Canton, Baltimore
Canton is a historic waterfront neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The neighborhood is along Baltimore's outer harbor in the southeastern section of the city, roughly east of Baltimore's downtown district and next to or near the neighborhoods of Patterson Park, Fell's Point, Highlandtown, and Brewers Hill.
Canton is considered one of Baltimore's trendiest and vibrant neighborhoods, known for its family-friendly community, urban lifestyle and hot spot for the social scene. The inclusive neighborhood continues to see rapid growth as more development opportunities come into the area. Since the late 1990s, the neighborhood has undergone significant gentrification and has been ranked the 16th most-gentrified zip code in the nation from 2000 to 2016.
History
Before 1785
For several hundred years before 1608, the land including Canton is likely in the geographic sphere of influence of the ancestors of the contemporary Piscataway Peoples. The area that is now Canton, east and south of the Fall Line, would be used for fishing and cultivation. In 1608, John Smith reported the area to be uninhabited, but this is thought to be due to recent conflict with the Massawomeck people from the north. In 1652, the Susquehannocks are forced to cede their control over the land between the Patuxent and Susquehanna rivers, including what is now Baltimore and Canton. In 1782, the borders of what would become Canton are defined on the west side when Baltimore City annexes the area west of Harris Creek.1785-1828
In 1785, Irish merchant and slave owner John O'Donnell settled in Baltimore after arriving on the ship "Pallas" from Calcutta and the Chinese port of Guangzhou, then called Canton by English speakers. When O'Donnell purchased land, he named his plantation Canton. When O'Donnell died in 1805, the probate inventory of his estate includes 48 enslaved persons, including several infants, with their name, race, age, sex, dollar valuation, and other notes. On April 5, 2021, after a successful campaign by neighborhood groups, O'Donnell's statue was removed.A major feature of early Canton was Major David Stodder's shipyard, located at Harris Creek, with the most famous vessel built being the USS Constellation in 1797.
In 1825, The Erie canal is completed, opening up new competition for Baltimore in trade and commerce.
1828-1966
In the beginning of the 19th century, O'Donnell's land was sold off by his son Columbus O’Donnell, William Patterson and Peter Cooper, and was developed by the Canton Company for the waterfront industry and blue-collar housing.During the early 19th century, European immigrants settled in the area. Welsh immigrants, primarily workers from South Wales, began settling in Baltimore in large numbers beginning in the 1820s. Welsh and Irish migrant workers composed a large portion of Baltimore's working class during the early and mid-1800s. In 1850, a large community of copper workers from Wales settled in the neighborhood. These workers established a Presbyterian church in 1865, located on Toone Street in Canton. Subsequent groups of immigrants have included Germans, Poles and Ukrainians. On a Residential Security Map in 1937, most of the Canton neighborhood is classified as D/Fourth Grade, or classified industrial, along with the majority of central Baltimore. In 1957, Baltimore's Harbor Tunnel opens, connecting East Baltimore to South Baltimore and eliminating the “Baltimore Bottleneck” from Philadelphia and The South. At 1.4 miles long, 17.6 miles including approaches, it costs $144 million to build and is the longest twin-tube trench tunnel in the world when it opens.
July 19, 1960, The Canton Company becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of International Mining Co.
1966-present
As a part of the urban renewal highway plan for Baltimore City, in January 1966 the Baltimore City Council passed a condemnation bill for the construction of I-83 along the Boston Street, which would have cut the neighborhood off from the waterfront.By 1960, in hopes of making irreversible progress toward that goal, Baltimore City demolishes 215 houses between Boston and Elliott Streets and Linwood and Lakewood Avenues. Gloria Aull and Barbara Mikulski starts the Southeast Council Against the Road to protest construction of the East-West Expressway through Canton, Fells Point, Federal Hill, and other communities. Mikulski is elected to the City Council in 1971, and this effort to stop the highway is ultimately successful.
In 1980, the Canton Historic District is added to the National Register of Historic Places. And later that year, the statue of John O'Donnell that was later removed was installed, after Baltimore City paid local artist Tilden Streett $20,000 for the commission.
