| The lord Baltimore Hotel, designed by William L. Stoddart and built in 1928, embodies the distinctive architectural characteristics of early 20th-century, high-rise hotels, reminiscent of such famous American hotels as New York’s Vanderbilt Hotel and Chicago’s Palmer House. Built in a transitional architectural period when classical design was being abandoned in favor of Art Deco and early modernism, the Lord Baltimore Hotel was the last high rise building constructed with classical ornamentation in downtown Baltimore. Constructed in the wake of the Baltimore Fire of 1904 that destroyed 63 acres of the downtown area, it was the largest hotel building ever constructed in Maryland.Located at Charles Center in downtown Baltimore, the Lord Baltimore Hotel is a 22-story steel frame building supporting a brick veneer and resting upon a granite base. The octagonal tower and French Renaissance style mansard roof create one of the few distinctive rooflines in the entire downtown area. After opening on December 30, 1928, only a few renovations have occurred such as the installation of air conditioning and murals added to the meeting rooms painted by John and Mabel Giorgi. With the rebirth of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the hotel was placed on the National Register in 1982, and was renovated to provide an elegant and traditional alternative to the modern hotels in the downtown area.
The Lord Baltimore is located at 20 West Baltimore St. Currently operated by the Radisson, for more information call 410-539-8400 or contact their website at www.radisson.com The Lord Baltimore is a Historic Hotels of America member, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. |
Lord Baltimore Hotel Photo by Fred B. Shoken, National Register of Historic Places Lord Baltimore Hotel entrance and lobby Photos courtesy of Radisson Lord Baltimore |