The Alex. Brown & Sons building is a historical structure located at 135 East Baltimore Street in Baltimore, Maryland. During the 20th century it served as the corporate headquarters for the banking firm Alex. Brown & Sons, the oldest in the United States when it was purchased by Bankers Trust in 1997. The two-story building, completed in 1901 and designed by the partnership of J. Harleston Parker and Douglas H. Thomas. Jr., survived the 1904 Baltimore fire. The building was modified on the Calvert Street side and in the interior by the firm Beecher, Friz, and Gregg in 1905.[2][3]
The building was sold to Chevy Chase Bank in 1997. A plaque on the side of the building states:
A thorough historical renovation of the building was completed in 1996 when it was reopened as a traditional retail bank branch. The beautiful stained glass dome, probably the work of Baltimore artist Gustave Baumstark (who studied under both Louis C. Tiffany and John LaFarge) was cleaned and refurbished. The marble columns and the plaster moldings of the great banking hall were restored to their original designs. During the renovation the original teller line was reconstructed. Even such details as the design and placement of the freestanding furniture now in existence in the bank branch were designed to mimic the original furniture.
The Alex. Brown & Sons Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1]
It was reported in May 2021 that the building has been leased for the set of the Disney-FX film pilot The Spook Who Sat by the Door, based on the novel of the same name.[4]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System – (#82001581)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Dorsey, John & Dilts, James D., Guide to Baltimore Architecture (1997) p. 151-2. Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, Maryland ISBN 0-87033-477-8
- ^ Stuart R. Keys, III (April 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Alex Brown Building" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ Simmons, Melody (May 19, 2021). "FX to film 'The Spook Who Sat By The Door' in downtown Baltimore". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved May 24, 2021 – via WBAL-TV.
External links
- Alex Brown Building, Baltimore City, including photo from 1985, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. MD-1121, "Alex. Brown & Sons Company Building, 135 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Independent City, MD", 10 photos, 2 color transparencies, 16 data pages, 1 photo caption page
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