BNHA Belvedere Hotel
Affiliations
Authentic Baltimore
Baltimore City Landmark
National Register of Historic Places
Interpretive Framework
Shaping a Monumental City: The City’s Growth in the 20th Century
Star Attractions
Charles Street Byway
Cultural Walk
Resource Type
Points of Interest
1 E Chase St
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
The Belvedere takes its name from “Belvidere,” the large nearby estate of John Eager Howard, a Maryland Revolutionary War hero. Completed in 1903, the building was designed in the Beaux Arts style by the architectural firm of Parker and Thomas and modeled after the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Once the grandest of Baltimore’s hotels, it has figured prominently in Baltimore’s social, political, and economic life and has been the temporary home of presidents, kings, queens, movie stars, and countless other celebrities.
The building fell on hard times in the 1960s but was purchased and refurbished by Baltimore businessman Victor Frankil in the mid-1970s. Today it functions as a residential condominium, although its public rooms, including the famous Owl Bar and the 13th Floor Lounge, are open to the public.