For over 20 years, the 15 rowhouses from 430-620 East Biddle Street sat abandoned and dilapidated, windows broken and roofs collapsed. Once beautiful historic 3-story homes, these properties had become a symbol of the redlining and disinvestment that had plagued Johnston Square for generations. They also formed the first impression of the neighborhood for thousands of people who entered or passed through Johnston Square from Mid-Town Baltimore every day.
In 2024, ReBUILD revitalized these eyesores into Teachers Square, a vibrant new community for 45 local educators in need of affordable rental housing. Each Teachers Square home offers private bedrooms and bathrooms for 3 residents, along with shared living rooms, kitchens, and workspaces. The model: preserve and restore these buildings into a community of high-quality, affordable, and communal homes where Baltimore’s educators can live near the schools they serve, build relationships with one another, and support each other in fulfilling their common purpose of improving the futures of Baltimore’s children.
Beyond providing opportunities to these local unsung heroes, Teachers Square fulfills a core need of the surrounding Johnston Square community members as they guide the rebirth of their neighborhood. By restoring or removing 25 of the neighborhood’s vacant homes and eliminating vacancy in this section of Johnston Square (the project also facilitated the demolition of 10 unrecoverable abandoned homes on the intersecting block), Teachers Square has brought dozens of new socially minded residents to the neighborhood, infusing new vibrancy and life to a part of the community that had long been desolate and crime ridden. Now, when people enter Johnston Square, their first impression of the neighborhood is one of growth and transformation—a reflection of the community-driven revitalization that Teachers Square is helping to spark across the community.