Spring Break
Hostel provides B'more visitors with alternatives
Issue date: 11/1/07
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July was a busy month in Baltimore. The city played host to dozens of different events and festivals designed to help its citizens fill the endless summer hours. Camden Yards became the site for the African-American Heritage Festival, fireworks lit up the sky above the city on Independence Day, and on July 21, bookstores were overwhelmed with fans for the seventh Harry Potter book release.
Amidst these and many others, there was an additional celebration on July 1, one equally as anticipated: the reopening of the Baltimore Hostel.
"For any city to be prominent, to be proud of itself, it must have an international presence," Hostel Manager Matt Warfield said. "To have [a hostel] here really speaks to Baltimore and how it's coming up and changing."
Located on 17 W. Mulberry St., the original building was first established in 1857 and belonged to the Bennett family. In the past 150 years, the building has changed hands countless times. First it became a private home, then a sorority house and eventually a hostel in 1983.
"[The Hostel] closed in 1999 because of a number of things ... bad management, the neighborhood and the fact that Our Daily Bread was so close by," Warfield said. "When they decided to reopen the building, they had to decide between an upscale international hotel and the hostel."
After briefly serving as an apartment building in 1999, the hostel was shut down and renovated. A volunteer group called the Friends of the Baltimore Hostel was founded. They donated time, effort and money to restore the building, creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere with new paint, carpets and a new attitude.
"A lot of the volunteers have met their significant others through hostelling," Warfield said when asked why the group decided to revive the hostel. "You get to meet a lot of different people."
A map of the world stretches out along the staircase, inviting guests to the rooms upstairs. In the spacious common room, a welcoming collection of mismatched furniture sits in two or three smaller groups, arranged around antique fireplaces and a grand piano. Glass-top tables are covered with pamphlets about Baltimore, as well as international items collected by various artists.
Amidst these and many others, there was an additional celebration on July 1, one equally as anticipated: the reopening of the Baltimore Hostel.
"For any city to be prominent, to be proud of itself, it must have an international presence," Hostel Manager Matt Warfield said. "To have [a hostel] here really speaks to Baltimore and how it's coming up and changing."
Located on 17 W. Mulberry St., the original building was first established in 1857 and belonged to the Bennett family. In the past 150 years, the building has changed hands countless times. First it became a private home, then a sorority house and eventually a hostel in 1983.
"[The Hostel] closed in 1999 because of a number of things ... bad management, the neighborhood and the fact that Our Daily Bread was so close by," Warfield said. "When they decided to reopen the building, they had to decide between an upscale international hotel and the hostel."
After briefly serving as an apartment building in 1999, the hostel was shut down and renovated. A volunteer group called the Friends of the Baltimore Hostel was founded. They donated time, effort and money to restore the building, creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere with new paint, carpets and a new attitude.
"A lot of the volunteers have met their significant others through hostelling," Warfield said when asked why the group decided to revive the hostel. "You get to meet a lot of different people."
A map of the world stretches out along the staircase, inviting guests to the rooms upstairs. In the spacious common room, a welcoming collection of mismatched furniture sits in two or three smaller groups, arranged around antique fireplaces and a grand piano. Glass-top tables are covered with pamphlets about Baltimore, as well as international items collected by various artists.
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