Upton (Baltimore, Maryland)

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Upton was one of the most affluent African American neighborhoods in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century and was home to most educated African American property owners in Baltimore. Pennsylvania Avenue was the premiere shopping strip for black Baltimorians, inspiring comparisons to Lenox Avenue in Harlem. It was home to professionals such as doctors and lawyers, retailers who served a middle class and upscale clientele, jazz clubs, dance halls, theaters, and other public and private institutions for the black community.

In the mid-20th century, Upton's population swelled due to the popularity of the neighborhood and the pressures of segregation that kept African Americans confined to certain areas. Single family homes were subdivided into small apartments, and Pennsylvania Avenue's sidewalks crowded on Saturday nights, as loud music and heavy drinking became popular vices of Upton residents. Upper income black families began abandoning the area for neighborhoods further from the center of the city. In the 1960s and '70s, controversial urban renewal projects destroyed much of Upton's historic architecture. The result ultimately only replaced a portion of what was removed.

Pennsylvania Avenue is now lined with sneaker shops, dollar stores, other low-rent commercial uses, and many abandoned storefronts. The Avenue Market sells produce and holds occasional events such as jazz shows. According to the city, 60% of Upton families with children under 5 are living in poverty. Many of the rowhouses in the neighborhood are vacant, either abandoned by their property owners or owned by the city.