1993: The Last Year of the Cultural Arts Program

Eubie Blake Cultural Arts Center before the fire of 1993, circa 1990s. Robert Breck Chapman Photographs.

The Sun Newswatch Commentary Article by Wiley A. Hall for The Baltimore Sun, June 22, 1993. Robert Breck Chapman Photographs.

January 16, 1993: “Africa’s Legacy in Mexico,” exhibit by nationally known photographer, Tony Gleaton, opens at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.

February 20, 1993: As federal funding declines for the city, local officials announce a search for alternative public and private support for the continuation of the Cultural Arts Program.

March 22, 1993: “God Bless the Child, A Tribute to Billie Holiday,” is held at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.

April 14, 1993: “African Americans and American Jews,” exhibit opens with CAP sponsorship.

Letter to Supporters on Eubie Blake's 111th Birthday by the Eubie Blake Cultural Center, January 26, 1994. Robert Breck Chapman Photographs.

June 6, 1993: A fire destroys the Eubie Blake Cultural Center on North Charles Street. The fire has a devastating impact on the Cultural Arts Program. Within a few months, all neighborhood CAP programs close and the 409 North Charles Street location never re-opens. In the aftermath of the fire, a private non-profit corporation is founded and eventually opens the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center on Howard Street.