Archive for the ‘Bolton Hill’ Category
Calvert Street Bridge Lions
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Opened in 1880, the Calvert Street Bridge was a magnificent iron structure that spanned the Jones Falls in Midtown, Baltimore. One of two main northbound arteries, the other being nearby Charles Street, Calvert Street was a heavily trafficked thoroughfare in the days before the expressway was constructed. Countless Baltimoreans passed the noble lions on their way home from work, running errands or traveling to the countryside. The Gilded Age bridge was a monument to post-Reconstruction Era America.
After falling out of public favor, the lions were removed in 1957. For ten years the sculptures toiled away in a Druid Hill Park Storage facility. Eventually three lions ended up in a small park in Bolton Hill adjacent to the Francis Scott Key Monument. The statues have one paw raised, but curiously they are without object. This historic postcard shows the lion paw resting atop a shield with the Battle Monument on its front. The shields and the fourth lion have not been located by this author.
The neighboring southbound Saint Paul Street Bridge was similar in design and possessed four Lady Baltimore statues at each of its corners. The ladies were removed during the span’s 1960 renovation. One resides in Mount Royal Terrace Park, two are on the grounds of Cylburn Arboretum and the fourth was given to County Longford, Ireland, land once owned by George Calvert, 1st Baron of Baltimore.
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‘To the Glory of Maryland’ Monument
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219 29th Division Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 18′ 13.33″ N 76° 37′ 19.24″ W
History
Dedicated in 1925 to the soldiers of Maryland’s Fifth Regiment that lost their lives in World War One, To the Glory of Maryland graces the front of Baltimore’s historic armory building. Created by local sculptor Hans Schuler, the relief hangs above the main entrance of the Wyatt and Nolting designed structure. The armory itself was completed in 1901 and provided Baltimore with a suitable military institution. The massive castle-like building took two-and-a-half years to build and included an elaborate tunnel system underneath. The underground arteries reached the Baltimore Port and were used to safely transfer arms and troops undetected on the surface. After a 12 alarm fire in 1932 a pillared basement was installed, eliminating the hidden passageways.
At one point in time the armory was the largest convention center in Maryland, hosting events ranging from the circus to presidential conventions. John F. Kennedy even spoke here during his brief political career. The building still houses numerous government agencies and is only accessible by permission.
Notes
When I arrived to photograph the sculpture I was initially denied access to the grounds. The guard, an ex-Baltimore City police officer, after hearing my intentions, escorted me to the front door and allowed me to take a few pictures of the Schuler masterpiece. The detail and care that went into the project is an incredible sight. The ominous representation of courage and sacrifice reminds me of Patterson Park’s General Pulaski Monument (also sculpted by Schuler).
Nearby
- Fifth Regiment Armory Serviceman Memorial
- Hamman-Costin WWI Medal of Honor Memorial
- Francis Scott Key Monument in Bolton Hill
- Maryland Line Monument
Links
Four Historic Baltimore Synagogue Buildings
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| Lloyd Street Synagogue | B’nai Israel Synagogue | Madison Avenue Temple | Eutaw Place Temple |
The Lloyd Street Synagogue stands just off Corned Beef Row in Old Town, Baltimore. Founded in 1830, the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation worshiped in an apartment above a grocery store until 1845 when the Robert Cary Long, Jr. designed building at Lloyd and Watson Streets was completed. The third oldest synagogue in America, the subtle Greek Revival style structure served its founding membership for 45 years. In 1890 the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation moved to the Madison Avenue Temple. Lloyd Street was subsequently occupied by two Catholic and two Jewish congregations until 1963 when it was abandoned. The Jewish Museum of Maryland purchased the noble structure shortly thereafter, restoring the synagogue as a shrine. The basement contains traditional matzoh oven and a ritual bath, while the interior and exterior represent the building’s historic aesthetic.
Next door to the Lloyd Street building is the beautiful B’nai Israel Synagogue. Designed by Henry Berge and dedicated in 1875, the Victorian Gothic style structure contains detailed facade stonework. Berge, the father of sculptor Edward Berge, was a master stonecutter and apparently a very talented architect. Dedicated in 1875 as the Chizuk Amuno Synagogue, the building was purchased in 1895 by the Russian/Polish B’nai Israel Congregation. The group still occupies the synagogue today. The Jewish Museum of Maryland was built on the lot between the Lloyd Street and B’nai Israel synagogues.
When the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation moved out of the Lloyd Street Synagogue (1890) they relocated to the Madison Avenue Temple in Bolton Hill. Deigned by Baltimore architect Charles L. Carson, the building is Byzantine in style and features a massive dome and two parallel octagonal towers. Carson also designed the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church next to the Washington Monument. In 1951 the Berea Temple of Seventh Day Adventists purchased the temple when the BHC moved to their current location on Park Heights Avenue.
Just south of the Madison Avenue Temple is Joseph Evans Sperry’s Eutaw Place Temple. Originally built for Temple Oheb Shalom, the Byzantine structure was completed in 1892. When the congregation moved out in 1960, the Price Hall Masonic Lodge purchased the Bolton Hill property. Dedicated in 1907, the Francis Scott Key Monument stands directly in front of the temple. The fountain memorial depicts Francis Scott Key on a small boat offering his patriotic poem to a golden statue of Columbia.
Eutaw Place Temple in Bolton Hill
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The Eutaw Place Temple was built in 1892, and is located at 1307 Eutaw Place in Bolton Hill. Temple Oheb Shalom erected the unique structure after moving north from their original downtown location on Hanover Street. Established in 1853, the congregation provided an alternative to the orthodox and radical reform groups that dominated Charm City’s 19th century Jewish population. Designed by Joseph Evans Sperry, the synagogue is defined by its Byzantine style. Sperry also designed Baltimore’s Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower and the Brewer’s Exchange. After moving to a larger facility in 1960, Temple Oheb Shalom sold the Eutaw Place Temple to the Prince Hall Masons. The masonic group utilize and maintain the building today. The Francis Scott Key Monument stands in front of the temple.
