Belair-Edison
Belair-Edison is home to charming brick row houses that are built to last. These classic porchfront houses, dating from 1920 to 1950, feature French doors, hardwood floors, and stained-glass windows. Attractive plantings and landscaping make the front and backyards comfortable places to relax or visit with friends. While today Belair-Edison is known for its classic porchfront rowhomes and expansive green space, a century ago it was known for its beer. In the mid-1800s, breweries were one of the main industries in this area. Brehms Brewery occupied more than 600 acres near Erdman Avenue and Brehms Lane. Underground tunnels have been found where the brewery stored its wares.
Green Space and Golf! Belair-Edison may have more green space than any other neighborhood in the city. Not only are there 300 acres of woods, stream, and paths at Herring Run Park, but there is also an 18-hole golf course at Clifton Park. Lake Montebello, which borders the neighborhood, offers scenic views and a track for walkers and bikers.
"Movies in the Park" Warm summer evenings welcome residents to free movie nights in Herring Run Park. Family-friendly movies are screened on the Herring Run Park Maintenance Shed, which, with a Healthy Neighborhoods Capital Grant, on behalf of Baltimore City, underwent a renovation, adding more beauty to the surrounding park space. For dates, click here.
Eat, Shop, Play! Belair-Edison's main intersection, Belair Road and Erdman Avenue, which was once a dusty crossroads at the center of the village of Georgetown, today marks the neighborhood's vibrant main shopping district. Part of Baltimore's Main Streets program, it is home to several restaurants, a brand new CVS, a new daycare and youth learning center, TOTS-N-BLOCKS, and a new chiropractic clinic, Bel-Edison Spine & Extremity Center. Click here for a directory of businesses. Belair-Edison also hosts many fun and community-friendly events throughout the year.
Bowling! In February Belair-Edison Neighborhoods, Inc., is hosting a bowling night at Seidel's Bowling Center, which was voted Best Bowling Alley by the City Paper. Did you know duckpin bowling is said to have started right here in Baltimore? Join the tradition when doors open at 7 pm. Call BENI at (410) 485-8422 for more information.
Bel-"Hair" Back-to-School Festival In September Baltimoreans participated in the Bel –“Hair” Back-to-School Festival. In celebration of its local hair salons, this festival featured the latest back-to-school fashions for kids.
Bow-Wow Powwow Dog Show In September, dogs and the owners who adore them gathered in Herring Run Park for the Bow-Wow Powwow Dog Show and competed in events such as Best Dressed, Dog/Owner Look Alike, and Best Trick.
Annual Golf Tournament In October, golfers participated in the Annual Golf Tournament at Clifton Park Golf Course, a municipal golf course and Baltimore’s first golf course. Foursomes played 18-holes and competed for various prizes including Best Foursome, Closest to the Pin & Longest Drive.
A Growing Neighborhood
Things started changing in the 1880s. As downtown industry expanded and the city's population increased, the middle class grew and suddenly there were more people who could consider owning a home. To meet the demand, Baltimore City starting annexing this area's land, which had been part of Baltimore County. By the 1920s, there was a building boom. Many homebuyers came to the young, growing neighborhood of Belair-Edison, attracted by the quality workmanship on the Welsh- and Novak-built brick homes, by the generous front and backyards, by the bucolic feel of the area. Today, some homes are still owned by the families who bought them when they were brand-new.
The homes west of Brehms Lane are the oldest homes, dating back to 1920s; the homes to the east were built in the early 1950s. The last homes to be built were at the northeast corner of the community, where residents had maintained victory gardens during World War II. At the site of Sinclair Lane Elementary School was a horse farm where residents could rent horses to ride through Herring Run Park. Erdman Avenue, near Sinclair Lane, was called "lover's lane" in earlier days.
Target Blocks
Houses located on the blocks listed below are eligible for acquisition rehab loans from the program.
4000-4100 Ardley Avenue
4000-4100 Balfern Avenue
3600 Brehms Lane
3400-3500 Brendan Avenue
2600-2800 Chesterfield Avenue
3300-3400 Chesterfield Avenue
3100-3500 Dudley Avenue
3900-4100 Dudley Avenue
3900-4000 Elmora Avenue
3400 Kentucky Avenue
3500 Kenyon Avenue
3900-4000 Lyndale Avenue
3300-3500 Parklawn Avenue
4200-4300 Parkside Drive
2600-2800 Pelham Avenue
Any vacant property resulting from a foreclosure
Belair Edison Schools
Elementary/Middle Schools
Brehms Lane Elementary - click for profile
City Neighbors Charter School - click for profile
St. Francis of Assisi - click for profile
High Schools
Archbishop Curley High School
Calvert Hall College - click for profile
Mercy High School - click for profile
Catholic High School - click for profile
Baltimore Polytechnic -click for profile
Baltimore School for the Arts - click for profile
Western High School - click for profile
Mergenthaler Vocational School - click for profile
For explanations of test scores and other indicators, as well as helpful links for education, click here.
Contact Information
Belair-Edison Neighborhoods, Inc.
Roy Miller
3412 Belair Road
Baltimore, Maryland 21213
Phone: (410) 485-8422
roy@belair-edison.org
Healthy Neighborhoods Data
The Belair-Edison housing market is thriving, with sales prices rising significantly in the last year in addition to units sold. Growing interest in the neighborhood combined with a strategy to curb predatory lending practices is helping to reduce the number of mortgage foreclosures.
On the target blocks,
- Median days on the market decreased 81%, dropping from 75 days in 2001 to 14 days through the first three fourths of 2006. From 2005 to 2006, median days increased slightly from 12 to 14.
- Median sales prices increased 92%, rising from $65,450 in 2001 to $125,500 as of 2006. From 2005 to 2006, median sales prices have increased from $90,250 to $125,500 and are currently above the Belair Edison Census tract ($120,000).
- The number of houses sold annually has increased from 94 to 130 from 2001 to 2005. There is a small increase of houses sold in 2005 to 2006 from 130 to 134 houses.
- Rehab investment activity over $5,000 has increased from 0.69% in 2003 to 1.17% in 2006.
- Foreclosures are on a steady decline from 5.09% in 2001 to 1.65% in 2006.
A complete report with profiles and updated data on this and several other Healthy Neighborhoods is available for download.