About Sudbrook Park

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1889, with assistance from his stepson John Charles Olmsted, Sudbrook was planned by Olmsted and its developer, The Sudbrook Company, to be a year-round suburban village.

Olmsted’s artful plan for Sudbrook took carriages over a narrow bridge above the rail line, after which five roads of continuous curvature fanned out. Landscaped “triangles” at intersecting roadways and greenspaces placed throughout the community provided picturesque areas and informal, shaded gathering spots for residents and holiday festivities.

Olmsted insisted on several deed restrictions, early precursors of later zoning laws, that governed lot size, setbacks and height, excluded commercial activities and required acceptable sanitation practices. The majority of lots were about an acre, but Olmsted also included smaller lots for the less affluent.

Opening in Spring 1890 with nine sample “cottages,” a rail station and Inn, Sudbrook quickly became popular for its beauty, clean air, pure water and Olmsted lineage. Many Baltimoreans, however, were slow to accept year-round suburban living. Undependable train service also dampened sales. A second wave of suburban development starting in 1938 filled in undeveloped areas and completed the community.

A portion of Sudbrook was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973; the National Register District and additional areas were designated Baltimore County Historic Districts in the 1990s.

Sudbrook has weathered many changes and battled threats from several major transportation projects since it was planned as an innovative “suburban village” by America’s foremost landscape architect. Thanks to Olmsted’s genius, as well as decades of dedicated residents, Sudbrook remains a beautiful, cohesive community and ongoing “respite for the spirit.”