The Village Learning Place (VLP) is housed in a beautiful Victorian brick building. Visitors and patrons alike remark on the impressive masonry and storied hardwood floors which lead to a tranquil herb and flower garden out back. The structure itself — its design both utilitarian and artful — suggests resilience and creativity, making it a perfect home for the VLP’s mission of promoting literacy, cultural awareness, and lifelong learning. Though the building is a point of pride, the most valuable part of it is the people who fill it.

The historic library — once a part of the United States’ first branch library system — is sometimes a classroom, a resume-crafting lab, a tea party parlor, and occasionally, a dance floor. It is always a place where people gather and grow as a community. Since forming in December of 1997, the VLP has provided a space in which people from all walks of life come together, where conversations and creativity are fostered, where learning new things never gets old. The organization is thrilled to announce a renewal of its lease with Baltimore City for another 20 years!

Twenty years ago, a diverse, resilient neighborhood came together to make a change. From this collaborative effort, the Village Learning Place was born. This lease renewal is a celebration of the VLP’s investment in students, families, neighborhood residents, and all who visit. Whether they come through for a Baltimore History Evening, snip some herbs from the garden, or simply spend an afternoon with a good book, lots of folks have come to count on the VLP, and neighbors can rest assured the community resource will remain at home in Charles Village.