Location 11/18
Catonsville’s Past, Present and Future
Location: Frederick Road and Bloomsbury – 701 Frederick Road
Artist:
- Master Artist – Edward Williams
- Organized by – Meg Tipper
Catonsville High School’s National Art Honors Society
- Maria Androutsopoulos
- Sarah Arndt
- Olivia Nicolaus
- Sydney Corbitt
- Molly Curry
Date Created: May 30, 2012
Composition
This mural celebrates the history of Catonsville: past, present, and future. The mural moves through time, beginning with a woman holding a parasol in front of one of Catonsville’s grand homes. A sepia-toned picture of Catonsville’s main street, circa 1890, showcases this area before automobiles were introduced. The next panel depicts a streetcar rolling down Frederick Rd. in 1963 and a group of Baltimore Colt cheerleaders. The final scene features fireworks exploding in the background, a marching band performing, and children sitting in lawn chairs, as many do for Catonsville’s annual July 4th parade.
Fanny Lurman
Frances “Fanny” Lurman circa 1897
1963 downtown
This picture of downtown Catonsville in 1963 was incorporated into the mural.
Interesting Details
- The woman in the white dress holding a parasol is Frances “Fanny” Lurman, circa 1897. She was the daughter of Gustav and Elizabeth Lurman. Fanny (1871-1950) was an accomplished equestrian. The Lurman Theatre is named after her family.
- The house pictured was K. Kirby Spencer’s home at 11 Beechfield Ave. To raise money for the mural, organizers solicited bids from homeowners to have their homes featured on the mural. Kirby was the highest bidders.
- The #8 Streetcars served Frederick Road in Catonsville from 1862 to 1963.
- The Alpha Theatre at 725 Frederick Road opened on March 1, 1928, as a single-screen theater seating over 500 people. It closed in the 1960s.
- The Volkswagen parked in front of the Alpha Theatre is reminiscent of Herbie, the Love Bug, a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle racing car which has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with The Love Bug in Driving the car is Meg Tipper, the organizer of the project.
- The Baltimore Colts Marching Band began performing on September 7, 1947, and has continuously operated ever since. In 1998, they adopted a new band name: The Marching Ravens Band.
- The woman watching the parade, wearing the tall red, white, and blue hat, is Kate N. Seville (say it three times), a mannequin who attends the parade every year. In recent years, she has been joined by a husband, a baby, and a dog.
Next stop
Welcome to Music City
Head back to Frederick Rd, head east for 3 blocks, and find the mural on the north side of the road at Glenwood Ave.
