James E. Hooper House

This elegant building is the historic James E. Hooper House, which was erected in 1886 and is now a hub for artists and musicians called Hooper House Gallery. Its builder, James E. Hooper (1838-1908), was the president of one of the largest cotton good manufacturers in Baltimore. Cotton duck-canvas, which was used for ship sails, was one of the company's main products. Hooper also served one term in the Maryland House of Delegates and was known for sponsoring a law limiting child labor. The house is also significant as a fine example of Queen Anne architecture. Likely designed by Charles L. Carson, the red-brick building features an asymmetrical design, a projecting oriel window painted green, and multiple steeply pitched roofs. A fire severely damaged the attic and roof in September 2022. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

James E. Hooper was born in 1841 to a prosperous family. His grandfather, William Hooper (1788-1885), ran a successful sailmaking business that he and a partner established in 1814. Instead of using locally made cotton duck canvas, they imported raw materials from England. William retired in 1843. His son, William E. Hooper (James E. Hooper's father), joined his father's business and took it over in 1843. He bought out the interests of his father's partner and began acquiring cotton from southern plantations and selling it to a mill in Woodberry where it was made into cotton duck. The cotton duck was then sold under William's company, which he named after himself. In 1845 he and other partners built a steam-powered plant in Canton. Three years later, William bought the Woodberry Mill and became a partner in the firm Gambrill, Carroll & Company. In the coming years he acquired other mills and later built the landmark Meadow Mill in 1877.

James E. Hooper attended private schools growing up. He joined the family business, which was then called William E. Hooper and Sons, and eventually became president and general manager. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates as a Republican in 1876 and served one term. As noted above, he sponsored a bill protecting working children. The bill, which passed, limited the working day of children under 16 to 10 hours per day. It was a landmark piece of legislation as it signaled the start of a movement to protect children from exploitation. In addition to serving in the state legislature, Hooper also served on several local boards including the boards of Lovely Lane Methodist Church and what is now Goucher College. He also helped found the Automobile Club of Maryland in 1901 as a social and hobby club for early car owners. It later became an affiliate of the American Automobile Association. In 1904, Hooper built the first all-electric mill in the Jones Falls Valley. He died in 1908.

Local musician and producer David Andler bought the house in 2001 with the intent to convert into a place for artists. He built a music studio in the basement and advertised the old house to other artists. The current owners bought it in 2018. The fire in September 2022 damaged several of the artists' works and studios.

Hager, Jeff. "Artists recover artwork after fire in historic James E. Hooper House." September 22, 2022. https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/artists-salvage-artwork-after-fire-in-historic-james-e-hooper-house.

Honick, Jeffrey. "James E. Hooper House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. March 15, 1982. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-665.pdf.

"Mill Owners in the Jones Falls." Baltimore Industry Tours. Accessed October 13, 2022. https://www.baltimoreindustrytours.com/mill-owners.php.