A historical account of a road that never was is the winner of this year’s University of Mary Washington Center for Historic Preservation Book Prize.
Road to Nowhere: How a Highway Map Wrecked Baltimore tells the story of the lasting harm caused by the 1957 proposal of a highway slicing through Maryland’s once-vibrant Black middle-class Rosemont neighborhood. Written by historian Emily Lieb and published in November 2025 by University of Chicago Press, the book draws on land records, oral history, news items and policy documents to reveal the effects of the unfinished East-West Expressway.
UMW’s Center for Historic Preservation announced the book as its choice for the 2026 prize in May in recognition of Historic Preservation Month, which celebrates the heritage and architectural legacy of communities across the country. “This is an important event for our students and our community because it gives everybody a chance to think about the future of historic preservation in this country,” said Professor of Historic Preservation Christine Henry. “What’s new? What’s exciting? What new direction are preservationists taking the field?”
Road to Nowhere tells the story of Black families who were attracted to the Rosemont area after several white schools were converted into “colored” ones. In the 1950s, they enjoyed a community dotted with a sprawling park, corner stores and other amenities. But, by 1967, when city council voted to condemn hundreds of its homes to make way for the proposed expressway, residents faced deflated property values and predatory real estate deals. Read more about the Historic Preservation Book Prize winner.
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