Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building

The Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building is a historic office building located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is the former headquarters of the old Consolidated Gas, Light and Electric Power Company of Baltimore City, which was a merger at the turn of the 20th century of the former century old Gas Light Company of Baltimore with several other formerly competing gas and electric power companies which had risen in the late 19th century, to form a single metropolitan wide unified utility system. In 1955, the old cumbersome Consolidated title was jettisoned and the utility rebranded as the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BG&E).

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building
Entrance to building at 39 West Lexington Street (southeast corner with North Liberty Street)
Former namesBaltimore Gas & Electric Building
Consolidated Gas Company Building
Lexington Street Building
West Tower
Constellation Energy/BG&E Building
General information
TypeResidential apartments
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts architecture
Location39 W. Lexington St.
Baltimore, Maryland
Coordinates39.2912°N 76.6171°W / 39.2912; -76.6171
Completed1916
Height
Roof88 m (289 ft)
Technical details
Floor count21
Design and construction
ArchitectParker, Thomas & Rice
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building
Built1916
Architectural styleBeaux Arts, Skyscraper
NRHP reference No.03001325[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 29, 2003
References
[2][3][4]

History and Construction

A 21-story skyscraper designed by the Boston and Baltimore-based architectural firm of Parker, Thomas and Rice, and was constructed in 1916. Standing at 88 m (289 ft) it was tied with the Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower from 1916 to 1923 as the tallest building in Baltimore. It was constructed with a structural steel skeleton and tile arch flooring structure. The exterior is clad with gray granite and gray and white marble from the first through third floors (including the mezzanine) and glazed terra cotta in a Beaux-Arts Classical Style. The building includes sculptures at the fourth floor representing "knowledge", "light", "heat" and "power."[5][6]

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[1]

A smaller addition was built in 1966, designed by Fisher, Nes, Campbell and Associates.[5]

It was purchased in 2006 and reopened in 2007 as luxury apartments complete with two penthouse levels by Southern Management Corporation.

2020 Building Explosion

On December 23, 2020, the building suffered an explosion. Over 21 people were injured, at least 9 critically due to an explosion in the building. The roof of the building partially collapsed, and over 23 people required rescue; while the whole building had to be evacuated. The explosion was deemed suspicious due to its relative promptness to an explosion which occurred in Nashville on the same day, which is under investigation for being terrorism related. BGE said the explosion was not gas related.[7][8][9]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building at Emporis
  3. "Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building". SkyscraperPage.
  4. Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building at Structurae
  5. Dorsey, John; Dilts, James D. (1981). A Guide to Baltimore Architecture (Second ed.). Centreville, Maryland: Tidewater Publishes. p. 57. ISBN 0-87033-272-4.
  6. David M. Facenda (June 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  7. "Baltimore explosion: Crews secure BGE building, scaffolding ahead of storm - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  8. "Crane crew removes scaffolding days after explosion - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  9. "21 Injured, 9 Critically, In Explosion At Baltimore BGE Building; Company Says Natural Gas Not Involved". 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-27.

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