Baltimore skyline revisited

Northern · March 12th, 2007, 05:18 AM

With all the new construction happening around Inner Harbor, our city's skyline is changing fast. The idea for this thread is to have photos showcasing new buildings as part of the existing skyline.

Took these today (yes, Guiness was involved

) I think this angle shows a nice cluster, but missing a civilized foreground (hopefully that will change soon). I am waiting to see if Harbor East will turn out dramatic enough to become Baltimore's signature view.

micrip · March 12th, 2007, 08:00 AM

How about this....

StevenW · March 12th, 2007, 11:12 AM

Great pics, Northern!

Yes, micrip, that is one of my favorite shots there, too.

Tricia_Lvs_Baltimore · March 12th, 2007, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by micrip

How about this....

Love this pic, micrip. Imagine how that's going to look once Harbor East is finished.

micrip · March 13th, 2007, 08:17 AM

If my Granddad saw this shot today (he passed away in 1965) he would not know it was Baltimore. The only scraper visible that was there then is the B of A building, and that's in the background.

MountVEE · March 13th, 2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern

With all the new construction happening around Inner Harbor, our city's skyline is changing fast. The idea for this thread is to have photos showcasing new buildings as part of the existing skyline.

Took these today (yes, Guiness was involved

) I think this angle shows a nice cluster, but missing a civilized foreground (hopefully that will change soon). I am waiting to see if Harbor East will turn out dramatic enough to become Baltimore's signature view.

I imagine that when 10 Inner Harbor goes up it will really throw this whole side of the skyline off balance and then the main shot will be taken from the south. Same with the Naing buildings/300 E. Pratt/Westport. The funny thing about this picture is...as I sit at desk at Tide Point right now, this is EXACTLY what I see out my window. It's definitely alot better when the sugar boat (at Domino) isn't here to partially block my view though! But alas, I love the sugar boats and the idea that i get to witness a working port everyday.

MountVEE · March 13th, 2007, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by micrip

If my Granddad saw this shot today (he passed away in 1965) he would not know it was Baltimore. The only scraper visible that was there then is the B of A building, and that's in the background.

I imagine it would have looked like this...

This is Baltimore in 1963

Furiine · March 14th, 2007, 08:32 AM

Great pics! And I've always loved that one from Tide Point with the orange hue to it (it looks so alive.)

micrip · March 14th, 2007, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountVEE

I imagine it would have looked like this...

This is Baltimore in 1963

That appears to be the Bay Belle at the dock at peir 1, a boat my Grandad took me on a few times!! The Bay Belle is the boat closest to Pratt St. The other is a larger Wilson Line boat that was here from time to time.

MasonsInquiries · March 14th, 2007, 02:24 PM

i think it would've been nice to have that tower to the right still standing. the one with the clock on it. i'm trying to think of the name of it, but it's not coming to me. someone mentioned that it got taken down around 1984 or so.

Brian21 · March 14th, 2007, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountVEE

I imagine it would have looked like this...

This is Baltimore in 1963

We have truly come a long way!

Gsol · March 14th, 2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasonsInquiries

i think it would've been nice to have that tower to the right still standing. the one with the clock on it. i'm trying to think of the name of it, but it's not coming to me. someone mentioned that it got taken down around 1984 or so.

I believe that was called the Tower Building.

jamie_hunt · March 14th, 2007, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gsol

I believe that was called the Tower Building.

Right. Surface parking at Baltimore and Guilford since '84. Former home of Maryland Casualty, which built and moved to the Rotunda. Then moved next door. Now Zurich.

http://www.mdhs.org/library/baltarch/Page17.html

getontrac · March 15th, 2007, 12:47 AM

^Later than that, more like '90. I've got a picture of Alex Brown under construction with the Tower Building still in tact.

Nate

Eerik · March 15th, 2007, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getontrac

^Later than that, more like '90. I've got a picture of Alex Brown under construction with the Tower Building still in tact.

