Block Where Cab Calloway's Home Stands To Be Developed Into A Park, City Officials Confirm
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The former home of famous jazz musician Cab Calloway will be demolished.
This comes after efforts by Calloway's grandson and others to preserve the home.
The entire west Baltimore block where Calloway's former home is will be demoed. Now, a local nonprofit group that's planning the development of the property is planning to turn it into a park.
Calloway and his family moved to the house in the 2200 block of Druid Hill Avenue in 1918 when he was just a boy.
After years of neglect, however, Calloway's former home was deemed structurally unsound.
In 2016, people who lived in the Druid Hill neighborhood made a decision to develop the block into the park, and now, the city confirmed that will happen.
Supporters of the demolition say it will revitalize the neighborhood and offer live weekly entertainment and other community activities.
Opponents, like Calloway's grandson Peter Brooks, were working to stop the demolition and preserve the building.
"We're asking that the house not be demolished," Brooks had previously said.
Brian Hawkins, Developer and Special Advocate for Better Baltimore, says his plan would have been better economically for the city as opposed to costing $500,000 to demo the building.
"Why are we spending that kind of money to build a park when you can have an anchor and bring back the community block by block"? Hawkins said.
WJZ reached out to city officials to find out when the demolition of the building will happen, but have not yet heard back.
