Greektown, Baltimore
Baltimore neighborhood known for Greek restaurants and community.
Greektown sits in Baltimore, Maryland, bordered by Lombard Street, O'Donnell Street, South Haven, and I-895, with Eastern Avenue cutting through. A Greek American community has flourished here since the 1930s. Originally called The Hill, residents successfully petitioned the city council in the 1980s to rename it Greektown. A bridge scene from the film Diner was shot at Fleet and South Newkirk Streets, with the Crown Cork and Seal building visible. Revitalization efforts began in 2001.
Quick Facts
- Named for
- Greek-American ethnic heritage
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- A bridge shot in the Barry Levinson film Diner (at the 21:51 mark) was filmed at Fleet Street and South Newkirk Street, with the Crown Cork and Seal building in the background.
- In 2014 Greektown was home to around 600 families, down from a peak of around 1,000 families.
Today
As of 2010, Greektown is about 50.9% white, 22% Hispanic, 17.8% African American, 6.3% Asian, and about 3% all other. It is a thriving self-contained residential and business community consisting of single family town houses, noted for its many restaurants, authentic Greek coffee houses, bakeries and small businesses of many types. It is a diverse community of largely blue-collar people of numerous ethnic derivations. Greektown is mostly Greek and other European descendants, but also includes large numbers of people of Native American, Asian, African-American and Hispanic (particularly Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Dominicans, and smaller numbers of Guatemalans and Salvadorans) ancestry living in a low crime environment.
The Greektown Community Development Corporation was formed to revitalize Greektown by The St Nicholas Church. The 1000 member church parish council unanimously voted to appoint Col John E Gavrilis as its first Executive Director. Under his leadership a strategic plan to revitalize the community was published. The plan was near completed to include the revitalization of the Pemco property.
The neighborhood is home to many Greek restaurants and to the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. It is home to the annual Baltimore Greek Festival and Parade. Continuing the consecutive-alphabet scheme that originates in Highlandtown to the west, the north–south streets in this area are: Lehigh, Macon, Newkirk, Oldham, Ponca, Quail, Rappolla, Savage, Tolna, and Umbra. The neighborhood is served by Dr. John Ruhrah Elementary Middle School, a city-designated landmark building, built in 1930.
More in Restaurant Districts and Streets in the United States
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced