Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses
Encyclopedia
The Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses are located in downtown Baltimore
, Maryland
. Facing each other in the 100 block of North Calvert Street, the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr, Courthouse and Courthouse East (the old Baltimore Post Office) house the 30 judges of the 8th judicial circuit for the state of Maryland. In addition to the criminal, civil and family courts, the courthouses also contain the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City, the Clerk of the Court, the Baltimore City Law Library, the Sheriff's Office, the Baltimore Courthouse and Law Museum, the Pretrial Release Division of the Maryland Division of Corrections, several pretrial detention lockups, jury assembly rooms, land records, court medical offices and Masters hearing rooms.
for the new courthouse. This act required competition in the design of federal buildings and was administered by the Office of the Supervising Architect
of the Department of the Treasury
. Of the entries, a Greek Revival
–styled courthouse proposed by the Baltimore firm of Wyatt and Nolting was chosen. The cornerstone for the Baltimore Courthouse was laid in 1896 and the building was dedicated at a public ceremony on January 8, 1900. Concerns over the austere nature of several courtrooms and lobby interiors gave cause for the addition of murals executed between 1902 and 1910 by a number of artists, including the 1904 Burning of the Peggy Stewart
by Charles Yardley Turner
.
A joint study of the structure was completed in 1946 by architect O.E. Adams and Henry Adams (mechanical engineer)
, after which it was expanded and renovated to serve modern judicial needs.
In 1985, Baltimore City's main courthouse, located in the midst of the downtown business district, was rededicated in honor of Baltimore's Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
A study of the original Baltimore Courthouse was presented in 1989, though substantial exterior improvements did not proceed until after 2000. The study by architectural firm Richter Cornbrooks Gribble again concluded that the building should be re-used, rather than abandoned in favor of new facilities; actual renovation then proceeded at the direction of architect Kann & Associates. Despite their criticism of the earliest renovation, the architects recognized that the earlier reconfiguration "probably prevented it from being demolished altogether." Further study continued into 2002, when architects Richter Cornbrooks Gribble Inc. of Baltimore and Ricci Associates of New York suggested a remodeling that returned the interior formal spaces to configuration closer to the pre-1940s arrangement.
, each weighing 35 tons and measuring 31 feet in height, support the base of the roof facing Calvert Street. These columns are seven feet taller than those surrounding the United States Capitol
. Granite, quarried from Woodstock, Maryland
, wraps the basement level and provides a solid base for the white marble-six story courthouse facade.
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse or Courthouse East, is a historic combined post office
and Federal courthouse
located in Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
. It occupies an entire city block and measures 238 feet, 2 inches east-west by 279 feet, 10 inches north-south. It is of steel frame construction with concrete floors and tile roof, basement of granite, and outer walls of white Indiana limestone. The structure is six stories in height and provided with basement and two sub-basements. It was completed in 1932 and features classical ornamentation. A renovation of the Baltimore Courthouse East was complete by 1990. Hord Coplan Macht Inc. was the architect and interior designer for the adaptive reuse
of the old Baltimore Post Office; the restoration contractor was Lake Falls Construction Inc.
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
Downtown Baltimore
Downtown Baltimore is the section of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Mt. Royal Avenue to the north, President Street to the east and the Inner Harbor area to the south. It consists of four neighborhoods: Westside, City Centre, Inner Harbor, and...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Facing each other in the 100 block of North Calvert Street, the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr, Courthouse and Courthouse East (the old Baltimore Post Office) house the 30 judges of the 8th judicial circuit for the state of Maryland. In addition to the criminal, civil and family courts, the courthouses also contain the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City, the Clerk of the Court, the Baltimore City Law Library, the Sheriff's Office, the Baltimore Courthouse and Law Museum, the Pretrial Release Division of the Maryland Division of Corrections, several pretrial detention lockups, jury assembly rooms, land records, court medical offices and Masters hearing rooms.
Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr, Courthouse
In 1894, 79 local and national architectural firms responded to a design competition under the Tarsney ActJohn Charles Tarsney
John Charles Tarsney was a politician from the U.S. state of Missouri.One of Tarsney's most long lasting contributions was the "Tarsney Act" which permitted private architects to design federal buildings after being selected in a competition under the supervision of Supervising Architect of the...
for the new courthouse. This act required competition in the design of federal buildings and was administered by the Office of the Supervising Architect
Office of the Supervising Architect
The Office of the Supervising Architect was an agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings from 1852 to 1939....
of the Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
. Of the entries, a Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
–styled courthouse proposed by the Baltimore firm of Wyatt and Nolting was chosen. The cornerstone for the Baltimore Courthouse was laid in 1896 and the building was dedicated at a public ceremony on January 8, 1900. Concerns over the austere nature of several courtrooms and lobby interiors gave cause for the addition of murals executed between 1902 and 1910 by a number of artists, including the 1904 Burning of the Peggy Stewart
Peggy Stewart
The Peggy Stewart was a Maryland cargo vessel burned on October 19, 1774, in Annapolis as a punishment for contravening the boycott on tea imports which had been imposed in retaliation for the British treatment of the people of Boston following the Boston Tea Party...
by Charles Yardley Turner
Charles Yardley Turner
Charles Yardley Turner was an American artist and muralist.Born in Baltimore, Turner studied art in Europe under French masters Jean-Paul Laurens, Mihály Munkácsy and Léon Bonnat...
.
A joint study of the structure was completed in 1946 by architect O.E. Adams and Henry Adams (mechanical engineer)
Henry Adams (mechanical engineer)
Henry Adams was an American mechanical engineer. He emigrated at age 22 to Baltimore from Duisburg, Germany having been educated as a building engineer...
, after which it was expanded and renovated to serve modern judicial needs.
In 1985, Baltimore City's main courthouse, located in the midst of the downtown business district, was rededicated in honor of Baltimore's Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. was a civil rights activist and was the chief lobbyist for the NAACP for nearly 30 years. He also served as a regional director for the organization. Mitchell, nicknamed "the 101st U.S...
A study of the original Baltimore Courthouse was presented in 1989, though substantial exterior improvements did not proceed until after 2000. The study by architectural firm Richter Cornbrooks Gribble again concluded that the building should be re-used, rather than abandoned in favor of new facilities; actual renovation then proceeded at the direction of architect Kann & Associates. Despite their criticism of the earliest renovation, the architects recognized that the earlier reconfiguration "probably prevented it from being demolished altogether." Further study continued into 2002, when architects Richter Cornbrooks Gribble Inc. of Baltimore and Ricci Associates of New York suggested a remodeling that returned the interior formal spaces to configuration closer to the pre-1940s arrangement.
Description
The courthouse occupies a full city block. Eight Ionic columnsIonic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
, each weighing 35 tons and measuring 31 feet in height, support the base of the roof facing Calvert Street. These columns are seven feet taller than those surrounding the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
. Granite, quarried from Woodstock, Maryland
Woodstock, Maryland
Woodstock is an unincorporated community which is a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. The original village of Woodstock is located in Howard County, but the surrounding area includes portions of Baltimore County and Carroll County.- Demographics :...
, wraps the basement level and provides a solid base for the white marble-six story courthouse facade.
Courthouse East (old Baltimore Post Office)
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and Federal courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
located in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It occupies an entire city block and measures 238 feet, 2 inches east-west by 279 feet, 10 inches north-south. It is of steel frame construction with concrete floors and tile roof, basement of granite, and outer walls of white Indiana limestone. The structure is six stories in height and provided with basement and two sub-basements. It was completed in 1932 and features classical ornamentation. A renovation of the Baltimore Courthouse East was complete by 1990. Hord Coplan Macht Inc. was the architect and interior designer for the adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
of the old Baltimore Post Office; the restoration contractor was Lake Falls Construction Inc.
History
Some notable court cases held in this building include:- 1934: Judge W. Calvin Chestnut became the first jurist to strike down a New DealNew DealThe New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
Act of Congress. - 1948: Alger HissAlger HissAlger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
filed a libel suit against Whittaker ChambersWhittaker ChambersWhittaker Chambers was born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker Chambers , was an American writer and editor. After being a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy, he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent later testifying in the perjury and espionage trial... - 1968 and 1969: the Berrigans were indicted in this courthouse for destroying Federal records as a protest against the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. - 1973: Vice President Spiro T. Agnew pleaded nolo contedre to tax evasion and resigned as Vice President.
- 2010: Baltimore Mayor Sheila DixonSheila DixonSheila Ann Dixon served as the forty-eighth Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. When former Mayor Martin O'Malley was sworn in as Governor on January 17, 2007, Dixon, a Democrat, became mayor and served out the remaining year of O'Malley's term. In November 2007, she was elected mayor...
was tried and found guilty in this courthouse.
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977.