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Bank of America Building (Baltimore)
Encyclopedia
The Bank of America Building, located at the corner of East Baltimore and Light Street
s 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 at a cost of $3 million.
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 mural
s 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
.
's Public Works Administration
in Maryland. 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. Major portions of the building have been restored in recent years, including the copper-clad dome, which is once again floodlit at night.
St. Paul Street-Calvert Street
St. Paul Street and Calvert Street are a one-way pair of streets in Downtown Baltimore and areas north. The streets, which are part of Maryland Route 2, are two of Baltimore's best-known streets in the downtown area.-St. Paul Street:...
s in the downtown
Downtown Baltimore
Downtown Baltimore is the section of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Mt. Royal Avenue to the north, President Street to the east and the Inner Harbor area to the south. It consists of four neighborhoods: Westside, City Centre, Inner Harbor, and...
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
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
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 at a cost of $3 million.
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
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floors designed by Hildreth Meiere
Hildreth Meiere
Hildreth Meiere , American artist, architectural artist, muralist and mosaicist.- Biography :After studying at New York's Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, Meiere studied in Florence. Being exposed to the Renaissance Masters, she is quoted as saying, "After that I could not be satisfied...
, and historic mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s by Griffith Baily Coale and McGill Mackall on historic themes: the Baltimore fire of 1904
Great Baltimore Fire
The Great Baltimore Fire raged in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, on Sunday, February 7, and Monday, February 8, 1904. 1,231 firefighters were required to bring the blaze under control...
, and the writing of the National Anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
at the Battle of Baltimore
Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
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. The empty building was subsequently used by the New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
's Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
in Maryland. 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
MBNA
MBNA Corporation was a bank holding company and parent company of wholly owned subsidiary MBNA America Bank, N.A., headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, prior to being acquired by Bank of America in 2006...
, which was itself purchased by NationsBank
NationsBank
NationsBank was one of the largest banking corporations in the United States, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1998, it acquired BankAmerica to become Bank of America.-Corporate history:...
in 1993. The structure then obtained its current name following the NationsBank merger with BankAmerica
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
in 1997. Major portions of the building have been restored in recent years, including the copper-clad dome, which is once again floodlit at night.