Vera Shank Daycare / Native American Senior Citizens (1990 - 2017) 1623–1633 E. Lombard Street

The commercial property at this location actually spans 1623–1633 E. Lombard where there were once 6 individual houses.[1] The current structure was built in the late 1960s[2] and served as a blood bank, ca. 1979–1988.[3] The Baltimore American Indian Center acquired the property in 1990.[4] The Center’s Vera Shank Daycare occupied one half of the building and had a playground in the backyard. Once a major source of income for the Indian Center, the daycare was intended to provide employment for Indian mothers and a safe environment for Indian children to learn and grow together. It was named for Vera Shank, a Quaker woman and former colleague of Indian Center co-founder, Elizabeth Locklear (Lumbee).[5] The Native American Senior Citizens program occupied the other half of the building. “The Seniors” were a big support to the Indian Center. They held their own fundraisers, usually involving the sale of traditional foods, which they would also prepare weekly, on the premises, to eat and fellowship for hours on end. They hosted annual holiday parties and sponsored holiday meals for families of the community in need. They took trips to various destinations across the U.S. and worked together on traditional arts and crafts. The Center sold the property in 2017.[6]

1. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Baltimore City, Maryland. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 3, 1914. Collection of the Baltimore Department of Planning Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation.

2. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Baltimore City, Maryland. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 3, 1936, most recently edited in 1971. Collection of the Baltimore Department of Planning Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation.

3. See various Baltimore Sun ads, such as "Classified Ad 2 -- no Title." The Sun (1837-1994), Dec 18, 1984. https://search.proquest.com/docview/535732718?accountid=34685, and 1600 Lombard Street, Washington Hill. Photograph. Baltimore, Maryland, May 20, 1972. From the collection of the Baltimore City Department of Planning Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP).

4. Real Property Data Search, Baltimore City, 1623 E. Lombard Street, Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, Accessed August 7, 2019. https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov/RealProperty/Pages/default.aspx

5. See Eleanor B. Therien, “How the American Indian Study Center Began,” The Smoke Signal, no. 1 (January 1970): 5, and "OBITUARY: FINAL EDITION]." The Sun, May 10, 2001. https://search.proquest.com/docview/406483886?accountid=34685.

6. Real Property Data Search, Baltimore City, 1623 E. Lombard Street, Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, Accessed August 7, 2019. https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov/RealProperty/Pages/default.aspx