TAPSI | North & Druid Hill – McCulloh Pavement Art Designs
February 2025 update: Thank you to local residents for sharing pavement art design inspiration last fall, voting on your favorite design options earlier this year, and providing additional feedback on the artwork! Based on two rounds of voting, the preferred crosswalk art designs are the alternate color schemes for Dogwood Delight at North Avenue and McCulloh Street, and Read Between the Ropes at North Avenue and Druid Hill Avenue. Special thanks to community artists JaVon Townsend and Zoe Roane-Hopkins for developing the designs!
Background
This transit safety and pedestrian improvement pilot project focuses on two intersections along W North Avenue at Druid Hill Ave and McCulloh Street. Proposed features include bus stop platforms bookended by bin blocks, bump outs with pavement art, flex posts, concrete planters, and additional placemaking elements to be determined through community engagement. All features are temporary measures to help us gauge what is most effective to improve safety and functionality of these intersections for the community, with the goal of catalyzing more permanent long term improvements based off project results.
Accessibility is paramount to the engagement process and usability of the final installation. The project team is collaborating with local leaders from the National Federation of the Blind, Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore City DOT, and Maryland Department of Disabilities to gather input on the functionality of the design for folks with disabilities. A 3D printed model with tactile components is enabling us to engage a wider range of community members, both in pop-up engagement and in dedicated meetings with folks with vision impairments.
Engagement timeline and local support
- July-September: Meetings with Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Maryland Transit Administration, and Maryland Department of Disabilities.
- October: Local stakeholder site walk, Concept presentation at WNADA’s Comprehensive Planning Meeting
- November: Outdoor Pop-Up Community Engagement Event held with local businesses, residents, and transit riders. Based on this input artists JaVon Townsend and Zoe Roane-Hopkins developed three pavement art design options for each intersection.
- December: Community canvassing and support from 90% of residents and business owner’s . Preliminary traffic calming plans submitted to DOT for review.
- December 2024 – January 2025: Three deign options for each intersection shared online and at community meeting for residents to select their preferred designs and provide additional feedback.
- February 2025: Alternate color schemes developed based on community feedback and shared publicly for a second round of voting between the original preferred designs and alternative color schemes for Dogwood Delight and Read Between the Ropes. Participants selected the revised color palettes for both designs.
Both installations are expected to be installed in the summer of 2025.
The project is funded by the West North Avenue Development Authority (WNADA), the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and the Baltimore Community Foundation. Graham Projects and OpenWorks lead design, engagement, and fabrication.
North Ave & Druid Hill Ave Pavement Art Design: Read Between the Ropes
Read Between the Ropes takes inspiration from the patterns made by the ropes of a boxing ring, turning geometric linework into a pattern evocative of West African textiles with a Pan-African color palette. The red triangular shapes also evoke book pages, representing Umar Boxing’s “No Hooks Before Books” motto and celebrating their commitment to education.
North Ave & McCulloh St Pavement Art Design: Dogwood Delight
Dogwood Delight draws inspiration from the flowering dogwood, a tree native to Baltimore, this design pays homage to the history of the flower shops that have been community staples on this corner, including Bonaparte’s Florist Shop and Fleurs D’Ave. The bright colors and wavy lines, representing leaf veins, are inspired by wax print fabric.
