Brewers Exchange

Baltimore's leading ale and beer brewers, many of whom were German immigrants, erected the Brewers Exchange building in 1895 to be a place where they could negotiate securities and commodities used in the local brewing industry. It is an outstanding example of Renaissance Revival architecture and considered the finest example of this style in Baltimore. The three-story building features ornate decorative details such as Ionic pilasters, pediments, cartouches, a garland frieze, foliated panels, and cartouches. It also represents the central role the beer industry played in Baltimore's economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. A law firm occupies the building today.

The beer industry was a major contributor to Baltimore's economy for well over a century. By the late 1900s, the local ale and beer brewers modeled the industry on the European guilds of their fathers and grandfathers, and included in this model was having a venue to negotiate securities and commodities. The brewers conducted these negotiations in a building called the Manufacturers Record building for many years before deciding to build the Brewers Exchange. They hired noted local architect Joseph Evans Sperry, who had designed a number of buildings in the city including the famous Bromo Seltzer Tower.

However, the brewers did not occupy the Brewers Exchange for long. Within a decade, they consolidated into a few large companies and no longer needed the building and sold it in 1906. In the decades since it has been home to a variety of businesses including a piano company, a Ford dealership, an office supplies company, and a development company. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Carroll, Bill. "Brewers Exchange." Baltimore Heritage. Accessed February 16, 2023. https://explore.baltimoreheritage.org/items/show/64.

Perlman, Edward. "Brewers Exchange." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. March 28, 1985. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-856.pdf.