Nate

It was 1985-86. Unfortunately, I was involved with the demolition of the Tower Building.

As for your note about the Alex.Brown Building, Kajima, the developer for One South Street (what later became known as the Alex.Brown Building) had the old Mercantile Trust building demolished and cleared by 1990, and the garage portion was well underway in 1991. By then the real estate market burst, and we were in a major recession.

Speculation was Kajima would only finish the garage portion, and hold off on the rest of the building. Slowly the garage portion was completed, and suddenly the crane was hoisted another ten floors! It was really a tense period for the city in terms of development; it truly was a commitment on part of the developer in Baltimore. Once completed, One South Street was the last major office structure to be built in downtown for a very long time. It took nearly a decade of mergers and acquisitions before the market recovered...

As for how did One South Street become the Alex.Brown Building, Alex.Brown vacated huge chunks of space at 120 E. Baltimore Street (then known as the Bank of Baltimore Building), from it's original HQ building at the NW corner of Baltimore and Calvert, and another five different sites scattered through the CBD. With the glut of office space, Kajima was ecstatic to have AB take what amounted to a quarter of the building. But AB wasn't the first: the architect of the structure, RTKL moved in prior. I think they initially leased upwards of four floors of the building. Of course, they had just vacated another building designed by them, 400 E. Pratt.

Strange how EVERYTHING seems to be intertwined...

pfd103 · March 15th, 2007, 03:18 PM

Some older pics I've found of Baltimore...

MasonsInquiries · March 15th, 2007, 05:09 PM

view from across the patapsco river

MasonsInquiries · March 15th, 2007, 05:24 PM

b'more (1910)

old mccormick building (1936)

1969

view of the harbor from federal hill (1923)

view of the harbor from key highway where a pepsi plant used to sit. wow, we actually had a pepsi plant here? (1940)

Eerik · March 15th, 2007, 07:32 PM

I realize you pulled some of these photos from the Kilduffs site, but there are several errors with regard to dates. Errors like these end up getting cited on other sites, and even make their way into published work. A website by a hobbyist is one thing, but I have all too many books (about Baltimore) by noted authors filled with all kinds of crazy citations. The worst one is a book published about the redevelopment of Center City-Inner Harbor. I don't know if it's a matter of sloppy research or bad sources. It's stuff like this The Baltimore Sun and other pubs end up throwing back at us and causing confusion (i.e. true building heights). Either way, here are a couple of observations I think most will agree with:

b'more (1910)

No way can this be 1910. If you look at the skyline, the B&O building is still under construction, so it's definitely off by about five years. The photo is winter 1905/1906.

view of the harbor from federal hill (1923)

This is the worst one: it's off by nearly a quarter century! Based upon the skyline and pier configuration, it predates the 1904 fire.

1969

This one is about 1960

One that you did not post, but that's on the Kilduffs site, cited as being before the '04 Fire is this one:

Photo dates for Light Street are by far the most frequent and common examples of misinformation. If Light Street is wide, it's after the fire. If it's narrow, it's before the fire...

BalWash · March 15th, 2007, 08:47 PM

You really know your stuff. A tip of my hat to you...

...and a wag of my finger to that stupid website.

March 12th, 2007, 05:18 AM	#1
Northern Unregistered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 270 Likes (Received): 0	Baltimore skyline revisited With all the new construction happening around Inner Harbor, our city's skyline is changing fast. The idea for this thread is to have photos showcasing new buildings as part of the existing skyline. Took these today (yes, Guiness was involved ) I think this angle shows a nice cluster, but missing a civilized foreground (hopefully that will change soon). I am waiting to see if Harbor East will turn out dramatic enough to become Baltimore's signature view. __________________ Cheers!.. Last edited by Northern; March 12th, 2007 at 07:01 AM.

March 12th, 2007, 11:12 AM	#3
StevenW Born in Baltimore Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Newberry, SC Posts: 10,633 Likes (Received): 12	Great pics, Northern! Yes, micrip, that is one of my favorite shots there, too. __________________ Baltimore, my hometown.

March 15th, 2007, 05:24 PM	#18
MasonsInquiries B-MORE than u strive for! Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Baltimore/Columbia, Md. Posts: 2,259 Likes (Received): 0	b'more (1910) old mccormick building (1936) 1969 view of the harbor from federal hill (1923) view of the harbor from key highway where a pepsi plant used to sit. wow, we actually had a pepsi plant here? (1940) Last edited by MasonsInquiries; March 15th, 2007 at 05:29 PM.

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March 12th, 2007, 08:00 AM	#2
micrip Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Baltimore Posts: 2,436 Likes (Received): 13	How about this....

March 13th, 2007, 08:17 AM	#5
micrip Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Baltimore Posts: 2,436 Likes (Received): 13	If my Granddad saw this shot today (he passed away in 1965) he would not know it was Baltimore. The only scraper visible that was there then is the B of A building, and that's in the background.

March 14th, 2007, 08:32 AM	#8
Furiine Proud Marylander Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 566 Likes (Received): 0	Great pics! And I've always loved that one from Tide Point with the orange hue to it (it looks so alive.)

March 14th, 2007, 02:24 PM	#10
MasonsInquiries B-MORE than u strive for! Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Baltimore/Columbia, Md. Posts: 2,259 Likes (Received): 0	i think it would've been nice to have that tower to the right still standing. the one with the clock on it. i'm trying to think of the name of it, but it's not coming to me. someone mentioned that it got taken down around 1984 or so.

March 15th, 2007, 12:47 AM	#14
getontrac Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Mt. Vernon in Baltimore Posts: 924 Likes (Received): 0	^Later than that, more like '90. I've got a picture of Alex Brown under construction with the Tower Building still in tact. Nate

March 15th, 2007, 03:18 PM	#16
pfd103 Bmore Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Baltimore Posts: 1,242 Likes (Received): 5	Some older pics I've found of Baltimore...

March 15th, 2007, 05:09 PM	#17
MasonsInquiries B-MORE than u strive for! Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Baltimore/Columbia, Md. Posts: 2,259 Likes (Received): 0	view from across the patapsco river

March 15th, 2007, 07:32 PM	#19
Eerik Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Washington DC - Baltimore - Tallinn Posts: 1,386 Likes (Received): 35	I realize you pulled some of these photos from the Kilduffs site, but there are several errors with regard to dates. Errors like these end up getting cited on other sites, and even make their way into published work. A website by a hobbyist is one thing, but I have all too many books (about Baltimore) by noted authors filled with all kinds of crazy citations. The worst one is a book published about the redevelopment of Center City-Inner Harbor. I don't know if it's a matter of sloppy research or bad sources. It's stuff like this The Baltimore Sun and other pubs end up throwing back at us and causing confusion (i.e. true building heights). Either way, here are a couple of observations I think most will agree with: b'more (1910) No way can this be 1910. If you look at the skyline, the B&O building is still under construction, so it's definitely off by about five years. The photo is winter 1905/1906. view of the harbor from federal hill (1923) This is the worst one: it's off by nearly a quarter century! Based upon the skyline and pier configuration, it predates the 1904 fire. 1969 This one is about 1960 One that you did not post, but that's on the Kilduffs site, cited as being before the '04 Fire is this one: Photo dates for Light Street are by far the most frequent and common examples of misinformation. If Light Street is wide, it's after the fire. If it's narrow, it's before the fire...

March 15th, 2007, 08:47 PM	#20
BalWash BANNED Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bethesda, Maryland (BALTIMORE,MD-WASHINGTON,DC Metro) and Atlanta, GA Posts: 887 Likes (Received): 0	You really know your stuff. A tip of my hat to you... ...and a wag of my finger to that stupid website.