Location History

Branch 1 Freemont or Pitcher Street 1938

Pitcher Street Branch

1886-1957

The Pitcher Street branch opened on March 15, 1886 at the corner of Fremont Avenue and Pitcher Street. The branch was closed in March 1957, and was converted into a church in 1974.

Hollins-Payson Branch

1886-1964, 1964-2001

The Hollins-Payson branch was opened on March 8, 1886 at Calhoun and Hollins streets. The original building was closed in 1964, and a replacement building was opened at 31 South Payson Street. A quote from author, columnist, and frequent Hollins-Payson branch patron H.L. Mencken was added above the entrance, reading “No man can get anywhere in this world in any really worthy and endurable manner without some recourse to books.” The branch was closed in 2001.

Branch 3 Light Street at Gittings Street

Light Street Branch

1886-1971, 1971-

The Light Street branch was opened February 27, 1886. The original building (pictured) was closed in 1971, and a replacement building was opened that same year at Light and Ostend streets. The Light Street branch still serves the Federal Hill, Locust Point, and Otterbein areas.

Canton Branch

1886-

The Canton branch was opened at Ellwood Avenue and O’Donnell Street on February 15, 1886. Nearly a century after its opening, the building was restored in 1894 and still stands today.

Broadway / Orleans Street Branch

1886-1971, 1971-

Opened in 1888, the Broadway branch was located at North Broadway and Miller streets. In February 1971, the original building closed and a new building opened at Broadway and Orleans streets. In 2007, the branch was relocated again to the corner of Orleans Street and Central Avenue, and is now known as the Orleans Street branch.

Peabody Heights

1896-1997

The Peabody Heights branch was opened in 1896 at 2521 St. Paul Street. The branch was closed in 1997, and the building now houses a community center.

Hampden

1900-

The Hampden branch was opened on July 2, 1990 at 3641 Falls Road. The iron columns on the front porch were made by Poole and Hunt, a local foundry whose owner funded the construction of the building. On June 21, 2021 the Hampden Branch reopened following a two-year renovation featuring a new meeting room and office space and a ramp in the front, among other improvements.

Walbrook

1903, 1907-1957, 1957-

The Walbrook branch began in 1903 when Pratt started using a streetcar waiting shed to dispatch books to the community. In 1907, the branch moved into a former church building, and became the first public building in Walbrook. A new building was opened at 3203 West North Avenue in April 1957, which still houses the Walbrook branch today.

Locust Point

1900-1957

The Locust Point branch began in 1900 as a book delivery room in a Hull Street store, and moved into a building at Towson and Beasons streets in 1910. In 1928, the branch was moved to the Francis Scott Key School, where it remained until the branch closed in 1957.

Oldtown

1902-1938

The Oldtown branch opened in October 1902, in a room in a Provident Savings Bank location on Gay and Mott streets. The branch later moved to 622 Aisquith Street in 1928. One of the first branches to have shelves open to the public, the branch closed in 1938.

Northwood

1960-

Located at 4420 Loch Raven Boulevard, the Northwood branch was dedicated on April 20, 1960. The location still serves Northeast Baltimore communities today.

Branch 11 South Central Branch construction 1921 1950

Central Avenue / South Central

1904-1960

The Central Avenue branch opened at Central Avenue and Watson streets on November 23, 1921. Prior to the Central Avenue building opening, the branch was housed in a rented room in Maccabean house while World War I halted permanent branch construction. The branch was eventually closed in 1960.

Branch 15 Homestead interior 1911 1971 2

Homestead / Waverly

1911-1971, 1971-

The Homestead branch opened at 1442 Gorsuch Avenue in December, 1911. The branch was relocated and renamed to the Waverly branch when a new building opened at Barclay and 33rd streets on April 22, 1971.

Mount Claire

1909-1960

The Mount Claire branch was opened at Barre and Carroll Streets on May 22, 1909. This was the first branch to have a public meeting room and entirely open public shelving. It was closed in 1960.