Starting with the Anchorage Townhouses in 1984 and continuing through the 2000s, as industry moved out, new housing and marinas have been developed along the waterfront and gentrification of the existing housing has occurred further inland. In 1990, Canton Waterfront Park and the Korean War Memorial are dedicated, replacing a railroad yard and cargo pier, closed many years prior, of which a car float is the only remaining structure. The Korean War Memorial incorrectly shows the border of North and South Korea at the 38th parallel instead of the DMZ, but the designer of the map, Dr. Randall Beirne of UMB, declines to correct the error.
Canton's role in resisting integration and public housing in the 20th century was well-documented, up to a 1992 public meeting that shut down plans to add an affordable housing project after over 700 residents "shout down City officials" presenting the proposal. A highly circulated flier before the event claimed untruthfully that the city was building a “high rise housing project” that would “destroy your property value and fill Highlandtown with the drugs, crime, and violence.”
Canton is home to a section of the planned Red Line along Boston Street to when it would turn North toward Hopkins Bayview. Development along the path of the proposed line, after it is shut down by Governor Larry Hogan in 2015, has left the future path of the Red Line unclear after its revival in 2023.
The Shops at Canton Crossing
The Shops at Canton Crossing is a lifestyle shopping center in Canton, Baltimore Maryland, United States. It features over 40 local and national tenants.As of 2025, the shopping center's current tenants include Target, Harris Teeter, DSW, Chick-Fil-A, Michaels, Wonder Food Hall, Kneads, and Iron Rooster.
History
The Shops at Canton Crossing was built on the site of a former ExxonMobil oil refinery and bulk storage terminal that had operated there since the 1860s.ExxonMobil oil refinery and bulk storage terminal (1860s-2000s)
In the 1860s, the building began as a refinery, processing petroleum products, which lasted until 1893. In 1983, Standard Oil of New Jersey, the predecessor to ExxonMobil, utilized the "Main Terminal" for oil refining. The refinery itself was dismantled in the 1950s.In the 1980s, most of the refinery was gone, but the land was heavily impacted by decades of oil, groundwater contamination and significant soil, leading to ongoing environmental investigations and remediation efforts, including the installation of recovery wells which collected 100,000 gallons of oil in 1983.
The site transitioned to a terminal for storage and distribution of petroleum in 1965, which lasted until 1998. In 1998, the building closed permanently.
The Shops at Canton Crossing (2000s-present)
Pre-construction and development
In the 2000s, Canton Crossing LLC partnered with the Maryland Department of the Environment to clean up the site. After the site was cleaned up, Chesapeake Real Estate Group announced a $105 million plan to redevelop the site into a lifestyle shopping center called The Shops at Canton Crossing. The shopping center itself was constructed by The Leonard Kraus Company. The shopping center officially opened its doors on October 8, 2013.The shopping center is currently owned and managed by 28 Walker Development. The shopping center includes Baltimore's full-service Chick-Fil-A restaurant, which opened in April 2013.
A Nordstrom Rack opened at the shopping center in 2017.
However, the complex has undergone various tenant changes. In 2020, both Red Robin and On the Border closed their Canton Crossing locations, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. While their closures were said to be temporary, they became permanent and their signage was removed.
The former Red Robin space would be taken over by Uno Pizzeria & Grill, which opened in early 2021.
In July 2024, Atwater's closed its Canton Crossing location because of a lease disagreement with 28 Walker. The restaurant wanted a three-year lease, while the owners insisted for a five-year lease.The former Atwater's space was replaced by Kneads in the fall of 2024.
In August 2024, Uno Pizzeria & Grill closed their doors for unspecified reasons. This was the last Uno Pizzeria & Grill location in Baltimore after the Harborplace location closed in September 2022. After the tenant closed, there were no remaining Uno's locations in Baltimore, and the closest one available was in Ellicott City. In 2025, it was announced that the former Red Robin/Uno Pizzeria & Grill space was going to be taken over by Wonder, a New York-based food hall tenant.The space became the company's first location in Baltimore and had its grand opening on November 13, 2025.
On January 22, 2026, Athleta, a luxury workout brand store, shuttered its Shops at Canton Crossing location.
Notable incidents
2015 Farmstead Grill car collision and closure
On September 15, 2015, a woman crashed her car into the side of the Farmstead Grill restaurant. No one was injured, and the crash was accidental, but the damage was severe enough that it damaged a sewer line and caused significant structural damage.After the incident, the restaurant was closed permanently for repairs. It was replaced by Iron Rooster in late 2015.