Branches of Baltimore History

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Baltimore City has a long history of caring for its historic monuments in public spaces. Since 1980, the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) has brought a sculpture conservator to the city to implement a preservation program with very limited funding available. The Citywide Adopt-A-Monument Partnership Fund, established for Mount Vernon Place in 1991 and expanded city-wide in 2006, will enable CHAP to extend its program to care for more monuments, including the contemporary ones, and become a model for the country.

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Just found this historical item which is only tangentially connected to the Monument City project, but has strong connections by way of navigation, traditional routes and waymarkers.

It looks like the Zappa monument will end up in Fell’s Point, just south of the Broadway Market, as long as the community approves the decision.

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Commission members and staffers considered several locations for the statue, including the Station North Arts and Entertainment District and the Mount Royal Cultural District, before settling on Fell’s Point. The statue, valued at about $50,000, is a gift from one of the world’s largest Zappa fan clubs, a group based in Lithuania. The design approved by the commission calls for a bronze cylinder topped with Zappa’s bust.

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Other statues created in memorial to some of the University’s early and prominent contributors include those of Daniel Coit Gilman, Hopkins’ first president, and William A. Welch, the first dean of the School of Medicine. These structures, located outside of Shriver, recently received some big time publicity when scenes from the Chris Rock flick Head of State were filmed on the hall’s front steps. A bust of Isaiah Bowman, president of the University during the Depression, is also located in a niche under the porch of Shriver.

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On Armistice Day, November 11, 1925, a memorial bronze sculpture entitled “To the Glory of Maryland” and created by Hans Schuler, a renowned Baltimore sculptor, was dedicated and added directly above the main entrance of the building in commemoration of the participation of the Maryland National Guard’s Fifth Regiment.

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The Watson Monument, commemorating the Mexican War, was designed by Edward Berge and unveiled in 1903. Later this sculpture was moved from Mt. Royal Avenue at Lanvale Street to Mount Royal Terrace just north of Bolton Hill.

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The corner-stone of the monument was laid on the 4th of July, 1815, with great ceremony. In the stone a copper plate was deposited, on one side of which was engraved,—

” On the 4th of July, A.d. 1815, was laid this Foundation Stone Of a monument to be erected to the memory of George Washington.”

A sealed glass bottle was also deposited, containing a likeness of Washington, his valedictory address, the several newspapers printed in the city, and the different coins of the United States.

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A building stone is defined as any massive, dense rock suitable for use in construction. Whether igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary, a building stone is chosen for its properties of durability, attractiveness, and economy. A dimension stone is a building stone that is often quarried and prepared in blocks according to specifications. A decorative stone is a stone that can be quarried, cut or carved and is most highly valued for its pleasing appearance. It is more often used in interior construction for decoration and monuments than as standard building stone.

Monuments in Baltimore by Hans Schuler:

• Fallsway Fountain
• Martin Luther
• Johns Hopkins
• Sidney Lanier
• Pulaski
• Samuel Smith
• ‘Centennial Eagle’ at City Hall
• ‘To The Glory of Maryland’ at the Armory
• Francis Scott Key Marker
• William Pinkney Whyte Statue (City Hall)
• Music Panel (Concert Hall of the Peabody Institute)
• Hampden Elementary Sculpture (Hans Schuler, Jr.)

Hans Schuler (1874-1951) was born in Alsace-Lorraine, Germany.  He moved with his family to the United States as a child, settling in Baltimore, where he spent the rest of his life.  Schuler studied under William Rinehart at the Maryland Institute College Art, and eventually traveled to France to further his education with Raoul Verlet.  In 1901, he won the Salon Gold Medal in Paris, making him the first American sculptor to receive the prestigious award.  Along with his numerous outdoor public monuments in Baltimore, his work can also be found in important art galleries such as the Walters Art Museum and the Fogg Art Museum.  He also created a multitude of cemetery pieces, most of which are located in Green Mount, Loudon Park and Druid Ridge Cemeteries.  Hans Schuler was director of MICA from 1925 until the year of his death.

In 1906, Schuler moved into his studio and residence at 5 E. Lafayette Street, now the Schuler School of Fine Arts and Gallery.  Established by his children, the small school offers a curriculum organized around realist art and a study of the Old Masters.  Most of Schuler’s work was created in the 2-story, Howard Sill designed building.

Found this info on the Odd Fellows Wildey Monument.  Very interesting history.  50,000 people were at the unveiling in 1865 including prison inmate Jefferson Davis.  There are three monuments in a row on N Broadway between E Fayette Street and E Baltimore Street.  The above mentioned Wildey, Jose Marti and the Latrobe Monument.

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