Type Commercial offices Construction started 1907 Height 88 m Phone +1 443-874-3596 | Architectural style Renaissance Revival Completed 1911 Opened 1911 Architect Joseph Evans Sperry | |
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Former names Bromo-Seltzer Tower
Baltimore Arts Tower Location 312 West Lombard Street
Baltimore, Maryland Address 21 S Eutaw St, Balti, MD 21201, USA Similar Washington Monument, Phoenix Shot Tower, Geppi's Entertainment Museum, Hippodrome Theatre, Maryland Art Place Profiles | ||
Emerson bromo seltzer tower baltimore maryland
Emerson Tower often referenced as Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower is a 15-story, 88 m (289 ft) skyscraper erected in 1911 at the corner of Eutaw and Lombard Streets in Baltimore, Maryland, designed by Joseph Evans Sperry for Bromo-Seltzer inventor "Captain" Isaac E. Emerson.
Contents
History
It was the tallest building in Baltimore from 1911 until 1923. The design of the tower along with the original factory building at its base was inspired by the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy, which was seen by Emerson during a tour of Europe in 1900. Systems engineering for the building's original design was completed by Henry Adams. The factory was demolished in 1969 and replaced with a firehouse.
The building features four clock faces adorning the tower's 15th floor on the North, South, East and West sides. Installed by the Seth Thomas Clock Company at an original cost of US$3,965, they are made of translucent white glass and feature the letters B-R-O-M-O S-E-L-T-Z-E-R, with the Roman numerals being less prominent. The dials, which are illuminated at night with mercury-vapor lamps, are 24 feet (7.3 meters) in diameter, and the minute and hour hands approximately 12 and 10 feet (3.7 and 3.0 meters) in length respectively. Upon its completion, the Bromo Seltzer Tower featured the largest four dial gravity driven clock in the world. Originally driven by weights, the moving parts are now electrically powered. The word BROMO reads clockwise, and SELTZER counterclockwise, which results in the letters being located in the following positions:
The tower originally had a 51 ft (16 m) Bromo-Seltzer bottle, glowing blue and rotating. Weighing 20 tons (18.1 tonnes), it was lined with 314 incandescent light bulbs and topped with a crown on a clear night it could be seen from 20 miles away. The bottle was removed in 1936 because of structural concerns.
The tower was virtually abandoned in 2002, but in early 2007 the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and philanthropists Eddie and Sylvia Brown worked to transform the structure into artist studios. The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower is now home to a variety of creative artists, writers, videographers, photographers, poets, and more. Throughout the day, artists welcome guests into their studios to view and purchase original art. The Baltimore Fire Department's John F. Steadman Fire Station, which opened in 1973 and is situated at the tower's base, houses BCFD Hazmat 1, Airflex 1, Medic1, Medic 23, MAC23, Engine 23, Rescue 1, and formerly Truck 2.
The Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is included within the Baltimore National Heritage Area.
Visiting the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower
Clock Room Tours are on Saturdays at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30 for a $5 fee.
Private tours may be set up with reservations.
Free art openings occur approximately every 2 months.
Sounds of the Tower Open Mike occurs on Saturday afternoons starting at 1:00.