The Ivy Hotel

Private ownership (1889–1939)

In 1889, John Gilman, prosperous banker and industrialist, commissioned a mansion in Mount Vernon, Baltimore’s most prestigious neighborhood. He chose architect Charles Carson for the job, a master of design who had recently completed Baltimore’s Grand Masonic Venue and the opulent Methodist Church. Gilman asked Carson to build him a house to speak of wealth, power and taste, from its inlaid floors to its turreted slate roof. But Gilman also wanted a home. Its rooms should be intimate, its fireplaces welcoming, and its tall windows should frame the charming streetscape.

The mansion was raised on the leafy corner of Biddle and North Calvert Streets, neighbored on all sides by handsome brick and stone residences. But as fate would have it, Gilman did not live to enjoy his new home, dying suddenly just before the house was complete.

Mrs. Gilman lived at the Biddle Street mansion for several years, then sold it to a man named William Painter, and his amiable wife, Harriet. William was a wildly successful inventor, a holder of more than 100 patents, and the president of the Crown Cork and Seal Co., manufacturer of bottle caps, corks and closures of all kinds. The Painters were very sociable and philanthropic, hosting luncheons and bridge parties, dedicating parks and statues. The Painters and their three children divided their time between the house on Biddle Street and an opulent summer home in Guilford. Father and son were great fans of the work of Edgar Allan Poe, and made sure to send birthday flowers to his grave every year.

When William passed on, Harriet built a children’s hospital in his name in the city. Soon afterwards, she sold the mansion to the Futcher family. Dr. Futcher was a Canadian physician, a noted diagnostician recruited to join Johns Hopkins, and he set up office and family in the Biddle Street house. The Futchers' lived and worked in the house into the 1930s.

City of Baltimore ownership: Department of Public Recreation (1939–1983)

During the 1930s, the mansion was acquired by the Garrett family. Robert Garrett was an Olympic Athlete and Chairperson of an organization known as the Playground Athletic League (P.A.L.), serving the children of Baltimore. In 1939, Mr. Garrett and the P.A.L. donated the Mansion to the City of Baltimore, to be used as the Baltimore City Department of Public Recreation. Following its acquisition by the City of Baltimore, the property was known as "Government House". In 1969, the City purchased the two adjoining Federal style townhouses and expanded the office space. The Baltimore City Department of Public Recreation relocated to new facilities in 1983.

City of Baltimore ownership: The Inn at Government House (1983–2010)

Following the relocation of the Department of Public Recreation in 1983, then-Mayor of Baltimore, William Donald Schaefer, began a project to restore "Government House", as part of his initiative to preserve the rich architectural history of the City. Mayor Schaeffer's was a far-sighted and visionary concept, as many of the City's Victorian Mansions had by then been subdivided into apartments or offices, with the subsequent compromise of their architectural integrity. The restoration was carried out from 1983 to 1985, returning the Mansion to its original 19th-century appearance. The "Inn at Government House" was opened to the public in 1985. The Inn was renovated again in 1998. The Inn served as the Official Guesthouse of the City of Baltimore until 2010, at which time the City decided that the property was no longer needed and should be sold as surplus.

Restoring and renovating The Ivy Hotel (2010–2015)

In 2010, the property was declared surplus by the City of Baltimore’s Space Utilization Committee. The Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC) solicited proposals for redeveloping the site. Mount Vernon Mansion LLC, a local private development consortium, was the only group which submitted a proposal. On October 11, 2011, the Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC) reported that it had sold the property encompassing the former Inn at Government House for $725,000, to Mount Vernon Mansion LLC, whose company planned to redevelop the site as a boutique hotel. The principals of the project are: Brown Capital Management, Baltimore, MD; Azola Companies, Baltimore, MD; Ziger/Snead Architects, Baltimore, MD; and Garrett Hotel Consultants (GHC), Charlotte, Vermont.

The developers and architect paid close attention to all aspects of the property's historic restoration and preservation. They employed a number of local craftspersons. The Ivy Hotel retains many of the property's original historic features, including, the green marble mined from local quarries, the parquet floors, pocket doors, the three-story Grand Staircase capped off with original skylights, carved wood wainscoting, 23 individual fireplaces, and the numerous leaded glass (stained glass) windows.

During the restoration and renovation, the developers hosted a special behind the scenes tour, in conjunction with Baltimore Heritage, on December 3, 2014.

Openings, June 2015

The Ivy Hotel was dedicated and opened for business on June 1, 2015. The Magdalena Restaurant within The Ivy Hotel opened to the public on June 19, 2015.