Monument City Blog

The Baltimore born Wendel Bollman (1814-1884) designed the first iron truss bridge in the United States. In 1847, working under the engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe II, son of the U. S. Capitol’s architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Bollman was named head of the Harper’s Ferry, Virginia line of bridges for the B&O Railroad. Realizing that standard wooden bridges decayed too rapidly, he turned to the less frequently used iron for construction. The self-taught engineer’s structures performed well and the iron truss bridge was quickly adopted by his bosses. He received a patent for his truss design, vaulting him to the top of his profession. Wendel Bollman’s importance to the advancement of American engineering is rooted in his methods. His use of math and logic helped pave the way for a more scientific approach to civil planning.

Only one Bollman bridge, located in Savage, MD, remains today. The rest have either been replaced or were destroyed. His most famous bridge (at Harper’s Ferry) was taken out several times during the Civil War. The strategic overpass was rebuilt and lasted until 1936, when it was wiped out during a devastating flood. However, two of his iron creations still adorn historic Baltimore buildings. The dome of City Hall‘s rotunda and the steeple of the First and Franklin Presbyterian Church were fashioned by Bollman.

In 1803, Benjamin H. Latrobe became the superintendent of construction for the United States. He began his tenure by focusing efforts on the unfinished Capitol building in Washington. His ideas and designs, heavily influenced by Roman architecture, contained elaborate frieze and relief work. Unsatisfied with American artists of the early 19th century, the British-born architect began corresponding with colleagues in Europe in hopes of hiring a more skilled set of sculptors. This opened the door for numerous European artisans to earn generous commissions in the United States. This ongoing list deals with the sculptors of early America and their extant work in Baltimore.

Antonio Capellano

1. Angel of Truth (First Unitarian Church)
2. Battle Monument
3. Christ Breaking Bread and Moses with Tables of Law (Old Saint Paul’s Church)
4. Bust of George Washington (Peale Museum)

Enrico Causici

1. Washington Resigning his Commission (Washington Monument)

Augustin Chevalier

1. Ceres and Neptune (Peale Museum Courtyard)

Giuseppe Ceracchi

1. Bust of George Washington (Washington Monument Museum)

Giuseppe Franzoni

1. Spandrel Arch from the Commercial & Farmers Bank (1813)
2. Saint Mary’s Chapel (interior sculptures)

Giovanni Andrei

1. Saint Mary’s Chapel (interior sculptures)

In 1930, the Peale Museum was saved from possible demolition. Over a hundred years of varied use had left the Robert Cary Long, Sr. deigned building in disrepair, and the city government was seriously considering its sale. Baltimore residents and journalists rallied to protect one of the first museum buildings erected in the western hemisphere. Eventually the Mayor was convinced and Rembrandt Peale’s Baltimore Museum was targeted for a complete rehabilitation.

Assigned to head the restoration project was local architect John H. Scarff, a partner in the Wyatt and Nolting firm. Scarff studied original drawings and historic photographs of the salon, and restored its original design and floor plan. The portico was rebuilt and a bas-relief sculpture (created by R. McGill Mackall) was installed above it. In the building’s rear, a courtyard was constructed with pediment from the demolished Union Bank building embedded in its northern wall. The city reopened the museum in 1931.

At the corner of North Holliday Street and East Baltimore Street stands a monument to the first gas street lamp in the United States. Erected in 1997, the lamp is a replica of the early 19th century original. On the evening of June 11, 1816, local businessmen and socialites were invited to Rembrandt Peale’s Museum for a demonstration under the glow of artificial light. During a candlelit period in American history the forward-thinking Peale aimed to form a business around his gas light innovations, the exhibition targeting potential investors.

The gamble worked, and several financiers aligned with Peale, forming The Gas Light Company of Baltimore (the precursor to Baltimore Gas & Electric). Less than a year later, on February 7, 1817, the first public gas street lamp was lit in a ceremony one block south of City Hall.  The Gayety Theatre is across the street.

In February of 1899 Baltimore was hit by a massive blizzard, the snow piles blanketing the city.  The first two photos above (from the Maryland Historical Society’s website) show Baltimore Street and N. Charles Street, respectively.  February 2010 brought a storm of equal strength, the amount of accumulation rivaling the Blizzard of 1899.

The Mount Royal Station & Train Shed is situated where N. Howard Street and W. Mount Royal Avenue meet. The building, constructed in 1896 and designed by E. Francis Baldwin & Josias Pennington, is steeped in the Italian Renaissance style. With the train shed providing comfort and shelter in case of bad weather and the clock tower providing Baltimore’s landscape with another icon, the station was renowned for its blend of art and purpose. The clock was built by the E. Howard Watch and Clock Company of Boston.

