Hebrew Orphan Asylum (Baltimore, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
The Hebrew Orphan Asylum is an historic institutional orphanage and former hospital building located in the Mosher
neighborhood of Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
. It has also been known as West Baltimore General Hospital, Lutheran Hospital of Maryland and currently is used by the Tuerk House, a residential program.
The building is a south-facing Victorian Romanesque
red brick structure. Its central block is four stories high and five bays wide, with a large porch and projecting turrets at each corner. The central block is flanked by three-story wings, each four bays wide, on the west and east. The Hebrew Orphan Asylum was designed by Lupus & Roby, the partnership of Edward Lupus
(1834–1877) and Henry Albert Roby
(1844–1905), and constructed by Edward Brady (1830–1900).
The history of the development at the site of the current building began in 1815 with the construction of “Calverton,” the country home of Baltimore banker Dennis Smith. This building was re-purposed and expanded for use as the Baltimore City and County Almshouse from 1820 through 1866. The Hebrew Orphan Asylum was established in 1872 and operated in the Calverton mansion until displaced by a fire in 1874. After some deliberation, the leaders of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum decided to rebuild at the same location following a design by architects Lupus & Roby.
The Hebrew Orphan Asylum moved to a new facility in 1923 and the building transitioned to serve as the West Baltimore General Hospital from 1923 through 1945. The facility then became the Lutheran Hospital of Maryland and remained in use from 1945 to 1989. The history of the building as a hospital included the addition of several related structures to the campus only one of which, a 1945 maternity ward, remaining extant. This building, designed by Henry Powell Hopkins
and built by the John K. Ruff Company, now operates as the Tuerk House, a residential drug and alcohol rehab facility. The original Hebrew Orphan Asylum building has been vacant since 1989 and has been owned by Coppin State University
since 2003.
Baltimore Heritage
, a nonprofit historic preservation advocacy organization, nominated the Hebrew Orphan Asylum to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2010 with support from Coppin State University.
The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on October 28, 2010. The listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
's weekly list of November 5, 2010.
Mosher, Baltimore
Mosher is a neighborhood in the western part of Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are the north side of Edmondson Avenue, the west side of Braddish Avenue, the east side of Poplar Grove, and the south side of Riggs Avenue. The neighborhood lies in the vicinity of Walbrook Junction, Coppin State...
neighborhood of 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 has also been known as West Baltimore General Hospital, Lutheran Hospital of Maryland and currently is used by the Tuerk House, a residential program.
Built in 1875, the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in Baltimore, Maryland replaced the old Calverton Mansion (built in 1815) when a fire destroyed the mansion in 1874. The Hebrew Orphan Asylum, which started in 1872 in the Calverton Mansion depended on donations from people within the Baltimore Jewish community, including the wealthy German Jewish community that had settled within the city. The history of the asylum follows the history of the Jewish community in Baltimore, which increased rapidly with immigration from Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. The building transitioned to serve as the West Baltimore General Hospital from 1923 through 1945 and finally the Lutheran Hospital of Maryland from 1945 to 1989. While associated structures associated with the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, the West Baltimore General Hospital, and the Lutheran Hospital of Maryland were demolished n 2009, the original four-story brick Romanesque structure still stands.
The building is a south-facing Victorian Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
red brick structure. Its central block is four stories high and five bays wide, with a large porch and projecting turrets at each corner. The central block is flanked by three-story wings, each four bays wide, on the west and east. The Hebrew Orphan Asylum was designed by Lupus & Roby, the partnership of Edward Lupus
Edward Lupus
Born in 1834 in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Edward Lupus arrived in Baltimore at age 19 on November 8, 1853 from Bremen. At the time of his immigration to the United States, he reported his profession as a joiner...
(1834–1877) and Henry Albert Roby
Henry Albert Roby
Born in Massachusetts in March 1844, Henry Albert Roby, also known as Harry A. Roby, joined the 1st Maryland Regiment of the Confederate Army at age 18, fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg and serving through the end of the Civil War. Roby began work as a draftsman in 1868 at 891 Park Avenue, his...
(1844–1905), and constructed by Edward Brady (1830–1900).
The history of the development at the site of the current building began in 1815 with the construction of “Calverton,” the country home of Baltimore banker Dennis Smith. This building was re-purposed and expanded for use as the Baltimore City and County Almshouse from 1820 through 1866. The Hebrew Orphan Asylum was established in 1872 and operated in the Calverton mansion until displaced by a fire in 1874. After some deliberation, the leaders of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum decided to rebuild at the same location following a design by architects Lupus & Roby.
The Hebrew Orphan Asylum moved to a new facility in 1923 and the building transitioned to serve as the West Baltimore General Hospital from 1923 through 1945. The facility then became the Lutheran Hospital of Maryland and remained in use from 1945 to 1989. The history of the building as a hospital included the addition of several related structures to the campus only one of which, a 1945 maternity ward, remaining extant. This building, designed by Henry Powell Hopkins
Henry Powell Hopkins
Born on February 12, 1891 in Annapolis, Maryland, Henry Powell Hopkins attended Cornell University from 1909 to 1910. He continued to study at Columbia University until 1914, when he received a bachelor's degree in architecture. After a few years of working in Kansas City, Missouri, teaching at...
and built by the John K. Ruff Company, now operates as the Tuerk House, a residential drug and alcohol rehab facility. The original Hebrew Orphan Asylum building has been vacant since 1989 and has been owned by Coppin State University
Coppin State University
Coppin State University is a historically black college located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland...
since 2003.
Baltimore Heritage
Baltimore Heritage
Baltimore Heritage is an American nonprofit historic-preservation organization headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.-Operations:The organization operates through three primary program areas: preservation planning and advocacy; heritage education; and technical assistance.-External links:*,...
, a nonprofit historic preservation advocacy organization, nominated the Hebrew Orphan Asylum to 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 2010 with support from Coppin State University.
The building was listed on the U.S. 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...
on October 28, 2010. The listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's weekly list of November 5, 2010.
External links
- Hebrew Orphan Asylum, National Park Service page
- Friends of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum Facebook Page
- Lupus & Roby (1871-1877), Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- Hebrew Orphan Asylum on the Baltimore HeritageBaltimore HeritageBaltimore Heritage is an American nonprofit historic-preservation organization headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.-Operations:The organization operates through three primary program areas: preservation planning and advocacy; heritage education; and technical assistance.-External links:*,...
website - Tuerk House