Belvedere Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Belvedere Hotel is a Beaux Arts style building in Baltimore, Maryland. Designed by the Boston
architectural firm of Thomas and Parker and built in 1903, the Belvedere is a Baltimore landmark in the city's fashionable Mount Vernon neighborhood. The eleven-story building rises 118 feet (36 m) from a rusticated
base to an elaborately-detailed Second Empire crown.
The hotel is named for its site on the former "Belvidere" estate of John Eager Howard
. The hotel was known as the premier lodging in Baltimore during the first half of the twentieth century, hosting U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy
and Woodrow Wilson
, among others, along with such celebrities as Wallis Warfield Simpson (the Duchess of Windsor), Douglas MacArthur
, Clark Gable
, and others.
The hotel was converted to condominium
s in 1991, although the building's ballrooms, restaurants, and lounges remain open to the public. The Belvedere's Suite Ultralounge, a BYOB
club which opened in 2008 was closed by police on November 25, 2009, after being declared a "public nuisance". The club had given rise to a "host of assaults" in the neighborhood, Baltimore police said in May, 2009. At a June 16, 2009, meeting attended by Mt. Vernon neighborhood residents, city officials, and lounge management, citizens voiced complaints of assaults and intimidation that they attributed to the Belvedere's Suite Ultralounge patrons. In announcing the closing following an administrative hearing officer's ruling in November, 2009, that the club posed an "unsafe environment", police said they padlocked the Suite Ultralounge for a year due to "several violent incidents in and around the bar over the past 18 months".
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
architectural firm of Thomas and Parker and built in 1903, the Belvedere is a Baltimore landmark in the city's fashionable Mount Vernon neighborhood. The eleven-story building rises 118 feet (36 m) from a rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
base to an elaborately-detailed Second Empire crown.
The hotel is named for its site on the former "Belvidere" estate of John Eager Howard
John Eager Howard
John Eager Howard was an American soldier and politician from Maryland. He was elected as governor of the state in 1789, and served three one-year terms. He also was elected to the Continental Congress, Congress of the United States and the US Senate. He was born in and died in Baltimore County...
. The hotel was known as the premier lodging in Baltimore during the first half of the twentieth century, hosting U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, among others, along with such celebrities as Wallis Warfield Simpson (the Duchess of Windsor), Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
, and others.
The hotel was converted to condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
s in 1991, although the building's ballrooms, restaurants, and lounges remain open to the public. The Belvedere's Suite Ultralounge, a BYOB
BYOB
BYOB is an acronym most commonly meant to stand for "bring your own bottle", "bring your own booze" "bring your own bucket" or "bring your own beer"....
club which opened in 2008 was closed by police on November 25, 2009, after being declared a "public nuisance". The club had given rise to a "host of assaults" in the neighborhood, Baltimore police said in May, 2009. At a June 16, 2009, meeting attended by Mt. Vernon neighborhood residents, city officials, and lounge management, citizens voiced complaints of assaults and intimidation that they attributed to the Belvedere's Suite Ultralounge patrons. In announcing the closing following an administrative hearing officer's ruling in November, 2009, that the club posed an "unsafe environment", police said they padlocked the Suite Ultralounge for a year due to "several violent incidents in and around the bar over the past 18 months".