We did it! This marked the 38th anniversary of the Baltimore Architecture Foundation’s (BAF) existence and commitment to Baltimore architecture and design.
But what happened this year? Let us reminisce! While the media was plagued with divisive stories, we at BAF found ways to love, to connect, to educate, and to explore. That is what Baltimore is about—that is what architecture and intentional design can help foster.
It started with myself taking on the role of the President of the Board from Nakita Reed who had served for the previous two years, pulling the organization through the tail end of the pandemic and setting us up for a bright future. Upon stepping in, I mostly panicked. I had no idea what I was doing! But, my love for this fickle city drove me to figure it out—and fast. I organized events to meet emeritus members to understand our history, I dove deep into our financial records, I learned and began to understand how we made it nearly forty years, and how so many other cities lost their foundations. We will not lose ours.
But how do we keep moving forward?
Well, similar to last year, we tried to stack the calendar with tours. From the large M&T Bank Stadium and CFG Arena down to the smaller, but extremely important, Squashwise opening up in Mount Vernon, we explored many prolific buildings of the Baltimore landscape. We also paired with Baltimore Design School as the Future Architect Resources Committee to sponsor a T-Shirt Design Competition!
In the summer we continued the tradition of City Sand, the sandcastle building competition, with MCB Real Estate. Design firms from across the city created sand sculptures representing what represents “authentic Baltimore.” Moseley Architects and Mahan Rykiel won the Golden Shovel and the Silver Pail, respectively.
Then we got to October. October is BIG for BAF. We started the month with our newest tradition, an event called “Love Letters Live!” where we invite storytellers to showcase a variety of voices, perspectives and special places in Baltimore. We learned about the history of the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Peale Museum, an intricate doorknob, the gayest triangle in the city, the inspirational work being spearheaded by Arica Gonzalez and her team of the Urban Oasis, and more! At our annual award ceremony, we recognized G Krug and Son Ironworks, Pamela and Christian Wilson and the Neighborhood Design Center for their major contributions to Baltimore. We concluded October with our signature event: Doors Open Baltimore. We had nearly 45 sites spread across the city and thousands of attendees!
These successes could not have been possible without the BAF Team: Lauren Bostic-Hill, Katherine Somerville, Nia Anthony and Grace Cantwell-Sweeney. Alongside our event planner, Nathalie Werebe, they have supported every event. I’d also like to thank our executive committee and our board for their continued service: Nakita Reed, Leah Carlson, Griffin Sanderoff, Ryan Jordan-Pfarr, Anthony Consoli, Barbara Gilbert, Jillian Storms and Randy Sovich.
We ended this year with a mission to expand our board. We’re in a time of growth again. With more people, we hope to put on additional programs, find new ways to connect, new ways to celebrate this city and its people. If you can see yourself working alongside us in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to hear your ideas.
We at BAF have a lot of love for this city and we look forward to sharing it with you, I hope you join us for all the things we’re cooking up for 2026.
With Love,
Kevin Miller
