Bank of America Building (Baltimore)
| Bank of America Building | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 10 Light Street Baltimore, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°17′21″N 76°36′51″W / 39.2892°N 76.6141°WCoordinates: 39°17′21″N 76°36′51″W / 39.2892°N 76.6141°W |
| Completed | 1929 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 155.15 m (509.0 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 37 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Taylor & Fisher Smith & May |
| Developer | J. Henry Miller & Son |
| Structural engineer | Girard Engineering, Inc. |
The Bank of America Building, located at the corner of East Baltimore and Light Streets in the downtown area of Baltimore, Maryland, at 505 feet (155 meters) was the tallest building in the state (and the tallest office building in the United States south of New York City) when built in 1929. Designed by the firm of Taylor and Fisher, the Art Deco building was known originally as the Baltimore Trust Company Building, completed in eighteen months and fashioned from Indiana sandstone and local brick over a steel frame[1] at a cost of $3 million.[2]
The building's exterior is decorated with carved Romanesque human and animal images, stylized eagles, and is capped with a copper and gold roof. The ornate, two-story main banking lobby is highly decorated with mosaic floors designed by Hildreth Meiere, and historic murals by Griffith Baily Coale and McGill Mackall on historic themes: the Baltimore fire of 1904, and the writing of the National Anthem at the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812.
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[edit] History
Shortly after the Baltimore Trust Company moved into the building in 1929, the Great Depression began and the company foundered. The building was vacant within a year, as the bank went into bankruptcy in 1933 and receivership in 1935.[1] The empty building was subsequently used by the New Deal's Public Works Administration in Maryland.[2] From the 1940s into the 1960s, the building was first known as the Mathieson Building and then the O'Sullivan Building, reflecting its then-current major tenants. In 1961, the building was purchased by Maryland National Bank, which was itself purchased by NationsBank in 1993. The structure then obtained its current name following the NationsBank merger with BankAmerica in 1997.[1] Major portions of the building have been restored in recent years, including the copper-clad dome, which is once again floodlit at night.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Kelly, Denwood N., Shank Jr., Armand M., and Gordon, Thomas S. Money & Banking in Maryland (1996) p. 48. Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore. ISBN 0-938420-52-6
- ^ a b Olson, Sherry H. Baltimore: The Building of an American City (1997) p. 314-15. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. ISBN 0-8018-5640-X
[edit] external links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bank of America Building (Baltimore) |
- Bank of America Building (Baltimore) at Emporis
- Bank of America Building (Baltimore) at SkyscraperPage
| Preceded by Silo Point |
Tallest Building in Baltimore 1929–1973 155m |
Succeeded by Legg Mason Building |