Mount Royal Entrance to Druid Hill Park
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Location: W North Avenue & W Mount Royal Avenue
These Egyptian styled gateway pillars stand at the original Mount Royal entrance to Druid Hill Park. The monuments were re-erected in 1988 by then Mayor Kurt Schmoke, along with the help of community members. George Aloysius Frederick, architect of Baltimore’s City Hall, designed the Nova Scotia freestone structures. The Colonel William Watson Monument towers nearby.
Lady Baltimore Statue in Reservoir Hill
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Mount Royal Terrace & Lennox Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 18′ 42.64″ N 76° 37′ 34.53″ W
History
In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Baltimore’s 1729 town charter, the citizens and government threw an elaborate party and parade. To commemorate the event, the artist Herman Henning was commissioned to create four Lady Baltimore statues to be placed at each corner of the ornate old Saint Paul Street bridge. For close to 80 years the monuments greeted locals as they crossed over the Jones Falls and railroad tracks, leaving or entering downtown. In 1960, the bridge was renovated as part of the Jones Falls Expressway project. The span was overhauled and the ladies were moved to new locations. Three were placed at Cylburn Arboretum in northern Baltimore, while a fourth was given to Ireland by Baltimore’s Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick Society.
At some point, members of the Bolton Hill neighborhood lobbied city government to have one of Cylburn’s three Lady Baltimore statues placed in Mount Royal Terrace Park. The city agreed and community members (some of which are retired Baltimore park system workers) began preparing the landscape for the monument. They had a sloping dirt mound built on the east side of the park and two urns were placed at the foot of the bank. For the statue’s foundation the neighborhood used a combination old cobblestones removed from city streets and recycled marble from razed homes. The Lady Baltimore occupies the former location of Hans Schuler’s Martin Luther Monument (now at Lake Montebello).
Notes
The Lady Baltimore loosely holds a sledgehammer in her right hand, while a shield, with the Battle Monument on it’s front, rests to her left. An anchor, gear, anvil and steam engine are represented around the base of the sculpture. Situated in a small park at the foot of Druid Hill, the statue sits inside the well-maintained Mount Royal Terrace Park. A plaque adorns the front of the structure, listing the Commissioner and Engineer of the Saint Paul Street bridge.
Nearby
Links
- On Panoramio [2] & Flickr [2] [3]
- City Paper Article
- Old St. Paul St. Bridge photos
Spirit of the Confederacy Monument
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Location
Mount Royal Terrace between Mosher & Lafayette (Street View)
GPS: 39° 18′ 31.75″ N 76° 37′ 21.03″ W
History
Known as the “Spirit of the Confederacy,” this monument reads upon the front face of the pedestal, “Gloria Victis,” or “Glory to the Vanquished.” Though this sculpture is by Frederic Wellington Ruckstull and was dedicated in February of 1903, “Gloria Victis” is also the title of a 1874 sculpture at the National Gallery in Washington, DC by artist Antonin Mercie commemorating France’s loss in the Franco-Prussian War. Mercie is the sculptor responsible for the nearby Francis Scott Key Monument in Bolton Hill.
Notes
The monument stands between Mt Royal Avenue proper, and Mt Royal Terrace, a parallel access street for residents of the Bolton Hill neighborhood. Nearby stand several buildings of the Maryland Institute, College of Art. The sculpture is composed of two figures: the allegorical figure of Glory with wings outstretched, who holds aloft a laurel wreath in one hand, and in the other supports a soldier whose strength is failing him. His flag is lowered and he seems near defeat.
Nearby
- Watson Memorial
- Francis Scott Key Monument in Bolton Hill
- Maryland Line Monument
- WWI Medal of Honor Memorial
Links
- On Panoramio & Flickr
- Photograph of Monument’s erection on MDHS
- Two entries for this monument at the Smithsonian index, the second being more complete
- “Battling Monuments“, an overview of Civil War monuments by the City Paper
Francis Scott Key Monument in Bolton Hill
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Eutaw Place & W Lanvale Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 18′ 14.24″ N 76° 37′ 34.15″ W
History
This multifaceted sculpture is one of two major memorials dedicated to Francis Scott Key, the author of the Star-Spangled Banner, which only became America’s National Anthem officially in 1931. The other is located in Fort McHenry, though there are several markers and smaller memorials dedicated all around Baltimore to the actual song itself. The Bolton Hill piece was commissioned in 1907 by Charles and Theodore Marburg, part of a prominent mercantile family at the time and executed by French sculptor Marius Jean Antonin Mercie.
Dedicated on May 15, 1911. In 1996, residents from the local neighborhood raised money to restore this monument, receiving significant financial boosts in 1997 from the Maryland Military Monuments Commission, and in 1998 from the Save Outdoor Sculpture initiative (funded in large part by Target stores), along with grants from the City of Baltimore. At this location, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a speech on the importance of preserving historical markers in 1998. Restoration was completed by the summer of 1999.
Notes
Standing amidst a broad park which runs north and south along Eutaw Place, the monument heroically depicts Key as poet in a row boat with another sailor humbly manning the oars. Key is standing, holding a manuscript of his poem up as an offering to the allegorical figure of Columbia. The figure of Columbia is gilded, and stands atop four pillars waving a flag. The Eutaw Place Temple stands across the street from the fountain.
Nearby
Links