Washington Hill today is the Washington Hill of Betty Hyatt's youth, but in better condition.
"It was a multiethnic community" of lower- and middle-income residents, she said. "It was a mix, but mainly it was just working-class people, a lot of blue-collar, white-collar, but not the executives," said Hyatt, 76, who was born in the 1700 block of E. Fayette St., where she still lives.
While the Southeast Baltimore community may be in better repair now than in the beginning of the last century, it wasn't always that way. Some houses had been turned into apartment buildings and were beginning to show signs of wear even during Hyatt's youth. The deterioration escalated during World War II when more people moved to Baltimore to work in various war industries and the need for apartments increased.
The buildings "weren't meant to withstand that kind of use," Hyatt said.
By 1971, the city had designated 83 percent of Washington Hill housing substandard, with absentee landlords owning the majority of properties, according to Citizens for Washington Hill, the community organization Hyatt helped charter that year.
Hyatt and other community members, however, organized against the city's plan to raze most of the neighborhood and, with help from the Baltimore office of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, renovated the community. Now, Washington Hill is 78 percent owner-occupied, and 74 percent of the housing is rated above standard.
Of the hundreds of houses in the neighborhood, fewer than 30 are vacant, said Maureen Sweeney-Smith, executive director of Citizens for Washington Hill.
"We spearheaded all of the other development that's gone on around us," Hyatt said.
The community organization is still active, too.
"We don't really hear much from them, but it seems like that's indicative of the fact that it's kind of a stable neighborhood," said Robert Quilter, city planner for the area. "They seem to be very proactive as to what they're doing to keep the neighborhood in control."
Composed primarily of brick rowhouses, Washington Hill was named for Washington Medical College, which later became Church Home and Hospital. The neighborhood is bordered by Orleans Street on the north, Lombard Street on the south, Washington Street on the east and Central Avenue on the west.
