McKeldin Square is an area of

Downtown Baltimore Downtown Baltimore is the central business district of the Baltimore, city of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (Baltimore), Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, List of streets in Baltimore#F, Frank ...

, located near the

Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark in Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The Inner Harbo ...

at the corners of

Pratt Pratt is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: A–F * Abner Pratt (1801–1863), American diplomat, jurist, politician, and lawyer * Al Pratt (baseball) (1847–1937), American baseball player * Andy Pratt (baseball) (bor ...

and

Light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...

Streets. The central area is a polygon of brick. On the Pratt St. side there is a strip of grass; behind the brick there used to be a pool at the base of a multi-leveled concrete structure with walkways and fountains; however, this fountain structure was removed in 2016. The location of the square puts it right in the middle of Baltimore's

1861 riots This year saw significant progress in the Unification of Italy, the outbreak of the American Civil War, and the emancipation reform abolishing serfdom in the Russian Empire. Events January * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico Ci ...

, during which locals turned on a Union regiment that was passing through the city. McKeldin Square has been designated as Baltimore's zone for protests, where it is legal to exercise one's

First Amendment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

rights and pass out pamphlets. Permits are required for groups with groups of 25 or more requiring a permit. On October 4, 2011, it became the location of the Occupy Baltimore protests until their December 13 eviction.

References

Downtown Baltimore Geography of Baltimore Squares in the United States {{BaltimoreCityMD-geo-stub