There's irony on this side street in Waverly, a place tucked neatly behind old Eastern High School, slightly off the beaten path of 33rd Street.

Amid the typical grit of Baltimore row-houses, you'll see a small opening. Then a courtyard. Look closer — a path leads to a peaceful place where park benches, a water fountain and flowering trees invite introspection. Looking up, you'll see why: Four powerful women stand guard, sculpted from black and white marble chiseled in a workshop a world away, their faces strong and steadfast.

Silently, powerfully, they echo sentiment so relevant, yet often elusive, to everyday life: Trust. Patience. Integrity. Honesty.

This is Marian House, a Baltimore nonprofit dedicated to helping troubled women re-establish their lives. They come here after serving a prison sentence or from a stint in drug or alcohol rehab. Once enrolled in the program, they take on a schedule that includes job training, life skills classes, employment and a routine designed to boost self-esteem, the seeds of a normal life. All under the watchful eye of the regal marble models.

A diary in the courtyard tells of the healing.


"God, Thank U 4 the strength to live N learn again …"

"I just want to say thank you to Marian House for giving my mother the strength to stay strong, clean and a place to stay."

"The water alone is a soul soother…the sound of the water gentles me … the water glistening in the sunlight is hypnotic as it rises and falls."


Kathy Lyon, a Marian House employee, said most of the residents had never experienced art and its power to provoke before taking up residence at 949 Gorsuch Ave.

In the program that typically lasts eight months, though, they have become involved and inspired — by each other, by their action and by the strength of the statues. It's not uncommon to hear the women singing while visiting the courtyard. Others are inspired to dance, swirling to celebrate a newfound freedom and a life transfused with hope.

"The one thing I have noticed is poetry and song writing as a result," Lyon said of the impact of the art.

"What's happening here is something valuable and beautiful. This is spiritual food. This is to nurture their souls."

The statues, called caryatids, were designed by artist Claire McArdle as part of an expansion of Marian House that added a building and the courtyard to the nonprofit that was opened in 1982 by nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Mercy Sisters orders. McArdle, inspired by the mission of the program, met with residents and Marian House board members to gain a sense of the potential power the program offers. She created models of the caryatids and presented them to the board, which at first debated whether to fund the $100,000 project.

"It was expensive and some said we could be using this money for other services," Lyon recalled. "I was doubtful at first, too."

But the commitment was made and McArdle traveled to her studio in Carrara, Italy, to begin chiseling what would soon become four new landmarks. Each caryatid was formed from a thick slab of marble that weighed 6 tons. When they were shipped and mounted in the foundation of the expansion center in June 2001, it was almost like the final pieces of a puzzle on the complex process of recovery had been found and locked in.

"These statues come out of the rough marble and walk forward," Lyon said. "They have been uplifting. They have helped foster positive self-esteem. This is a beautiful place and it's well-kept. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Marian House resident Donna agrees. At 38, she's the mother of three, ages 4, 9, 11, and a recovering alcoholic. "I look at the statues' faces and I feel a sense of spirituality," she said. "I don't know a whole lot about art, but to me they represent something you can live by every day. It represents that, regardless to what people say about women, we are strong human beings and we are able to overcome any of our obstacles."

In the larger Waverly community, that message has reverberated. Myles B. Hoenig, president of the Waverly Improvement Association, says the Marian House statues have stunned many a passer-by — by their beauty and their strength. Not all who live in the 2,000-plus Waverly residences know that the caryatids exist, Hoenig, acknowledged. Their art form and impact is not a guarded community secret, but rather a neighborhood's new, subtle signature.

"It's different from what you'd normally expect in an urban community," Hoenig said. "But they almost seem like they give off a calming effect as you drive by. They overlook Waverly like a spirit guiding a community.

They are matriarchal … four women looking out and protecting it."

The sculpture garden is open to the public each day from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Many non residents who have stopped at the site — some curious, others in need of answers — have said that one visit proves there's strength on this back street in a well-worn city neighborhood and that yes, these caryatids can inspire and help mend a broken soul, Lyon said.

Trust. Patience. Integrity. Honesty.


"Just for today, I am grateful for being alive. I am blessed to be able to think clear without the use of a drug regulating my mind. Thank you God for your many blessing and for your strength to make it through this day."