Rodgers Forge, Maryland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Rodgers Forge Historic District
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Stanmore Road, Stevenson Lane, York Road (Md. Route 45), Overbrook Road, and Bellona Avenue, north of Baltimore, Maryland |
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| Area | 150 acres (61 ha) |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Beall, Frederick; James Keelty & Sons |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Modern movement |
| NRHP reference No. | 09000783 |
| Added to NRHP | September 24, 2009 |
Rodgers Forge is a national historic district located southwest of the unincorporated Towson area and county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland, just north of the Baltimore City/County line. It is mostly a residential area, with rowhouses, apartments, single-family dwellings, and a new complex of luxury garaged townhomes. The area also has a small amount of commercial development. It is located just south of Towson University. 21212 is the postal code for Rodgers Forge.
In 2004, Rodgers Forge gained international attention as the home of Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps. In 2013, Rodgers Forge was ranked by Baltimore Magazine as one of the top neighborhoods in Baltimore County. The magazine also named Rodgers Forge as one of the 10 "best-kept secret neighborhoods" in Baltimore metropolitan area for its "strong public schools, thriving community organizations, and easy access to shopping and entertainment in Baltimore and Towson." Rodgers Forge has also been consistently ranked as one of the safest Baltimore neighborhoods, according to the website and online database NeighborhoodScout.
History
Rodgers Forge was built on what was known as the Dumbarton Farm, which, in the 19th century, was owned by Johns Hopkins, founder of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Rodgers Forge takes its name from the blacksmith shop of George Rodgers, built in 1800, that was once located on the southeast corner of York Road and Stevenson Lane. In 1934, builder James Keelty (Sr.) began work on the Rodgers Forge neighborhood, and constructed over 600 red brick rowhouses until World War II stopped development. After the war, work resumed under the direction of Keelty's two son's James Keelty Jr. and Joseph Keelty. 1,777 homes were completed by 1956.
In 2009, the entire neighborhood of Rodgers Forge was listed in National Register of Historic Places due to "its unique status as a well-preserved example of early to mid-20th Century community design and architecture." According to the official citation:
The Rodgers Forge Historic District is architecturally significant as a prototypical example of a type of suburban rowhouse development which characterized the region during the late 1920s through the mid-1950s, and is especially noteworthy for the quality of its planning, architecture, and construction... Rodgers Forge stands as the most architecturally accomplished of all of the Early American-style rowhouse neighborhoods built in the greater Baltimore area during these years.
Today, about 4,000 people live in Rodgers Forge, which is now considered among the Baltimore area’s "most sought after locations for families."
