Rarely used outside the English muffin business, the phrase “nooks and crannies” was until very recently an everyday utterance for Denise Ashley, principal of Highlandtown Elementary/Middle School #237. With more than 700 students, her school was bursting at the seams, and she had students learning in every nook and cranny of the building, located at … Continue reading Five new classrooms provide much-needed space for Highlandtown students →

Chris Taylor believes in cities. “Being in the city allows you to reinvent yourself,” said the developer, who is in the process of reinventing the school attached to Our Lady of Pompei Church at Pratt and Conkling streets. The school building will be renovated to house 27 apartments, largely one-bedroom units but with a few … Continue reading Maverick developer places solid bet on Highlandtown →

The staff of Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition, Inc. (HEBCAC) didn’t want the name of their new neighborhood – Station East – to merely make prospective buyers smile. “Trust me, we laughed through that entire conversation,” remembered Edward Sabatino, executive director of HEBCAC, “but it turned out to be a good name.” With the … Continue reading Station…East? →

Imagine arriving at the retail business you had built up over 15 years, and discovering that 100 percent of your inventory had been wiped out, literally overnight. On April 28, Mario Diaz, who owns an athletic shoe and apparel shop in Highlandtown, was faced with this exact situation. One-hundred percent might be an exaggeration. Looters, … Continue reading Recovery initiative: Highlandtown’s business bounce-back →