Arts & Entertainment

Roaring Maryland: 5 Places to Go 'Gatsby' Nearby

Author F. Scott Fitzgerald had deep ties in Maryland, some of which you can see for yourself.

Don't expect a glittering movie opening of the The Great Gatsby, and its mega stars Leonardio DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan, anywhere near The Free State.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of the novel that provided the inspiration for the 3D film, however, was deeply entrenched in the region during his lifetime, with landmarks to his family and his literary works sprinkled from Rockville to Towson. 

Even if you're not lining up for the premiere Friday, find a little of Gatbsy's Roaring '20s vibe nearby:

Find out what's happening in Rockvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

1. The Fitzgerald family, F. Scott, his wife Zelda and their daughter Scottie, spent more time in Baltimore than any other place, according to University of Maryland professor emeritus Jackson Bryer. The family lived in Towson and in the three different apartments in Baltimore City. Their first apartment was at 7601 Osler Drive in Towson, the current site of St. Joseph Medical Center.

2. Fitzgerald was named for Marylander Francis Scott Key, author of The Star-Spangled Banner and a distant cousin. Key Bridge in Baltimore, which stretches over the Patapsco River, is thought to be near the area where Key saw the Fort McHenry bombings that inspired the lyrics to the National Anthem. 

Find out what's happening in Rockvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

3. Johns Hopkins University's Wolman Hall, an undergraduate dorm, was previously an apartment building named Cambridge Arms, where the Fitzgerald family lived, at 1 East 34th Street. 

4. Fitgerald landed in Baltimore after he asked Henry L. Mencken, lifelong Baltimorean and the writer's first editor, for a recommendation on where to admit his wife, who suffered from mental illness. Mencken, according to Baltimore Style, advised him to check her into Phipps Clinic at Johns Hopkins. Phipps is located at 600 North Wolfe Street in Baltimore. 

5. Fitzgerald and Zelda are buried at St. Mary's Cemetery, at 600 Viers Mill Road, in Rockville. The last line of Gatsby is inscribed on their gravesite: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

The Great Gatsby shares the same name as Fitzgerald's seminal novel, published in 1925. The film opens in most theaters on Friday, May 10. 


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