Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn
Encyclopedia
Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn, also known as the Charles Theatre
, is a historic street railway building located at Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
. It is a two-story brick Romanesque Revival style building, constructed in 1892, that has been altered for a variety of uses over the years. The southern half of the building (now the Charles Theater) was used for the power house; the northern half (formerly the Famous Ballroom and a bowling alley) was used for the car barn. It was constructed by Baltimore’s oldest streetcar company to provide cable traction on one of its first and most important lines. The car barn was the node where the Baltimore & Northern Railway transferred its streetcars to City Passenger tracks. In 1939 the United Railways and Electric Company
sold the structure and it was then converted into a theater, bowling alley, and ballroom.
Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1998.
Charles Theatre
The Charles Theatre, often referred to as simply the Charles, is the oldest movie theatre in Baltimore. The theatre is a Beaux-Arts building designed as a streetcar barn in 1892 by Jackson C. Gott, located in what is now the Station North arts and entertainment district...
, is a historic street railway building located at Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a two-story brick Romanesque Revival style building, constructed in 1892, that has been altered for a variety of uses over the years. The southern half of the building (now the Charles Theater) was used for the power house; the northern half (formerly the Famous Ballroom and a bowling alley) was used for the car barn. It was constructed by Baltimore’s oldest streetcar company to provide cable traction on one of its first and most important lines. The car barn was the node where the Baltimore & Northern Railway transferred its streetcars to City Passenger tracks. In 1939 the United Railways and Electric Company
United Railways and Electric Company
The United Railways and Electric Company was a street railway company in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1899 to 1935....
sold the structure and it was then converted into a theater, bowling alley, and ballroom.
Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1998.
External links
- Baltimore City Passenger Railway Power House and Car Barn, Baltimore City, including photo from 1998, at Maryland Historical Trust
- The Charles Theater website