Food Store. Nearby Greenmount Avenue features an array of shops and the popular Thai Restaurant and newcomer Darker Than Blue Café, already renowned for its southern-style cuisine. Stadium School, named for its proximity to the old Memorial Stadium site, is a parent- and teacher-founded community school that serves students in grades five through eight.
The Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello community is anchored by the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello Community Corporation, which promotes an atmosphere of cooperation, education and volunteerism. To contact the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello Community Corporation, click here or call 410-235-6715.