In 1966 the Maryland Institute College of Art purchased the structure for their expanding campus. Before moving in, the school reconfigured the interior’s foyer, turning the two story open space into multiple floors with extra classrooms and studios. The granite and limestone exterior is unchanged. The property is used annually during the city’s Artscape celebration.

The first piece of gallery sculpture owned by the city of Baltimore was a bust of George Washington by Antonio Capellano. In 1823, Capellano, then living in Charm City, was anxious to obtain the commission for the statue of Washington planned for the Mount Vernon Place Monument. As an example of his work he presented the city with a marble likeness of America’s first president. He subsequently lost the commission to Italian artist Enrico Causici, but the gifted bust was kept and initially displayed in Rembrandt Peale’s Baltimore Museum. The information above and photograph below come from The Story of America’s Oldest Museum Building by Wilbur Harvey Hunter. The sculpture is on display at the Maryland Historical Society.

History:

• The Chronicles of Baltimore (1874) by John Thomas Scharf
• History of Baltimore City and County (1881) by John Thomas Scharf
• A Complete View of Baltimore (1833) by Charles Varle
• Niles’ National Register, Volume 27, Part 3 (1825) H. Niles, editor
• The Magazine of American History with Notes and Queries, Volume 7 (1881)
• The Baltimore Conflagration (1904) National Fire Protection Association
• Baltimore: Its History and its People, Volume 2 (1912) by Lewis Historical Publishing Co.
• National Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Program & Baltimore Book (1914)
• A History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of Design in the U.S. (1918) William Dunlap
• Maryland Historical Magazine, Volume 17 (1921) Maryland Historical Society
• Maryland: A Guide to the Old Line State (1948) by The Federal Writers’ Project
• The Amiable Baltimoreans (1984) by Francis F. Beirne
• Baltimore: A Not Too Serious History (1997) Letitia Stockett
• Small Town Baltimore: An Album of Memories (2002) Gilbert Sandler
• Druid Hill Park: The Heart of Baltimore (2008) by Eden Unger Bowditch and Anne Draddy

Architecture:

• Architectural Record, Volume 1 (1892) by The American Institute of Architects
• Architectural Record, Volume 21 (1907) by The American Institute of Architects
• The Architecture of Baltimore: An Illustrated History (2004) by Mary Ellen Hayward and Frank R. Shivers
• Look Again in Baltimore (2005) by John R. Dorsey and James DuSel
• The American Skyscraper, 1850-1940: A Celebration of Height (2008) by Joseph J. Korom

Maryland Historical Society Image Collections:

• Maryland Historical Society Index
• Hughes Collection
• Worthington Collection
• Kniesche Collection
• Perine Collection
• Carter Collection
• Hoopper Collection
• Brown Collection
• Transportation

Edward Johnson (1769-1829) was elected in 1808 as the third mayor of Baltimore, replacing Thorowgood Smith. Johnson was subsequently re-elected in 1810, 1812, 1814, 1819 and and finally in 1822.

In the summer of 1812, with war against the British looming, an angry mob of Baltimoreans trapped and tortured a group of “tories” at old city jail. Mayor Johnson arrived in order to quell the situation, where he advised the prisoners and negotiated with the mob. His stance against the instigators was an important political decision as Baltimore, and the United States, moved away from vigilantism. He is also noted for owning the brewery in which Mary Pickersgill sewed the Star-Spangled Banner, America’s most significant flag.

A doctor by trade, Johnson began his medical practice the same year he entered politics. During a serious yellow fever outbreak in 1819, Johnson donated $150.00 of his own money for the publication of a medical report on the epidemic. His efforts proved central in ending the citywide health crisis. This historical tablet (placed across the street from Carroll Mansion) marks the location of his former home. Brewer’s Park (recently replaced with a hotel) was once next door.

The Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower is two blocks north of Oriole Park at the intersection of S. Eutaw Street and W. Lombard Street. Conceived by Captain Isaac Emerson and designed by Joseph Evans Sperry, the iconic structure was modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Captain Emerson invented Bromo-Seltzer, a hangover remedy containing sodium bromide, a toxic ingredient taken off the U.S. market in 1975. Bromo-Seltzer was sold nationwide and was very popular for its sedative qualities. Originally a giant bottle of the elixir stood on top of the clock tower. The factory at the base of the structure has since been replaced with the John F. Steadman fire station, the busiest fire station in the country. Today the tower is an enclave for some of Charm City’s artists, the historic building providing studios for painters, writers and photographers.