Historic ‘Uplands Mansion’ Destroyed in Fire

The vacant Uplands Mansion in the Uplands community of Southwest Baltimore was destroyed in a fire overnight.

From Baltimore City Fire Department:

Around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, October 30, 2023, the Baltimore City Fire Department responded to the 5000 block of Old Frederick Road. Upon arrival, units reported an old vacant Victorian-style mansion fully involved in fire. Due to high winds intensifying the fire, the incident commander requested a 3rd alarm. At this time there are no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

About the mansion from Only in Your State:

This historic structure in the Baltimore area is known as Uplands Mansion. In the 1800s, it was the summer home of a socialite named Mary Frick Garrett Jacobs. Upon her death in 1936, Jacobs willed the estate to a local church and wished it to be used as “a home for lonely churchwomen, unable to provide for themselves.” After renovations, it was used for just that from the 1950s until the 1980s. A church sanctuary was later built on the grounds, was used for a few years, and then demolished in 2004.

The Uplands community has been undergoing a 63-acre redevelopment in recent years to replace a former apartment complex. A total of 178 for-sale homes by Bozzuto and 104 mixed-income rental apartments by Penrose have already been completely with Penrose currently constructing an additional 150 new affordable apartments. The community master plan calls for 719 new homes.

The investment had not yet spread to the Upton Mansion.

2019 picture on flickr from Baltimore Heritage/Eli Pousson

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.