War Memorial Building-Business and Government Historic District - Baltimore MD
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 39° 17.468 W 076° 36.505
18S E 361293 N 4350317
Business and Government Historic District consists primarily of a cohesive group of governmental and commercial buildings that are located in the historic center of Baltimore. They include the War Memorial Building.
Waymark Code: WM13TT9
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2021
Views: 1
National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form:
Business and Government Historic District consists primarily of a cohesive group of governmental and commercial buildings that are located in the historic center of Baltimore near The Business and Government Historic District the Inner Harbor. The district is generally characterized by classically influenced facades that line the street.
The commercial buildings range from small two and three story high storefront structures to modern twenty-five story high office towers. Although there are extant buildings from the early nineteenth century to the present day, the overwhelming majority of buildings were constructed between 1900 and 1925, most in the decade following the 1904 fire. Generally the buildings feature classical detailing, symmetry, brick or smooth stone facades, and a heavy cornice at the roof line, however there is a wide range of styles in this heterogenous, urban district.
Among the most distinctive structures in the district are the small classical banks, early high rise office buildings, "revival buildings" (small commercial structures designed as a revival of a foreign architectural style) and the courthouses.
War Memorial Building Photo 37
Among the most distinctive structures in the district are the small classical banks, early high rise office buildings, "revival buildings" (small commercial structures designed as a revival of a foreign architectural style) and the courthouses. The street plan conforms to a fairly strict grid pattern. Major landscaping features are Monument Square centered on the 52 foot marble Battle Monument erected 1815-1825, War Memorial Plaza to the west of the War Memorial building, and the open space in front of the Fish Market.
From the Historical Marker erected at the lower entrance to the Memorial and erected by the City of Baltimore, William Donald Schaefer, Mayor, rededicated 2005, Martin O'Malley, Mayor:
War Memorial-"It is a fearful thing to lead this great, peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than the peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest to our hearts..." Woodrow Wilson, April 2, 1917
Deeply moved by the unprecedented enormity of World War I (1914-1918), the citizens of Baltimore and Maryland erected this War Memorial in 1925 to honor those Marylanders who fell in the defense of Freedom. The austere, neo-classical design was the work of the prominent Baltimore architect Laurence Hall Fowler. Inside on the marble walls of a large auditorium are the names of the 1752 Marylanders killed in the War. At the west end of the auditorium is an allegorical mural depicting "A Sacrifice to Patriotism" by Baltimore artist R. McGill Mackall. The two stone horses flanking the front terrace represent the "Might of America crossign the seas to aid our Allies. They were sculpted by Edmond R. Amateis of New York.
In 1977, the War Memorial was rededicated to honor all Marylanders who lost their lives in America's wars since World War I.
Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Business and Government Historic District
Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link]
Address:
Gay and Fayette Streets, Baltimore MD
How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below)
Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]
NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): Not listed
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