Jun 26, 2017

A look at Highlandtown, a neighborhood in East Baltimore that has embodied the American melting pot for over 100 years.

: Rowhomes in Highlandtown bordering Patterson Park. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: A portrait of FDR still hangs at the Venice Tavern. He was president when it opened in the 1930s. Mari Wick, a bartender there, said she likes the convenience of the neighborhood and the sense of community. “And we’re all regulars. Everybody here are regulars.” (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: The mansion that houses the Venice Tavern at 339 S. Conkling Street was was built for the William Schluderberg family, of EssKay Meats fame. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: A mural by American Indian artist Gregg Deal adorns the side of a building on Highland Ave. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Signs on Nazareth Lutheran Church on Bank Street and Highland Avenue advertise English classes and mass in Spanish to members of the Latin community. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: The exterior of Mercado Cinco de Mayo, one of several Latin groceries in Highlandtown. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: The marquee at Creative Alliance, formerly an old theater on Eastern Avenue. “This was the cornerstone of revitalizing Highlandtown,” said Heather Keating the organization’s branding and communications manager. “We try really hard to work with the community that’s here.” Eight artists live and work in studios inside the building, and the organization offers free art and English classes to community members. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: “It’s convenient,” said Phyllis Savoy, 47, who teaches dance at the Creative Alliance on Eastern Avenue. She’s lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and likes that she can walk to work, and has easy access to grocery stores, nail salons and public transportation. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Devin Fowlkes, left, manager His & Her Perfections Barbershop, praised the diversity of the neighborhood. “Like me, I’m Afro-Latino.” (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: “I just got down here and I do not wanna be anywhere else,” said Sam Green, a barber and artist. “It’s way more relaxing” than other neighborhoods, he said. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: A mural on the south side of Eastern Avenue — technically just below the neighborhood’s border, but no matter — depicts the history of the neighborhood. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Ever Castillo, 45, originally from Guatemala, said more Latinos have been coming to Highlandtown from the Fells Point area due to cheaper rents. Overall, he said, life is good for them here. “The only concern is about the crime. Other than that we have opportunity to live, we have opportunity to have fun … there’s a lot of restaurants. Every weekend is full of people. We are always busy.” (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: A stylist takes a break at Castillo & Villegas, one of the many salons in Highlandtown. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Undated photo of Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Draft registration line in Highlandtown, photo dated October 19, 1940. (Baltimore Sun)

: October 22, 1950 – SUCH IS LIFE IN BALTIMORE – Highlandtown — Some serious problem apparently was getting this couple’s consideration, but the baby was just “out for the ride,” with never a cry. (Hans Marx/Baltimore Sun)

: Man and horse carrying ice in Highlandtown, photo dated April 14, 1970. (Baltimore Sun)

: Feb 05, 1985 Photo by Ellis Malashuk/The Baltimore Sun Staff – File Photo. Feature of Mathew’s Pizzaria in Highlandtown. Frank Ciociolo and Jenny Perticone w/ portrait of Matthew Ciociolo in background.

: Eastern Avenue, photo dated April 14, 1970. (Baltimore Sun)

: BALTIMORE, MD. — 9/08/99 — Haussners Restaurant , which has said publicly that they will close at the end of the month, during a weeknight. Haussners is located at the corner of Eastern Ave. and Clinton St. Photo by Karl Merton Ferron/Staff. (Photo scanned 9/9/99)

: Baltimore,Md.–Highlandtown. Eastern Ave., once the premier shopping area on the East side now is a potpourri of older businesses and newer discount stores and businesses. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Baltimore,Md–10/5/98–Photo by Jed Kirschbaum/staff– Eastern Ave in Highlandtown is a colorful and contrasting mix of businesses.

: Baltimore,Md–6/25/01–photo by Jed Kirschbaum/staff– The rowhouse rooftops of Highlandtown, part of Sfikas’ district, borders the eastern edge of Patterson Park.

: Alberto Lesner with a sheet of conchas, a type of Latin American sweet bread, which he sells at his shop on Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown. The shop, one of several Latin “panaderias” in the neighborhood, sells a variety of El Salvadoran and Mexican treats. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Panaderia Don Berto on Eastern Avenue is run by Alberto Lesner, originally from Nicaragua. He opened the shop a year and a half ago. Overall, he said, the economic situation is better in Baltimore than in his home country, however he faces challenges here. He said his shop was robbed at gunpoint two weeks ago, and the gunman stole the contents of the cash register. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Bora Mounesh, originally from Congo, stands with her sleeping baby on Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown. The diverse neighborhood is home to several organizations that help immigrants and refugees establish lives in the United States, including the International Refugee Committee. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Blurry marks on the counter show where people’s arms have rubbed against the laminate over the decades at G&A Restaurant on Eastern Avenue. The food and décor have changed little since the restaurant opened in 1927. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: “It’s always been a good neighborhood,” Andy Farrantos, owner of G&A Restaurant, said of Highlandtown. “I say that with a big smile on my face.” His restaurant’s famous “Coney Island hot dog” – a frankfurter topped with hamburger and raw onions – has been featured on the Food Network. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: DiPasquale’s, an Italian grocer on Gough Street, has been open since 1914. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: The corner bar is a venerable — and ubiquitous — institution in Highlandtown, a diverse neighborhood in east Baltimore. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Many of the corner shops in Highlandtown are now run by members of the area’s growing Latino community. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

You could eat your way through world history in Highlandtown. Start with a fat jelly donut from Hoehn’s, which opened in 1927. Make room for a classic Coney Island hot dog — topped with chili, mustard and onions– from G&A Restaurant, which opened that same year. For a late lunch, head to DiPasquale’s – which has served up salami and other Italian delights since the early 1900s. And cap off your day with a hard-earned brew at the Venice Tavern, which opened just after the end of Prohibition.

But don’t get the impression that Highlandtown is stuck in the past. Its present is just as vibrant, as immigrants are coming from Latin America, Africa and elsewhere and bringing with them elements of their home cultures. Salvadoran and Mexican tamales and tortas can be found at panaderias like Don Betos on Eastern Avenue. African Americans and Latinos run hair salons and barber shops, and after work neighbors unwind at a range of artisanal bars, dives and discotheques.

“The people just melt very well,” said Andy Farantos, owner of G&A Restaurant – home to that famous Coney Island hot dog. “Usually neighborhoods in transition – it gets ugly,” he said. But Highlandtown has managed to embrace the old and new together.

Like many Highlandtowners, Farantos’ roots are elsewhere. His relatives moved to Baltimore from Greece – with a stopover in Coney Island, where they got the inspiration for their own restaurant. “They were really straight-off-the-boat immigrants,” he said. He added that the Greek immigrants who once lived in the area lovingly called it “Khayatown.” “Khaya” means “mess” in Greek.

Despite the messiness, one might be hard pressed to find a bigger booster of the neighborhood than Farantos, 51 – which he, like many old timers, pronounces “Hawlin-town.”

“It’s always been a good neighborhood. I say that with a big smile on my face.”

Highlandtown: Exploring Baltimore’s neighborhoods

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