Ashburton, Baltimore

Ashburton is a middle class, predominantly African-American neighborhood in the Forest Park region of northwestern Baltimore City, Maryland. It is located near Liberty Heights Avenue and Hilton Street, and is characterized by mixture of single family housing and blocks of row houses. Construction began in 1920 on a farm owned by the prominent Gittings family of Baltimore, who were among the largest real estate holders in the city. It originally had covenants that could in-effect restrict Jews and blacks from owning homes, but these discriminatory practices were overturned by the state in 1929, and the community diversified, eventually becoming a bastion for prominent black professionals and politicians. The neighborhood is often described as suburban in character with stately homes, large lawns, slate roofs and mature trees.