Waverly Village: Exploring Baltimore’s neighborhoods
A tree-lined median bisects most of 33rd Street, stretching from the eastern edge of Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus all the way to the southwestern edge of Lake Montebello. To the north of 33rd from Old York Road to Ellerslie is Waverly; to the south is Better Waverly. They are two distinct neighborhoods, separated by that median, but connected by signs announcing entry to Waverly Village.
- The Waverly Village sign along 33rd, between Waverly and Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 7/17/79: An elderly couple walks hand in hand beneath the trees of East 33rd street and East University parkway in Waverly. (Ralph L. Robinson)
- 4/17/96: The first Historic Tour of Waverly “The Victorian Village” given by the Better Waverly Community Organization Chap(Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation) will pass this home on the corner of Gorsuch Ave and Frisby St. The residence will not be one of the four Victorian homes that tour participants will see inside, but it has Victorian and Queen Anne influences according to Paula Branch, one of the tour guides. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- 7/30/96: Eleanor Montogomery and Debra Evans spear-headed a program where any new buyer of a house in Waverly, in the next 3 years, will get a 40% reduction in property taxes, and a matching reduction in state taxes. This is to spur city home ownership in a neighborhood that could go either way. This is the typical house type which is for sale in the Waverly area. (Gene Sweeney Jr/Baltimore Sun)
- 10/20/08: Anne Blumenberg of Waverly, a retired public interest lawyer and sometime artist puts a coat of polyurethane over her sunflower painting at St. Paul and 29th Sts. She said it was the seventh trash can she has done for the Charles Village Benefits District and has six more cans to go. She’s especially proud of her wysteria painting north of 25th St. “It’s nice to give people a smile when they walk down the street,” she said. (Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun)
- Scenes from Waverly. Dec 12, 1950. Sun file photo by Joe DiPaula.
- Greenmount Avenue, Oct 24, 1950. Sun file photo by W. Ross Dunaway.
- 8/4/04: A beautiful mural adorns the Safe & Smart Center at 3333 Greenmount. (André F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)
- 12/15/12: Asa Arnold, 4, of Evergreen, left, looks up to Jen Litsinger “Bianca Dunk” with the Charm City Roller Girls as they skate with fellow CCRG members Hilary Parker “Status: Bitchin'” and Lily Bradford “Ace Hellcat, right, during a Skate and Scoot with Santa event at the Waverly Farmers Market in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, December 15, 2012. (Brian Krista/Sun file)
- 3/11/13: A mural is pictured outside the Waverly Giant grocery store Monday, March 11, 2013. Topics at Greater Homewood Community Corporation’s Neighborhood Institute were to include using outdooor murals to make communities more attractive. (Photo by Steve Ruark)
- 3/11/13: Karen Stokes, executive director of Greater Homewood Community Corporation, stands near a mural outside the Waverly Giant grocery store Monday, March 11, 2013. (Photo by Steve Ruark)
- 7/26/13: Kayla Keith, 7, hula hoops at the WAVEScape festival, held at the 30th St. Park in Waverly, during National Night Out, Friday, July 26th. (Noah Scialom/Sun file)
- 6/21/14: Street performer Dimitri Reeves dances to the Michael Jackson song “Beat It,” during the second annual Wavescape festival in Waverly on Saturday. A crowd of more than 100 people sang “Happy Birthday” to City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who was turning 73 the next day.
- Sept. 24, 1987. Exterior of Radio Center, 3118 Greemount. Sun file photo.
