Mount Royal Station
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Mount Royal Station was the first railroad station in the world to have electrified passenger trains when it opened on September 1, 1896. It closed in 1961 and was then sold to the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Images
Mount Royal Station
Maryland Line Monument (source: Library of Congress)
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Architects E. Francis Baldwin and Josias Pennington designed the station in Italian Renaissance style, with a red tile roof and a striking 150-foot clock tower. Building materials include granite, limestone, and marble. Interior rooms featured high ceilings, fireplaces, mosaic floors, and decorative ironwork. The station thus represents seamless integration of both engineering progress and dedication to aesthetic appeal. Notable visitors to Baltimore, including Queen Marie of Romania and British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, often arrived and were welcomed to the city at the Mount Royal Station.
Once acquired by the Maryland Institute College of Art, the building was converted to contain art studios, leaving many of the original design elements intact.
Across the street, you can find the 60-foot tall Maryland Line Monument by sculptor Albert L Van den Berghen. Its name alludes to Maryland's nickname, "The Old Line State." In 1901, this monument was dedicated to the "Bayonets of the Continental Army." The Goddess of Liberty stands on a columnn holding a laurel wreath and the Declaration of Independence.
Once acquired by the Maryland Institute College of Art, the building was converted to contain art studios, leaving many of the original design elements intact.
Across the street, you can find the 60-foot tall Maryland Line Monument by sculptor Albert L Van den Berghen. Its name alludes to Maryland's nickname, "The Old Line State." In 1901, this monument was dedicated to the "Bayonets of the Continental Army." The Goddess of Liberty stands on a columnn holding a laurel wreath and the Declaration of Independence.
Sources
"Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Mount Royal Station." Library of Congress. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/md0150/.
Gunts, Edward. "Mount Royal Station turns 100 Preservation." Baltimore Sun, August 29, 1996. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1996-08-29/news/1996242072_1_mount-royal-station-ceilings-maryland-....
"Maryland Line Monument at Mount Royal Station." Monument City Blog. April 01, 2009. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://monumentcity.net/2009/04/01/maryland-line-monument-baltimore-md/.
"Memorial to sons and daughters of American Revolution [i.e. Maryland Line Monument], Baltimore, Md." Library of Congress. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/det1994011825/PP/.
"Mount Royal Station." American Rails. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://www.american-rails.com/mount-royal.html.
Gunts, Edward. "Mount Royal Station turns 100 Preservation." Baltimore Sun, August 29, 1996. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1996-08-29/news/1996242072_1_mount-royal-station-ceilings-maryland-....
"Maryland Line Monument at Mount Royal Station." Monument City Blog. April 01, 2009. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://monumentcity.net/2009/04/01/maryland-line-monument-baltimore-md/.
"Memorial to sons and daughters of American Revolution [i.e. Maryland Line Monument], Baltimore, Md." Library of Congress. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/det1994011825/PP/.
"Mount Royal Station." American Rails. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://www.american-rails.com/mount-royal.html.