Malachi Mills House Update
Elsa works for Two Point Studio, the architects for the Malachi Mills House, and was begun working on land research. One of the first things she was able find was the plat and track the building through the Sandborn Maps.
In 1890 1504 was a store with a two story front and a one story rear with an additional structure in the past.
In 1901 the additional structure was gone. Between 1901 and 1985 the lot got shorter but there’s little change in the structure.
In 1985 the rear addition shown on the map was gone, indicating that the addition currently present was not the original one, however, there is evidence that there was a rear addition for a long time.
Elsa has been working on melding the building history along with the genealogy of the Mills family.
She would like to know what the Committee’s goals are for the research and especially the research document.
Betsey: are we sure that Malachi Mills built the house?
Elsa: yes. In the deeds between 1842 and 1843 (leasing and buying the land) there was the addition of a mortgage to the deed. The house was at the time was part of Baltimore County, and so could build in wood. Malachi Mills sold the house in 1853. Maryland Historical Society research has lead them to believe that the house has not been owner occupied since the turn of the 20th Century. Betsey will connect a friend of hers who has been doing research on Malachi Mills and would like to connect her friend with Elsa.
Elsa suggests that the strongest landmark status would come from its wood construction and wood framing.
Elsa would like to know more about evidence that Malachi Mills and his family, especially their connection to carpentry.
Scott: two compelling stories—the structure and the family. Would be a good thing to have it listed as a landmark to preserve the structure. Need to focus on saving the structure, telling the story might take a lot longer but also needs to happen, but the structure research needs to move forward to ensure that the structure survives.
Jane asked if the structure was ever a residence—Elsa, very possible that it was never a primary residence, especially as W Baltimore St was a primary commercial corridor.
Elsa can track the current deed back to 1985 (when the city purchased it) as well as the very earliest deeds, but its challenging to find the deed right before the city purchased it.
Also need to create a marketing document to encourage people to get involved in the project.
BRNI/CORE Projects
Lead: Malachi Mills House Project
Support: Marquees for the Lord Baltimore and Capitol Theater projects
Scott would like to see something for 1420 W Baltimore St (Ford Building) or 1 N Carey St. 1420 might be a better bet because it is currently for sale. (Could potentially be a part of the W Baltimore St Acquisition and Stabilization Fund), as well as the buildings at the corner of W Baltimore and Calhoun (1401 and 1403 W Baltimore St).
Also interested in preserving the houses on S Calhoun 4-12 S Calhoun. Stabilizing the block would be a priority. Will would be happy to help out showing people around the properties and be part of conversations around that effort.
Will: also suggested the building next to the Salvation Army building could be a potential project
St Luke’s—applying for a grant to do a feasibility study and a master plan. Elizabeth will reach out to Nyah to see if they have immediate projects that they would like to apply for.
St Luke’s Letter of Support
St Luke’s and SLYC have enlisted an architectural firm to undertake a master plan for the property. The Committee is all in favor of sending a support letter of sending a letter to St Luke’s.
Project Updates
No current updates—would like to keep an eye on 1420 W Baltimore St.
The Committee supports doing what we can to protect the Sarah Ann St Houses
Bruce St Arabber project moving forward quickly and at the current timeline should be completed by the summer.
