Photo credit:
Janet Davis, 03/1986
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The Baltimore Grand
Inventory No.:
B-2336, B-2337
Date Listed:
1/13/2000
Location:
20 N. Eutaw Street & 401 W. Fayette Street, 14 N. Eutaw Street & 401 W. Fayette Street, Baltimore, Baltimore City
Category:
Building
Period/Date of Construction:
1881; 1883; 1911; 1912
Architect/Builder:
Architect: Charles L. Carson (1881, 1883); Baldwin & Pennington (1911); Haskell & Barnes (1912)
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Description:
The property known as the Baltimore Grand occupies two historic bank buildings, the former Western National Bank (1881, remodeled 1912) and the former Eutaw Savings Bank (1887, remodeled 1911), which were connected in 1989 and adaptively reused to create a commercial catering and banquet facility. The bank buildings retain good integrity to the 1911-12 period; they are characterized by richly detailed Classical façades, and retain the majority of their interior finishes in place behind inserted wall and ceiling panels. The Eutaw Street façade of the Baltimore Grand is composed of three parts constructed at different times: the former Western National Bank at the south, a recent (1989) connecting element constructed in a former alley, and the former Eutaw Savings Bank at the north, on the corner of Eutaw and Fayette streets. The Fayette Street façade also consists of three sections. The original section of the former Eutaw Savings bank occupies the east end of the block; a 1911 addition to the bank extended the building through the center of the block; and in 1989 a one-story addition was made at the western end of the block to provide an entrance and lobby for the banquet facility. The Western National Bank building was originally designed in 1881 by Baltimore architect Charles L. Carson in an exuberant Queen Anne style. Remnants of the original brick and limestone exterior remain visible on the south façade facing the alley. In 1912, the Baltimore architectural firm of Haskell and Barnes carried out an interior and exterior remodeling of the building which included a completely new Classically inspired façade facing Eutaw Street. This is composed of a giant order of Ionic columns supporting a pedimented portico. The frieze above the columns is unadorned except for the carved identification "Western National Bank" on its face. The pediment is decorated with egg and dart molding, with acroteria at its peak and ends. The façade is constructed of smooth faced limestone over a granite base. Three large cast facing clerestory windows are subdivided with metal framing and two smaller windows at the ground level with ornamental iron grilles. The main entrance doors are bronze. A set of granite steps leads up to the entrance. The ornamental east façade returns ten feet around the north and south corners. The Eutaw Savings Bank, at the southwest corner of Eutaw and Fayette Streets, was also designed by Charles L. Carson in 1887. It was constructed of brownstone on a base of granite, had wood windows clad with copper, and exemplifies Classical influence in its form and detailing. Its front façade is divided into three bays. The central bay is defined by a projecting entrance portico with paired Doric columns and a balustraded balcony delineating the second level. A large arched window above the entrance portico is framed by paired fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals extending to the cornice line. Each side bay is pierced on the first floor by a rectangular window with Tuscan pilasters and at the second story by round-arched windows framed by Doric pilasters and decorative inset panels, and topped with a dentiled pediment. The street level has banded rustication, while the upper level is laid with a smooth ashlar surface. The frieze, carved with a swag motif, supports a dentiled pediment (with carved reliefs in the tympanum) in the center bay and a copper balustrade that wraps around the entire building. Applied bronze letters identify the "Eutaw Savings Bank" at the central frieze.
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Significance:
The Baltimore Grand is primarily significant for its architecture. The two historic bank buildings which make up the complex exemplify a significant type of commercial architecture. The Western National Bank and the Eutaw Savings Bank represent a type of small-scale, yet richly detailed and monumental bank building that was characteristic of Baltimore’s financial institutions around the turn of the 20th century. Rather than seeking the "highest and best use" of relatively expensive downtown real estate by combining banking functions with other income-producing uses in multistory buildings, the Western National Bank and Eutaw Savings Bank made an architectural statement of prosperity and permanence through a lavishly detailed single-purpose banking structure. In doing so, they participated in a trend that was noted by the contemporary architectural press as particularly associated with Baltimore. Furthermore, these buildings represent the work of prominent local architects, including Charles L. Carson, Baldwin & Pennington, and Haskell & Barnes. The property derives additional significance in the area of commerce. The Western National Bank and Eutaw Savings Bank figured prominently in the economic development of the city from the mid 19th century.
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