A Brief History of Bolton Hill, Baltimore and Its Historic Row Houses

Published October 16, 2013

Find out why the historic area of Bolton Hill, Baltimore is named after the town of Bolton-le-Moors in England. Discover the history of the area and its beautiful Queen Anne style row houses, some of which still survive today.

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Do you know why it’s called Bolton Hill? Before we did a little research, we sure didn’t. So, here it is.

The area around Bolton Hill was originally owned by Baltimore merchant, George Grundy. He named his original estate home Bolton, which was located where the current Fifth Regiment Armory stands today. The name Bolton came from “Bolton-le-Moors” in England.

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Although estate houses were built in the area as early during the Revolutionary War era, the bulk of the development occurred between 1850 and 1900, with row houses in the Queen Anne style. Two of the oldest brick cottages from the area still survive at 204 W. Lanvale St. and 232 W. Lanvale St.