The hidden faces of Baltimore
You may notice many faces hardened by time or design while walking downtown Baltimore. Some appear ferocious while others seem unconcerned about what goes on around them. Grotesques, chimeras and human figures provide a little something extra to the architecture around us.
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- A horned figure looks upon those walking near the entrance to 14 West Mount Vernon Place. Theodore Marburg (1862-1946), U.S. ambassador to Belgium and member of the Municipal Art Society, bought the house in 1890 and renovated the 1847 mansion. Currently the building is corporate headquarters of Agora Inc. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A being seems to exhale as he puffs out his cheeks, his features easily seen at 715 Washington Place from eye level. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- The terra cotta facade of the Mayfair Theatre in the 500 block of N. Howard Street. A fire last year further damaged the 1903 building. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- Hotel Kernan, now called the Congress Hotel, in the 300 block of W. Franklin Street, is listed on Maryland’s National Register Properties. Hotel Kernan was designed in 1903 by architect John Allen for James L. Kernan. Kernan also owned the Mayfair theatre and due to his philanthropy, a hospital was named for him. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A female face looks north on Charles Street from a side of the old B&O Railroad headquarters which opened in 1906. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A sculpted face of G. Corner Fenhagen, one of the architects of Baltimore City College decorates the arch above the entrance to the school. Several other images, including Fenhagen’s partner, Riggin Buckler, adorn the Collegiate Gothic building which opened in 1928. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- Saxa Loquuntur or The Stones Speak is written over the doorway to A. Hoen & Company lithographers. Recently developer C. William “Bill” Struever’s Cross Street Partners and City Life Builders announced a plan to repurpose the long vacant factory. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- Hutzler Brothers Palace Building in the 200 block of N. Howard Street is decorated with many carved faces. The architectural firm, Baldwin and Pennington, designed the building which was completed in 1888. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A bespectacled man holding a scroll is one of several figures decorating the exterior of Baltimore City College. The Collegiate Gothic building was designed by architects Riggin Buckler and G. Corner Fenhagen and opened in 1928. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A fireman carved into the stone arch over the bay door at the Hook and Ladder Co. 6 seems to keep watch over the S. Baltimore neighborhood. The building is at 1227 S. Hanover Street. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A horned smiling creature is affixed to a bail bonds building that faces the Baltimore City Circuit Court Courthouse East. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- Alfred Mason (1844-1912) designed Western High School which was completed in 1896. Students from Booker T. Washington Middle School for the Arts now walk past the faces at 1301 McCulloh St. The school’s website says “We are a historic school with famous alums such as Cab Calloway, Thurgood Marshall, Kweisi Mfume, and even Senator Verna Rodwell-Jones.” The Baltimore Architecture Foundation says Mason “designed the largest number of school buildings in a single state of any architect in the country.” (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A grotesque carved in stone at 605 Park Avenue, shows decades of wear. The Romanesque house from 1892, now empty, was once owned by Daniel Miller (1849-1898), a philanthropist and businessman. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A face125 E. Baltimore Street outside a Rite Aid. Carved faces look out from ornate buildings. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- Owl and monkey are perched in a corner. They are among several figures decorating the exterior of Baltimore City College. The Collegiate Gothic building was designed by architects Riggin Buckler and G. Corner Fenhagen and opened in 1928. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- A man reads while sitting cross legged. He is over the address near the entrance of Frederick Douglass Apartments in 1600 block of N. Calhoun Street. The building was completed in 1924 as Frederick Douglass High School. Students entered Douglass, the first public high school in Baltimore built for African American students, in 1925. The late gothic building, designed by Benjamin Buck Owens and Spencer E. Sisco, is on Maryland’s National Register Properties. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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- Squirrels are among several figures decorating the exterior of Baltimore City College. The Collegiate Gothic building was designed by architects Riggin Buckler and G. Corner Fenhagen and opened in 1928. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
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Charles Lankford
Jun 10, 2015 @ 13:39:10
Surprised u didn’t include The CopyCat Building at 1501 Guilford. Built in 1890s by Crown Cork and Seal.
Is now largest Residential studio bldg for the Art community and has been for approx 40 years.
Has beautiful relief over front loading dock.
It also has the most unique marble office in the City.