First Brick House in Federal Hill

This house at 36 E. Montgomery was the first brick house constructed in the Federal Hill neighborhood. It was built by carpenter John Fisher in 1795 (or perhaps by a man named John Ermane in the 1780s) who used it as an inn and boarding house. It remains the only house of its size still standing in the neighborhood. The original doorway is now on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The sources provide conflicting information about when the house was built. It was either constructed between 1783-1787 by John Ermane or in 1795 by John Fisher, who moved to Baltimore from Philadelphia and apparently had the plans for the house in hand. If the former is correct, the property on which the house stands was owned by a man named John Eager Howard, who then leased it to Ermane. The size of the house was the standard size for a middle class home in Federal Hill at the time. It was also notable for being one of the finest in the neighborhood and a number of important local figures lived here. At one point the house was in state of disrepair but was saved from demolition and remains a private residence today.

"36 Montgomery Street (House), Baltimore, Independent City, MD." Library of Congress - Historic American Buildings Survey. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/md0100.

"First Brick House." Federal Hill Online. Accessed February 13, 2023. http://www.federalhillonline.com/tourstop24.htm.