CUMBERLAND — The mayor and City Council recently recommended expansion of the downtown’s historic district for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
The city’s move followed and agreed with a Cumberland Historic Preservation Commission opinion.
The National Register is the official list of historic properties recognized by the federal government for their significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture.
The move “simply expands the … federal historic district designation,” Cumberland Administrator Jeff Silka said. “It does allow the building owners and homeowners to access historic funding.”
In addition to grants, properties listed in the National Register can be considered for programs including federal tax provisions.
Now, the nomination will move through state and federal review processes.
The city’s existing downtown historic district is roughly bounded by Wills Creek to the west, the B&O Railroad tracks to the north and east, and the southern end of South Liberty Street.
According to preservation commission’s recommendation, the current historic area, listed in the National Historic District in 1976, “encompasses the core commercial and civic center of Cumberland” and reflect’s the city’s “emergence as a major regional industrial and transportation hub and the commercial corridor that served it.”
At that time, “the listing consisted of buildings representing the commercial, religious and civic interests in the downtown center,” the preservation commission said of structures including City Hall at 57 N. Liberty St., the Public Safety Building at 19 Frederick St., the Belltower Building at 24 Bedford St. and B’er Chayim Temple at 100 S. Centre St.
“Decorative brickwork — including arched brick window surrounds, ornamental cornices, and molded cartouches — is a signature feature across many structures,” the recommendation stated.
“Storefronts throughout the district retain elements of classical inspiration such as fluted pilasters, terrazzo foyers and ornamental ironwork, while upper façades display richly detailed arched windows, keystones and cornices.”
Architectural styles among buildings that range from three to six stories in the original boundary include “Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Renaissance Revival, Beaux-Arts, Art Deco and Colonial Revival.”
Later commercial development brought Art Deco and Art Moderne influences to the district through buildings including the Embassy Theatre at 49 Baltimore St., Spear’s Jewelry Store at 64 Baltimore St. and the Cumberland Office Supply Co. at 17 N. Liberty St.
“Locally manufactured materials such as white enameled brick from Mount Savage, and distinctive colored brickwork, further distinguish Cumberland’s downtown architecture,” HPC said.
“Despite some modernization, the majority of buildings maintain their original architectural detailing, fenestration patterns, and historic materials, preserving the historic visual character of Baltimore Street and the surrounding area.”
The boundary expansion will increase the district’s size to include adjacent mixed-use and residential neighborhoods to the north and west, the preservation commission said.
It will enlarge the boundary north to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad viaduct, Queen City Drive and the surface railroad tracks to the east, Wills Creek to the west, and includes 109 and 111 S. George St. to the south, the Cumberland Times-News building at 19 Baltimore St. to the east, and the residential blocks of Bedford, Polk and Hanover streets, the recommendation stated.
“The railroad continues to serve as a boundary to the east as the surface tracks and Queen City Drive create a distinct dividing line,” the HPC said.
“Together, the existing and expanded districts document the city’s layered architectural evolution and sustained civic and economic growth from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries,” HPC said.