Patterson Park

1910-

The Patterson Park branch opened on April 9, 1910 at Linwood Ave and Fayette Street. The branch was enlarged in 1954, and still stands today.

Forest Park

1910-

Opened on November 29, 1910 at Garrison Boulevard and Calloway Avenue, the Forest Park branch is still in operation today.

Keyworth Avenue

1912-1980s

The Keyworth Avenue branch was opened in September 1912 at 2610 Keyworth Avenue. The building closed in the 1980s.

Easterwood / Pennsylvania Avenue

1914-1953, 1953-

The Easterwood branch was opened at 2217 West North Avenue on June 26, 1914, and was closed in 1953. A new building was opened January 1953, and was praised for its modern design and use of expansive plate glass windows. The Pennsylvania Avenue branch has remained in operation ever since.

Clifton Park

1916-

The Clifton branch was opened at 2001 Wolfe Street on November 16, 1916. An addition was built in 1958 for the bookmobile’s office and garage. The branch is still in use today.

Fells Point

1922-2001

The Fells Point branch was opened April 21, 1922 on 606-610 South Ann Street. In the 1950s, librarians opened a library stall at the Broadway Market, bringing a selection of books, pamphlets, and magazines from the nearby branch. The branch was closed in 2001.

Hamilton

1920-1959, 1959-

The original Hamilton branch building opened at Hamilton and Richard Avenues in December 1920. After a World War II housing boom, a larger building was constructed and opened in January 1959. The Hamilton branch is still operational today.

Mt. Washington / Pimlico

1921-1951, 1952-1991

The Mt. Washington branch was opened in January 1921 at Smith and Greely avenues. The original building closed in 1951, and is now occupied by Baltimore Clayworks. In November 1952, the branch was renamed to Pimlico and relocated to Park Heights and Garrison avenues. The new location was closed in 2001.

Govans

1921-

The Govans branch was opened at 5714 Bellona Avenue in September 1921. The building was expanded in 1942 and renovated in 1993. The Govans branch is still open today.

Brooklyn

1921-1964, 1965-

The Brooklyn branch opened at Patapsco Avenue and 3rd street on October 15, 1921. In the first week of its opening, the library was so busy it was “nearly impossible to seat all who came to look and read,” according to a Pratt annual report. The original building was demolished in 1964 and was replaced by a new building, which still stands, in 1965.

Irvington

1924-1966

Opened at 214 South Loudon Avenue in January 1924, the Irvington branch was partially paid for through a fundraising effort from the Women’s Club of Irvington. It closed in September 1961.

Roland Park

1924-

The Roland Park branch was opened on June 10, 1924. In 1965, the citizens of Roland Park rallied against a proposed demolition of the building and it was instead fully renovated. The branch enjoys strong support from the Roland Park community to this day.

Gardenville

1926-2001

The Gardenville branch was opened at Belair Road and Quick Avenue in March 1926. The branch closed in January 2001, and now houses preschool program Head Start.

Westport

1929-1961

The Westport branch opened on January 22, 1929 at 2505 Annapolis Road. The branch closed in September 1961 after the community was severed by a newly-constructed highway.

Edmondson Avenue

1952-

The Edmondson Avenue branch opened on July 31, 1952 after lengthy campaigning by Edmondson residents. A citizens group formed the Neighborhood Library Group in 1943, which operated out of lending stations in various buildings until the permanent branch was constructed.

Herring Run

1963-

The Herring Run branch opened at Erdman and Elmora avenues on February 25, 1963.

Dundalk

1961-2001

The Dundalk branch was opened on October 3, 1961 at Dundalk and Bushey streets. The branch was closed in 2001.

Reisterstown Road

1967-

The Reisterstown Road branch opened on July 18, 1967. Located at 6310 Reisterstown Road, the building underwent an extensive renovation in 2011 and still serves the Northwest Baltimore community today.

Southeast Anchor Library

2007-

Opened on May 14, 2007, the Southeast Anchor Library is the first new library construction in Baltimore in more than 30 years. The library boasts over 27,000 square feet, more than 80,000 volumes, and a reading garden.