Category Archives: 2010 Preservation Awards

2010 Preservation Awards: Housewerks

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Image courtesy Tracey Clark

Tracey Clark and Ben Riddleberger purchased the 1885 gas valve building historically known as the Chesapeake Gas Works in 2005 to house their architectural salvage business, Housewerks. Over the past five years Riddleberger and Clark have stabilized and restored the long vacant building (also known as Bayard Station) and have highlighted its many fine details. These include ornamental plaster and woodwork, fireplaces, 10 foot high Palladian windows and a granite walls on the lower level. They extensively researched the history of the building and proudly display early images throughout their store. In addition, they worked with the Pigtown neighborhood in 2006 to have the building included on the National Register of Historic Places. With more than a little sweat, the building now is a centerpiece in a quickly changing industrial part of South Baltimore.

Image courtesy Tracey Clark

2010 Preservation Awards: Elisha Tyson House

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Image courtesy Mark Thistel

Image courtesy Mark Thistel

Originally the summer home of industrialist and abolitionist Elisha Tyson in the early 1800s, 732 Pacific Street is a classic Federal style house built with native granite two feet thick. Among many other accomplishments, Tyson helped finance the very profitable Falls Road Turnpike in 1805 and reportedly established safe houses for runaway slaves along the route. The building on Pacific Street was later owned by the Mount Vernon Mill Company and used as a superintendent’s house for the mill complex. Robyn Lyles and Mark Thistle (also a Baltimore Heritage board member) purchased the house in 2005 and finished renovations in 2009. The rehab project included archeology work by the University of Maryland, painstakingly saving windows including the original antique glass, and disassembling and reassembling the porch to save the original materials. 13,000 hours of work later, the finished product is a masterpiece of historic preservation.

The award goes to owners Robyn Lyles and Mark Thistle, SMG Architects, and contractor Traditional Builders. For more information check out this great feature in Urbanite Magazine with a slideshow on the house and a profile on Elisha Tyson. You can also enjoy a few photos from our recent Behind the Scenes Tour of Mount Vernon Mill No. 1, just around the corner from the Elisha Tyson House.
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2010 Preservation Awards: Falls Road Residence

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Today’s post is the beginning of a new category for our 2010 Baltimore Heritage Preservation Award winners.  The Restoration and Rehab Award recognizes that restoration or rehabilitation of historic commercial, institutional or residential buildings that have maintained the basic historic function of the building. Our first award-winner in this category is the Hampden Residence of Ezra Hercenberg at 3415 Falls Road.

Image courtesy Julie Tice

With new vinyl siding on the front and every single window missing, the building at 3415 Falls Road appeared an unlikely candidate for any type of historic preservation project.  Undaunted, the owner, Ezra Hercenberg, and his architect Julie Tice, charged in.  They removed the vinyl to reveal original German siding, which they preserved in place.  They repaired the porch, saving as much original material as they could, and they even were able to preserve the original cornice.  The end result is a wonderfully restored historic structure that brings new life to the Hamden historic district.

Image courtesy Julie Tice

2010 Preservation Awards: UB Liberal Arts and Policy Building

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Image courtesy Cho Benn Holback + Associates

The University of Baltimore’s Liberal Arts and Policy Building at 10 W. Preston Street originally housed the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal secret society founded in 1894 and the first such society to be incorporated under an act of Congress. The co-educational institution, University of Baltimore, acquired the building and undertook an extensive renovation project in which the original stained glass and spiral stairs were restored, as was the limestone fronts along Charles Street. The work even uncovered the original tile floor, which was cleaned and reused. The University of Baltimore is the owner and Cho Benn Holback + Associates was the architect.
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2010 Preservation Awards: Professional Arts Building

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Image courtesy Kann Partners

Originally constructed as the “Medical Arts Building” in 1927, the Professional Arts Building at 101 West Read Street served as offices for medical personnel until it saw a decline in occupancy in the 1990s. The large 110,000 square foot building was left more than seventy-five percent vacant for a decade prior to its rehabilitation in 2009. Restoration work included repairing the original terra cotta balustrade, refurbishing the main lobby and elevator lobbies in the upper floors, and restoring the storefront on Cathedral Street. Kann Partners was the architect and Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse were the builders.
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2010 Preservation Awards: Old Town National Bank

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Image courtesy Kann Partners

The classically styled Old Town National Bank building at 221 N. Gay Street was constructed in 1924 as a bank headquarters. Despite many years of vacancy, the primary first stories retained an array of historic details, including a two story lobby, cornice and parapet wall, grand marble stairway, and even vault spaces. The work included refurbishing and repairing these and a host of other features, and the building now shines as a Holiday Inn Express Hotel. For more information on the project see this great account from the Baltimore Sun. The Adaptive Reuse and Compatible Design Awards went to owner Old Town Properties LLC and architects Kann Partners.

2010 Award Winner: Miller’s Court

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Miller's Court before renovation, photo courtesy Tom Terranova

Miller's Court after renovations, photo courtesy Brigitte Manekin

Constructed in 1874, the former H. F. Miller and Son’s Tin Box and Can Manufacturing Company at 2601 N. Howard Street served as a manufacturing site for the American Can Company. Vacant for the past 20 years, this landmark building has experienced a renaissance as Miller’s Court–a mixed-use redevelopment offering affordable apartments for teachers and office space for nonprofit organizations that work with the city’s school system. To boot, the rehabilitation work combined the highest preservation standards with the gold standards for green and sustainable design. The end product is already breathing life into Howard Street and the surrounding community. The Adaptive Reuse and Compatible Design Award went to owner Seawall Development, architect Marks Thomas, and contractor Hamel Builders.

Baltimore Building of the Week: American Brewery

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This week’s Baltimore Building of the Week from Dr. John Breihan serves double duty as the first in a new series highlighting the 2010 Baltimore Heritage Preservation Award Winners! The American Brewery Building at 1701 North Gay Street might be the most “Baltimore” of all buildings in the city. It is in the style of High Victorian architecture, as so much of our city was built and it is just plain quirky. Since 1973, the 1887 J.F. Weisner and Sons brewery building (later known as the American Brewery) stood as a hulking shell lording over a distressed neighborhood. Its restoration is a noteworthy symbol of optimism for the historic building the surrounding community. The conversion of the brewery into a health care and community center for Humanim more than fits the organization’s motto: “To identify those in greatest need and provide uncompromising human services.” We are thankful that they chose this grand building in Baltimore to carry out that mission. A 2010 Baltimore Heritage Preservation Award in the Adaptive Reuse and Compatible Design category goes to owner Humanim, Inc., architects Cho Benn Holback + Associates, and contractor Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse.

Image courtesy Chauncy Primm/Flickr 2009

On a prominent ridge-top site in East Baltimore, this flamboyant Second Empire extravaganza was actually a working industrial complex between 1887 and 1973 (with a break for Prohibition). Perhaps John Frederick Weissner, who presided over the American Brewery, hoped that its towering turrets and Mansard roof, visible over much of the city, would generate a profitable thirstiness for his product. After years of vacancy and decay, the brewery buildings have been restored to life by Humanim, a community-service nonprofit active in the impoverished neighborhood around the brewery.