Difference between revisions of "Baltimore City Courthouse"
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| − | }} | + | }}"Opposite the Post Office formerly stood the old Court House, finished in 1809. It has been taken down to make way for a splendid new Court House now in course of erection, which will cover the entire block bounded by Lexington, Calvert, Fayette and St. Paul Streets. |
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| + | "This magnificent public building will be finished in 1899. It was much needed by the growing business of the Courts, and will add another to the many beautiful buildings, public and private, which have been erected in this city. Nothing more elegant could have been placed on the western side of the old Monument Square than this great building, which, while transforming the entire character of the locality, has also obliterated all traces of that older order of things which has departed forever. | ||
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| + | "The dimensions of the new Court House will be in keeping with its character and adornments, the Calvert street front being two hundred feet with a depth of three hundred and twenty-five feet to St. Paul street. The exterior will be built of "Beaverdam" Baltimore county marble with the exception of the basement story, which will be of Maryland granite; possibly the colonnade and recessed loggia on the Calvert street facade will be the most interesting feature, and here will be placed the largest monolithic columns in the United States. They are thirty-one feet, two and five-eighth inches high exclusive of the base and capital, diameter at base four feet, two and one-half inches; at top, three feet, five and one-fourth inches with flutes, bands and mouldings. They are purely Ionic and have richly carved bases and capitals. The entasis is drawn according to the usual methods employed by the ancient Romans. The diameters for about one-third of the length vary but little, while for the remaining length the beautiful swell can be readily seen. | ||
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| + | "When quarried each stone weighed about eighty-nine tons, and as the block was separate from the main lodge it contained two columns, making a mass of about 180 tons; the size of these monster shafts can hardly be understood or appreciated unless seen. There are eight required in all. They were scrabbled or roughed at the quarry and then shipped on a specially built car to Baltimore, where it required twenty-five teams and two trucks, weighing about ten tons each, to convey them to the site of the new Court House, where the cutting is being done in a shop specially designed for the purpose, lighted by electricity and supplied with hot water for rubbing and finishing. | ||
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| + | "These splendid specimens of the stone worker's art were obtained from the Beaverdam quarries. The rest of the exterior is created with Ionic pilasters supporting an enriched entablature, crowning the whole. A special feature of the St. Paul street entrance and the Criminal Court vestibule will be the various richly colored marble columns and lining. | ||
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| + | "In this great building will be located the Superior Court, additional Superior Court, the two Courts of Common Pleas and the two Circuit Courts and their offices. On the third floor will be located | ||
Revision as of 14:58, July 15, 2021
| Baltimore City Courthouse | |
|---|---|
| Site Information | |
| Address | 100 N. Calvert Street |
| Geo-reference | 39°17′27″N 76°36′48″W / 39.29083°N 76.61325°W |
| Owner | Mayor & City Council of Baltimore |
| Building Data | |
| Building Type | Government |
| Material | Beaver Dam Marble |
| Number of Floors | 6 |
| Design | |
| Architecture Firm | Wyatt & Nolting |
| Construction | |
| Groundbreaking Date | 1896 |
| Opened | January 8, 1900 |
"Opposite the Post Office formerly stood the old Court House, finished in 1809. It has been taken down to make way for a splendid new Court House now in course of erection, which will cover the entire block bounded by Lexington, Calvert, Fayette and St. Paul Streets.
"This magnificent public building will be finished in 1899. It was much needed by the growing business of the Courts, and will add another to the many beautiful buildings, public and private, which have been erected in this city. Nothing more elegant could have been placed on the western side of the old Monument Square than this great building, which, while transforming the entire character of the locality, has also obliterated all traces of that older order of things which has departed forever.
"The dimensions of the new Court House will be in keeping with its character and adornments, the Calvert street front being two hundred feet with a depth of three hundred and twenty-five feet to St. Paul street. The exterior will be built of "Beaverdam" Baltimore county marble with the exception of the basement story, which will be of Maryland granite; possibly the colonnade and recessed loggia on the Calvert street facade will be the most interesting feature, and here will be placed the largest monolithic columns in the United States. They are thirty-one feet, two and five-eighth inches high exclusive of the base and capital, diameter at base four feet, two and one-half inches; at top, three feet, five and one-fourth inches with flutes, bands and mouldings. They are purely Ionic and have richly carved bases and capitals. The entasis is drawn according to the usual methods employed by the ancient Romans. The diameters for about one-third of the length vary but little, while for the remaining length the beautiful swell can be readily seen.
"When quarried each stone weighed about eighty-nine tons, and as the block was separate from the main lodge it contained two columns, making a mass of about 180 tons; the size of these monster shafts can hardly be understood or appreciated unless seen. There are eight required in all. They were scrabbled or roughed at the quarry and then shipped on a specially built car to Baltimore, where it required twenty-five teams and two trucks, weighing about ten tons each, to convey them to the site of the new Court House, where the cutting is being done in a shop specially designed for the purpose, lighted by electricity and supplied with hot water for rubbing and finishing.
"These splendid specimens of the stone worker's art were obtained from the Beaverdam quarries. The rest of the exterior is created with Ionic pilasters supporting an enriched entablature, crowning the whole. A special feature of the St. Paul street entrance and the Criminal Court vestibule will be the various richly colored marble columns and lining.
"In this great building will be located the Superior Court, additional Superior Court, the two Courts of Common Pleas and the two Circuit Courts and their offices. On the third floor will be located
