School No. 59 Reunion to be Held at Beth Tfiloh Congregation

February 21, 2023 JMORE Staff

School No. 59, Louisa May Alcott Elementary, was built in 1910 and designed by prominent architect Otto G. Simonson.

The memories of Baltimore’s School No. 59, Louisa May Alcott Elementary School, are legion among its alumni: the caring teachers and beloved classmates; the old blackboards, assembly hall and staircases; the glass-and-wood paneled doors with transoms, the tin ceilings and polished maple floors.

Not to mention the countless coddies and chocolate sodas consumed at nearby Sidlen’s drugstore and the barstools at Gleiman’s Pharmacy, as well as simply hanging out and having fun at the Towanda Playground.

For the alumni known as “59ers,” the former school — located at Reisterstown Road and Keyworth Avenue, and now an apartment house for seniors — is sacred ground and represents a wonderful moment frozen in their collective consciousness.

Gil Sandler — The late Baltimore author and historian Gilbert Sandler attended School No. 59 in the 1930s. (File photo)

On Sunday, Apr. 23, all former students and alumni of the fabled school are invited to a nostalgic kosher brunch and reunion program. The reunion will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at Beth Tfiloh Congregation, 3300 Old Court Rd. in Pikesville.

Over the years, many reunion gatherings of School No. 59 have been held at various venues, but the numbers in attendance have dwindled over time.

“This could be our last time to all get together,” said Karen Kantor Egorin, the reunion committee’s chair and a 1959 graduate. “This could be our last big hurrah for this magnificent building and the magnificent people who spent their life there.”

Located at 2702 Keyworth Ave. in the lower Park Heights neighborhood of Northwest Baltimore, School No. 59 was built in 1910 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The school closed in the 1970s and was used in multiple fashions over the years, including as regional administrative offices for the city’s Department of Education.

The four-level, Colonial Revival structure was designed by prominent architect Otto G. Simonson, a German-born Jew, and named after the 19th-century American novelist and abolitionist best known as the author of the classic “Little Women.”

Among the school’s notable alumni were the late Baltimore author and historian Gilbert Sandler, restauranteur Lenny Smith of Lenny’s Deli, and local caterer Leonard Schleider.

The cost for the reunion is $59 per person. For information, email kegorin@hotmail.com.