Commission Votes To Preserve Site Of 1955 Sit-In
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore's preservation commission has voted to add the former Read's drugstore to a list of city landmarks.
The building was the site of a 1955 lunch counter sit-in that prompted the chain to serve all patrons, regardless of race.
The landmark designation takes effect immediately and protects the building from demolition for at least six months.
Tuesday's action by the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation goes against the wishes of Mayor
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and city redevelopment officials. The city has selected a group to build a $150 million development in a parcel on Baltimore's west side that includes Read's.
The developers have agreed to save two exterior walls of the building. Because of that, Rawlings-Blake has said she doesn't believe landmark designation is necessary.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
