Fells Point Featured Apartment:
Baltimore-Fells Point - We've got a newly-renovated one bedroom unit in Fells Point that has a great layout for roommates who need their privacy but also need a one-bedroom sized rent. In this apartment, we've put a door on the living room, so it can be used as a second bedroom. View More Listings -->
About Fells Point
Fells Point is a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, home to a variety of shops, restaurants, coffee bars, music stores, and over 120 pubs. Located on the harbor and famous for its maritime past, it now boasts the greatest concentration of pubs/bars in the city. This waterfront community is a much-visited location in Baltimore, accessible by water taxi, freeway, and several bus lines. The neighborhood has also been the home of large Polish, Irish, and Mexican-American populations throughout it history. In recent years an ever-greater number of yuppies have also moved into the neighborhood, being brought in by the gentrification of the area. Fells Point is one of several areas in and around Baltimore that are listed on the National Register of Historic Districts.
Founded in 1730 by William Fell, who was attracted by its deep water and
proximity to agriculture and thick forests, Fells Point became a shipbuilding
and commercial center. About 1763, William's son Edward Fell laid out streets
and began selling plots for homes. The town grew quickly, and eventually
incorporated with Baltimore Town and Jones Town in 1797 to form the City of
Baltimore. The area grew wealthy on the tobacco, flour, and coffee trades
through the 18th and 19th centuries.
Some of the first vessels commissioned for the US Navy were built in Fells Point
yards, including the USS Constellation in 1797. However, the area became best
known for producing topsail schooners, also called Baltimore clippers, renowned
for their great speed and handling. They were excellent blockade runners, and
were frequently used as armed privateers. The Pride of Baltimore II is based on
the Chasseur, built by Thomas Kemp, which was one of the most successful
privateers built in Fells Point.
During the War of 1812, Fells Point built and supported dozens of privateers who
preyed on British shipping. Thus, Baltimore became a principle target of the
British during the war, which eventually led up to the bombardment of Fort
McHenry.
Another growth industry in Fells Point was immigration, and became a major point
of entry into the United States. Since jobs were plentiful in shipbuilding and
in the warehouses and factories, many of the immigrants stayed in Fells Point.
This added to the multi-cultural fabric of the area, but also caused the more
affluent to move into other parts of the city.
Fells Point remained a shipbuilding center until the Civil War, when it could no
longer accommodate larger ship designs. Likewise, the shipping industry slowly
moved away to larger facilities. The area transitioned into manufacturing, with
innovations in canning and packing. The neighborhood also escaped serious damage
during the Baltimore Fire of 1904 which destroyed the downtown area. Eventually
much of the manufacturing left the city, resulting in a decline in the
neighborhood until preservationists organized to save the area's historic
buildings.
In 1965, transit planners proposed to link I-83 and I-95 by building an elevated
highway along the north shore of the Baltimore harbor. This project would have
entailed extensive demolition within Fells Point, and the highway would have cut
off the remainder of the neighborhood from the waterfront. A freeway revolt
against the proposals was raised by local residents and derailed the project.
One of the leaders of the revolt was Barbara Mikulski, who would go on to become
a Senator from Maryland.
Fells Point achieved some fame as the central setting for the 1990s network
police drama Homicide: Life on the Street, and has been the site of many films
shot in Baltimore.
Fells Point, located to the East of the Inner Harbor, suffered extensive
flooding during Hurricane Isabel in September 2003.