Baltimore City Hall
George A Frederick: Prominent Baltimore Architect

Works in Baltimore

Works in Baltimore
Baltimore City Hall

Name:		 Baltimore City Hall
Address: 100 N. Holliday St.
Standing? Yes Year: 1875


“Among the many objects of which Baltimoreans may be justly proud is the new City Hall. It is one of the most elegant structures in the United States. Occupying the entire square on which it is erected, it stands out in bold relief, impressing the observer at every point of view with its gracefulness and grandeur.”

—George Washington Howard, 1873
City Hall was designed in the French Renaissance style of the Second Empire, capped by a cupola; the latter is thought to be inspired by the by the construction of the U.S. Capital building dome begun in 1856. It was constructed with Baltimore County marble (also referred to as Beaver Dam Marble) and Falls Road bluestone. Baltimore carpenter J.M. Sudsberg designed and carved the doors bearing the seal of Baltimore and Battle Monument. Remarkably, the building was designed to be fireproof, the first municipal building so built in the nation.

The Building Committee appointed Frederick consulting architect in 1867 and as with many of his other projects, Frederick remained involved throughout the construction of his plans. On October 18th of that year the cornerstone was laid. Though an address by Hon. J.H.B. Latrobe and Masonic rituals provided a spectacle to draw the crowds to the cornerstone laying ceremony, The Sun believed that the small crowd of onlookers represented the populace's view that a new City Hall at $1,000,000 was an unnecessary expenditure when economic strains from the war still crippled the city. In the summer of 1868 The Sun's fears were realized. The entirety of the Building Committee was forced to resign after charges of fraud revealed that they did not choose the lowest bidding contractors for marble, brick, lumber, and cement. Frederick was partly to blame for the brick contract. He used the term "common red" brick on his list of materials needed for the structure, when in fact no red bricks were used. Not knowing this, the Building Committee paid $8,188 for unneeded red bricks. Construction went on despite this setback. The new Building Committee included three mechanics to provide expertise and prevent a similar mistake.

The building was finished in 1875, and to the surprise of the municipality, cost only $2,271,135.64 out of a total appropriation of $2,500,000 (the budget was expanded as construction progressed). The Building Committee and Frederick were seen as heroes for leaving $228,864.36 as a surplus to the city. A grand ceremony handing over the new City Hall from the Building Committee to Latrobe, representing the people of Baltimore, took place on October 26, 1875. The day was a declared municipal holiday, with Governor James Black Groome heading the ceremonial procession, followed by the two regiments from Fort McHenry, civic and trade groups of the city, and the Baltimore Fire Department.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places 5/8/1973.
 

 

Dedicated to the memory of Andrew Neubauer

Copyright 2010 ~ GeorgeAFrederick.com.  ~ All Rights Reserved. This website is a culmination of much research by descendents of George A Frederick. Much of the information was collected on the Internet and although we stand by our research, there may be incorrect information. We welcome any input in regarding inaccuracies or by providing any information which can improve this collection of his work.