You are here

Maryland » Baltimore City » Southwest Baltimore » CAMDEN STATION

CAMDEN STATION

-A A +A
1857, 1865–1867 wings; Niernsee and Neilson; 2019 restored, Cho Wilkes Benn. 301 W. Camden St.
  • (Alexander Heilner)
  • (Alexander Heilner)
  • (Alexander Heilner)

This imposing building, a full block in length, was designed by Niernsee and Neilson and overseen by B&O supervising architect Joseph Kemp. It replaced the B&O’s Mount Clare Station as the company’s principal terminal, relocating closer to downtown and the Inner Harbor while also creating offices for the company’s executive staff. Intended to rival the great passenger train stations of London, Camden Station is a richly ornamented Italianate building featuring a gable-front central section with a grand tower with astronomical clock and wings surmounted by cupolas. Elaborate cast-iron window pediments and traceries, fluted columns, and entrance loggia were produced by the local Hayward and Bartlett Company.

The Italianate style had newly emerged on the Baltimore architectural scene and was one in which Niernsee and Neilson were early proponents. Its exuberant design and expansive footprint reflect the success of the B&O, then expanding its operations. The main block was completed first, with the planned 180-foot central tower and wings following. The station was purchased by the Maryland Stadium Authority for the construction of Oriole Park (BC79) after passenger service was discontinued in 1986 and restored.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie
×

Data

What's Nearby

ORIOLE PARK AT CAMDEN YARDS
OLD OTTERBEIN EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH AND THE OTTERBEIN NEIGHBORHOOD
BROMO SELTZER ARTS TOWER (EMERSON BROMO-SELTZER TOWER)
ROMBRO BUILDING
ABELL BUILDING

Citation

Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie, "CAMDEN STATION", [, Maryland], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-BC80.

Print Source

Buildings of Maryland, Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2022, 200-200.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,