With the well-known neighborhoods of Guilford, Charles Village and Waverly surrounding it, one would think the tucked-away and lesser-known community of Oakenshawe could get lost in the shuffle.
But residents of the neighborhood would never let that happen.
They treasure it too much.
"It has beautiful trees, gorgeous gardens and people who are out and about," said Becky Bridger, co-president of the Oakenshawe Improvement Association. "I love the beauty, the diversity and the caring neighbors."
Located between University Parkway, Greenmount Avenue, Southway and Calvert Street, Oakenshawe is directly across the street from Union Memorial Hospital and only steps away from the Johns Hopkins University and Charles Village.
The neighborhood is an example of an early 20th-century streetcar suburb, according to a historical profile put together by community leaders. The name dates back to an estate that was once located in the area and belonged to Henry Wilson. In 2003, Oakenshawe became a designated National Register Historic District.
Residents' love for their neighborhood was recently put on paper in the form of a community map for the exhibit Maps on Purpose, held at the Walters Art Gallery and sponsored by the community arts organization Art on Purpose.
With small streets, mature trees, front porches and well-landscaped front yards, Oakenshawe has the feel of an English garden community with the convenience of being located in the heart of the city.
"People care about each other. They take pride in their neighborhood and maintain it," said Bridger.
Perry and Becky Bridger, who together serve as co-presidents of the improvement association, are raising three small children in Oakenshawe. Becky Bridger says the neighborhood includes several young families and serves as a fabulous place to bring up children.
Housing stock "It's really just an idyllic setting in the heart of the city," said Wayne Curtis, a real estate agent with the Fells Point office of Long & Foster and an Oakenshawe resident for the past 11 years. "It's a place where people tend to come, they like it and they tend to stay."
Most of the residences that make up Oakenshawe were built between 1916 and 1925 and include three-story brick rowhouses in the Georgian Revival style. The houses are spacious with five bedrooms and two full baths. The neighborhood also includes semidetached, single-family and smaller rowhouses.
