The Baltimore Battle Monument was dedicated on September 12, 1822 to honor the 39 Baltimore citizens who lost their lives protecting Baltimore during a pivotal moment in the War of 1812. In 1814, Baltimore citizens, militiamen, and federal troops protected Baltimore from the land and sea invasion that inspired the lyrics to the National Anthem. This monument honors those who died in defense of the city, and the thousands who manned defensive fortifications around the city and bay area throughout the war. It soon became part of the official symbol of Baltimore city, featuring on the city's official seal since 1827.
The Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse is one of two buildings that make up the Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses. It was renamed in 1985 in honor of Baltimore native Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., a prominent civil rights leader and chief lobbyist for the NAACP from 1950 to 1978. Construction began in 1895 and lasted for five years before the courthouse was dedicated and opened to the public in 1900. The courthouse occupies a full city block in downtown Baltimore and is also home to the Museum of Baltimore Legal History. Most of its original beauty has been preserved, including its granite foundation and marble facades, but perhaps most notable is the presence of numerous works of art housed within its walls, including the bronze statue of Cecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore and First Proprietor of the Province of Maryland.
The Grand, now an event venue, was built in 1866 as a Freemason lodge. Its architectural and decorative style, a mix of 2nd Empire and Italian Renaissance influences, mark it as a typical showpiece building of affluent late-19th-century north-central Baltimore. The building served as the Grand Lodge of Maryland Masonic Temple for over 130 years. The Grand features ten distinctive meeting rooms, including Edinburgh Hall, a room in the Tudor style modeled after the Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. Another room features aspects of an Egyptian temple. The headquarters for the Maryland Freemasons remained in this building until 1994, when the lodge moved to the suburbs. Today, the Maryland Freemasons Lodge is in Cockeysville, Maryland.
St. Paul's Parish, established in 1692, is the oldest in Baltimore. Since the 1730 survey of Baltimore, this property has hosted multiple church buildings while retaining the same ownership over the centuries. It is the only property to have done so in the city. Architect Richard Upjohn designed the current church building, which dates to 1856. The basilica-style church resembles early Christian basilicas in Italy.
The historic Baltimore Basilica, known informally as "America's First Cathedral," was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and built from 1806-1821. It was the first great metropolitan cathedral constructed in the United States after the adoption of the Constitution. The Basilica is open for free public tours and its museum displays numerous artifacts dating back to its 17th century origin. Items in the museum include the tabernacle once kept by the family of John Carroll, Cardinal Gibbons’ vestments, letters between American Presidents and Catholic leaders, and altar vessels used during the Basilica’s earliest days.
The First Unitarian Church in Baltimore, Maryland was the first building erected for Unitarians in the United States. Completed in 1818, the church is a domed cube with a stucco exterior. The church, originally called the "First Independent Church of Baltimore," is the oldest building continuously used by a Unitarian congregation.
The Standard Oil building is a 15 story Beaux-Arts steel frame office building that was once occupied by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. The building is clad in limestone and is built in a U shape. It was built between 1919 and 1922 and was estimated to cost around 1.5 million dollars. The building was designed by Clyde N Friz, who was also responsible for the construction of the main branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. In 2000, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2002, the building was completely renovated and redeveloped into a luxury apartment complex, known as The Standard.
The Walters Art Museum is the successful product of merging two art enthusiasts' life long collections. Over the years, the museum's current collections have grown immensely, and the institution is distinguished for its diverse pieces from all over the world and, most notably, from across an extraordinary timespan, ranging from roughly 3000 B.C. to works as recent as the early 20th century. The museum's themed galleries and exhibits showcase a variety of cultural artifacts, and allows the visitor to connect with their historical and cultural significance.
The Peabody Library was founded in 1857 as part of the Peabody Institute, financier George Peabody's bequest to the city of Baltimore (his hometown) that was conceived as a comprehensive educational institute and source of civic virtue. The physical library was not completed until 1878, but it immediately became one of the most distinctive spaces in the city and a Baltimore landmark: a "cathedral of books." An unusual cast-iron frame building, the library functioned as a non-circulating research library in its early decades. In 1967, it joined the Enoch Pratt Free Library system, and in 1982 became part of the Johns Hopkins University and its special collections department.
Founded in 1857 by financier George Peabody, a central figure in modern philanthropy, the Peabody Institute was America's first music conservatory and remains one of the leading music schools in the country. In 1977, Peabody became a division of the Johns Hopkins University. The building is located on historic Mount Vernon Place in north Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood, and the structure is notable for its original Grecian-Italianate facade and the 1878 addition that contains the Peabody Library. Peabody's many student ensembles perform across the city, including in the Institute's Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall, which seats more than 600 concertgoers. At almost 150 years old, Friedberg Hall is one of America's oldest venues.
The statue of Lafayette, dedicated in 1924, looms over the south end of Mount Vernon Place, just across from Baltimore's Washington Monument on its southern side and facing toward the Inner Harbor. The juxtaposition of the two monuments is no surprise, since the French nobleman and supporter of the American Revolution became one of George Washington's closest allies and friends during the Revolution. The massive bronze equestrian statue, sculpted by Andrew O'Connor, was dedicated in 1924, a century after the aging Lafayette drew massive crowds on an American tour in remembrance of the Revolution.
This 178-foot doric column was built between 1815 and 1829. It is the first monument built to honor the first President of the United States and remains the distinguishing feature of the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore. The design was chosen in a competition, won by Robert Mills, who went on to later construct the more famous Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. There is a small museum within the base of the monument and guests who can handle the 227 steps within the tower can enjoy one of the best views of the city of Baltimore. The monument was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
The spire of the First & Franklin Presbyterian Church, the tallest in Baltimore, towers over the northern part of the city. The church itself (on neither First nor Franklin streets) was renamed after the historic First Presbyterian merged with the nearby Franklin Presbyterian in 1973. The church building, begun in 1854 (the spire was finished in 1874), is one of several notable Gothic Revival churches in north-central Baltimore. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Founded in 1844, the Maryland Historical Society is the state's oldest operating cultural institution. It is located in the former mansion owned by philanthropist Enoch Pratt built in 1847. It features a museum and library and offers various educational programs and public events. The museum contains 350,000 objects, 2,000 paintings, the largest collection of works of art created by the Peale family (for 125 years, members of this family, beginning with Charles Peale, painted Philadelphia's leading citizens; in 1814, Rembrandt Peale founded the Baltimore Museum of Fine Arts), maritime artifacts, painted and inlaid furniture, costumes, ceramics, dolls and other toys, and quilts. As for the library holds 60,000 books, 800,000 photographs, 5 million manuscripts, 6,500 prints and broadsides, and 1 million ephemera. The Society moved into the Pratt mansion in 1919 and has renovated and built additions to it since then.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walking tour starts at the Maryland Historical Society and includes several of downtown Baltimore's most famous monuments. The tour also offers stops at numerous historic buildings and landmarks including the Baltimore Battle Monument and Baltimore's Washington Monument.