- 1/27/08: 415-21 E. 32nd St property in Waverly. (Jesse Neider)
- 7/1/09: The 1902 Waverly Fire House (3123 Greenmount Ave.) had been closed due to holes in the roof and a pigeon infestation. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun file)
- 7/28/12: Community artist Sarah McCann pulls off tape from a bilboard that she painted with inspirational messages texted to her by people in the Waverly neighborhood. (Gabriella Demczuk / Baltimore Sun)
- Ace Hardware, across from the Giant supermarket in Waverly. The building used to house one of the neighborhood’s post offices. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- One of the city’s LOVE murals, on the side of the Rite Aid pharmacy building in the 3100 block of Greenmount in Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Shops along Greenmount Avenue, a boundary of Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- In 2011, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake signed a bill designating the old Waverly Town Hall at Greenmount Avenue and 31st Street as the city’s latest historic landmark. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- The headstone of Lizette Woodworth Reece in the cemetery adjacent to St. Johns Church in the 3000 block of Greenmount. (W. Ross Dunaway/Baltimore Sun file)
- Nov. 4, 1950: The headstone of Lizette Woodworth Reece. (W. Ross Dunaway/Baltimore Sun file)
- 11/4/50: St. John’s Church in the 3000 block of Greenmount. (Sun file photo)
- St. John’s Church in the 3000 block of Greenmount. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- St. John’s Church in the 3000 block of Greenmount. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- The Good Shepherd statue, formally known as the Lizette Woodworth Reese Memorial, at Johns Hopkins. The statue depicts a shepherd holding a lost lamb, with other lambs standing around him. It is the work of Grace Hill Turnbull, a Guilford sculptor who carved the piece in honor of her friend, Reese. Reese was an 1873 Eastern graduate and longtime public school English teacher and poet who wrote about Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- The Good Shepherd statue, formally known as the Lizette Woodworth Reese Memorial, at Johns Hopkins. The statue depicts a shepherd holding a lost lamb, with other lambs standing around him. It is the work of Grace Hill Turnbull, a Guilford sculptor who carved the piece in honor of her friend, Reese. Reese was an 1873 Eastern graduate and longtime public school English teacher and poet who wrote about Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Looking out across from the Good Shepherd statue, formally known as the Lizette Woodworth Reese Memorial, at Johns Hopkins. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 8/4/04: New construction at the old Memorial Stadium site included a YMCA. (André F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)
- Waverly firehouse, undated. (Courtesy of Joe Stewart)
- Waverly Theater in 1931. (Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society and Joe Stewart)
- 2/24/13: A concert in a bubble by The Human Exeprience Project was put on by 901 Arts in Waverly. The bubble was created by Nola Elsewhere. (John-John Williams/Baltimore Sun)
- Scenes from Waverly and Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 11/23/11: Shown are establishments near “Darker Than Blue Cafe”, an eating establishment that was in the forefront of businesses on Greenmount Ave that were trying to attract an upscale clintele. Casey Jenkins, (restaurant’s owner) is leading a group of disgruntled restaurant and business owners who feel that after four shootings and three deaths at single carryout, in the area, the city is abandoning the area. (Gene Sweeney Jr. /The Baltimore Sun)
- 12/25/07: Employee Mohammad Arshad, at right, rings up the order for customer John Fernando, in front, as other customers, Mohammad Sainsara, far left, and Sher Singh, second from left, wait their turn. Punjab Halal Meat and Groceries store on 33rd St. in Waverly, which specializes in Indian foodstuffs is one of the businesses that is open on Christmas Day. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)
- The Red Clover Collective is an urban intentional community in Better Waverly formed in 2004. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Scenes from Waverly and Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- A small, somewhat hidden alley park in Waverly Village – the location of the neighborhood’s WAVEscape festival. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Scenes from Waverly and Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Scenes from Waverly and Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 901 Arts, at 901 Montpelier St., is a community-based youth arts center. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 901 Arts, at 901 Montpelier St., is a community-based youth arts center. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 12/11/10: Teens of Baltimore’s Better Waverly neighborhood unveiled their sidewalk art project consisting of murals painted over storm drains in Baltimore. (Gabe Dinsmoor/Sun Photographer)12/11/10: Teens of Baltimore’s Better Waverly neighborhood unveiled their sidewalk art project consisting of murals painted over storm drains in Baltimore. (Gabe Dinsmoor/Sun Photographer)
- Homes throughout Waverly are an eclectic mix of porchfront homes, other rowhomes, and old vacation-style homes, many with yards. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 10/31/00: Eva Meysenburg moved to Waverly in 1997 from south Baltimore. She talked fondly about Waverly saying, “It’s very pleasant to live here.” Although she mentioned some problems with people stealing cars, she described Waverly as “a pocket of peace and quality living.” (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
- 2/4/08: Arthur Jordan, 39, a real estate investor from Baltimore, has rehabbed a rowhouse in the 600 block of E. 35th St. in Waverly, at right, and had been trying to sell it for months. He was originally asking $249,950, but has since dropped the price to $220,000. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)
- 10/31/00: Parkwyrth Ave., which has both rowhomes and Victorian homes. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
- Homes throughout Waverly are an eclectic mix of porchfront homes, other rowhomes, and old vacation-style homes, many with yards. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- The Homestead Harvest community Garden at 623 Homestead St. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Homestead Street in Waverly. Undated. (Courtesy of Joe Stewart)
- Homes throughout Waverly are an eclectic mix of porchfront homes, other rowhomes, and old vacation-style homes, many with yards. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Homes throughout Waverly are an eclectic mix of porchfront homes, other rowhomes, and old vacation-style homes, many with yards. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Homes throughout Waverly are an eclectic mix of porchfront homes, other rowhomes, and old vacation-style homes, many with yards. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Homes throughout Waverly are an eclectic mix of porchfront homes, other rowhomes, and old vacation-style homes, many with yards. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- 901 Arts, at 901 Montpelier St., is a community-based youth arts center. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Marian House opened “Serenity Place”, an apartment building for low-income individuals and families across the street from their headquarters on Gorsuch Avenue in Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Scenes from Waverly and Better Waverly. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
- Homes throughout Waverly are an eclectic mix of porchfront homes, other rowhomes, and old vacation-style homes, many with yards. (Kalani Gordon/Baltimore Sun/Nov. 2014)
Waverly, Better Waverly
» Border streets: Waverly – Ellerslie Ave., Greenmount Ave., 33rd. Better Waverly – 33rd, Loch Raven, Greenmount Ave.
