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TR N EW S 288 SEPTEM BERâO CTO BER 2013 21 In 2010, the Maryland State Highway Administration(SHA) undertook a community safety and enhancementproject on two state highways, MD-140 and MD-194, in Taneytown, Carroll County. Popularly known as a âstreetscape,â the project was located within the Taneytown Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. Maryland SHAâs improvements to the inter- section and the historic district included parking, new side- walks, and landscapingâfeatures that often encourage business owners to make improvements to their historic build- ings. The Taneytown Historic District is at a significant cross- roads formed around the two state highways, with buildings from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. During the 18th cen- tury, inns and taverns stood at the crossroads, and railroad con- struction produced growth and prosperity on the east side of Taneytown after the Civil War. By the 1930s, local manufac- turing companies were shipping canned fruits and vegetables, as well as clothing, throughout the United States. As in many small towns in the late 20th century, the buildings occasion- ally were altered to accommodate new businesses, sometimes without regard for maintaining historic integrity. Taneytownâs downtown area, however, largely preserved its historic core. The proposed streetscape project had the potential of affect- ing archeological resources under the sidewalks. Maryland SHA normally would monitor the construction, but after con- sultation with the Maryland State Historic Preservation Offi- cer, the agency decided that the funds could be spent more usefully on a project to benefit Taneytownâs historic downtown core. In concert with Taneytownâs Economic Development Director and its Heritage Committee, Maryland SHA devel- oped interpretive panels and revised the walking tour brochure for the historic district. The revised tour pamphlet features 21 buildings near the townâs main crossroads. Owners of historic buildings have responded positively to the improvements. One owner has restored the ground-floor façade of a building to its original 19th century appearance, as shown in the before-and-after photographs at right. The proj- ect improvements have helped to sustain the historic features of Taneytownâs crossroads. The author is Senior Architectural Historian, Cultural Resources Section, Office of Planning and Preliminary Engineering, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore. Historic Preservation and Sustainability in Taneytown, Maryland A N N E E . B R U D E R Environmental Sustainability in Transportation Eckenrode Building (above) in August 2010, before restoration, and (below) in February 2013, after restoration. Baltimore Street in Taneytown, looking east, 1903. P H O TO S: A N N E E. B R U D ER, M A R Y LA N D SH A P H O TO : E D Z EPP, C O U R TESY O F TH E H ISTO R IC A L S O C IETY O F C A R R O LL C O U N TY