THIS IS a cry for help:
West Baltimore's Lafayette Square - once one of the city's most glorious spots - is threatened.
The number of vacant buildings is growing. Among them is a mansion a builder renovated for his family. It is now abandoned and open to the elements. This deterioration must be stopped.
This downward spiral is heartbreaking. It cancels out recent investments by St. James Episcopal Church in the neighborhood. That congregation is just one of several prominent churches ringing the square, whose notable recent residents have included former Rep. Parren J. Mitchell.
The city acquired Lafayette Square in 1857, about the same time nearby Union and Franklin squares were created in what then was open countryside. An early wave of suburbanization followed. Lafayette Square became an address for rich merchants. Among its now-vanished landmarks was a Victorian fantasy castle that housed a precursor of today's Towson University.
A decade ago, Lafayette Square seemed to be on its way up. With city help, new apartments were built, and big, old townhouses were converted into condominiums. Nevertheless, middle-class flight continued, resulting in more vacant houses.
In the long run, Lafayette Square may benefit from the new Heritage Crossing townhouse development that recently broke ground some seven blocks to the southeast. At the rate Lafayette Square is deteriorating, though, much of its charm could be lost by then.
Emergency intervention is needed. The square's many churches should spearhead it, with assistance from the city.