» Neighboring areas: Ednor Gardens-Lakeside, Pen Lucy, Guilford, Oakenshawe, Abell, Harwood, E. Baltimore Midway, Coldstream Homestead Montebello
» More neighborhoods
“I think this is a great image of our area,” said Joe Stewart, a longtime Better Waverly resident. “We kind of decided when these Waverly Village signs went up it was a nice compromise. Having Better Waverly and Waverly, it kind of incorporates the north and south.”
It took centuries for this separation to occur. Originally called Huntingdon after Lord Baltimore granted estates to several settlers in 1688, Waverly grew into a leafy suburb where well-to-do city-dwellers spent summers in airy vacation homes. The area was annexed into Baltimore City in 1888 and, over the next several decades, experienced significant growth thanks to public transportation and widespread development.
Segregation had already begun when Waverly became part of the city, and the effects of that reverberated through the years. A Federal Home Loan Bank Board study in 1940 termed the area south of 33rd “a slum district.”
Stewart, a recently retired attorney with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, bought his house in Better Waverly in the early 1980s. By then, the Better Waverly Community Organization and the Waverly Improvement Association had been formed. The former, which Stewart eventually joined, had a “new left, rabble-rouser revolutionary ring to it.”
For both organizations, there’s been plenty to improve upon over the years, particularly after Memorial Stadium – where the Colts and Orioles played – closed in 1997 and was demolished in 2001. The lot at 900 East 33rd Street is now home to a YMCA and a senior living facility.

“In a way, we still haven’t recovered from the loss of Memorial Stadium because of the economic impact,” Stewart said. “The retail stores did huge business, and a lot of that has gone downhill, [and we’re] having a hard time getting back up again. It was like a shockwave.”
A stroll down Greenmount Avenue shows what Stewart is talking about. There’s still commerce – a couple restaurants (Pete’s Grille, Thai Restaurant), a laundromat (Sudsville), a Goodwill store and several other clothing shops – but it’s a far cry from what it once was.

Off the main street, though, are a number of well-kept homes – both north and south of 33rd. Stewart lives on a quiet block of brick row houses. On Gorsuch Avenue, a few streets away, unattached cottages sit on spacious backyards. And on nearly every Waverly block, a tree canopy shades walkers from the elements. The side streets feel worlds away from the flurry of activity on Greenmount.
The progressive ideals of Better Waverly that Stewart speaks of are still evident. The old St. Bernard’s church on Gorsuch is now called Serenity House, which is affordable housing for women who graduated from Marian House – a building across the street for homeless and/or drug-addicted women. 901 Arts on Montpelier Street, meanwhile, seeks to reach neighborhood youths through art in a program co-founded by MICA and the Better Waverly Community Organization.
At the nearby Montpelier and 30th Street Park – an open space where a stream once ran through the neighborhood – Stewart and others in the neighborhood have organized an annual summer event called WAVEscape, which brings together the artists of both neighborhoods. The Waverly Public Library, Waverly Farmer’s Market on 32nd, and Waverly Elementary/Middle School also play prominent roles in the community.
There have been “ups and downs in terms of the economy that have also reflected social dislocation and problems with crime and drugs,” Stewart said. But there’s also been some stabilization in recent years, including the semi-recent additions of a Giant on 33rd and an Ace Hardware on Homestead. Relations between all residents above and below 33rd seem to be significantly less strained than they were decades ago. Signs of improvement throughout Waverly Village are all around.
“We’re part of the urban fabric,” Stewart said. “Fortunately, we’ve kept some green space and kept lots of trees. And we still have our hills. … We’re kind of quirky in terms of being a neighborhood.”
This is part of an ongoing series from The Baltimore Sun about the history, culture, and future of Baltimore’s neighborhoods. Have a suggestion for what neighborhood to explore next? Let us know.