East Baltimore’s green crown is Patterson Park — 137 acres of rolling lawns, and at its highest point, one of the most whimsical buildings in America: the Patterson Park Pagoda. Built in 1891 as an observation tower in the era’s fascination with Asian design, the four-story pagoda (topped with an Oriental dome and weathervane) rewards the climb with sweeping views from downtown to the bay.
The park around it is the neighborhood’s everything: a public pool and ice rink in season, tennis and basketball courts, a boat lake, recreation fields, a dog park and the Creative Alliance’s art-filled Patterson Theater down the avenue. Volunteers of the Friends of Patterson Park keep it thriving; on summer evenings the whole east side seems to be here at once.
The Pagoda opens for climbs on Sunday afternoons in season (spring through fall), free of charge. The park is bounded by Baltimore and Linwood avenues in East Baltimore.
