BNHA Continental Trust Company Building
Affiliations
Baltimore City Landmark
National Register of Historic Places
Interpretive Framework
Shaping a Monumental City: The City’s Growth in the 20th Century
201 E Baltimore St
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
The Continental Trust Company Building (also known as One Calvert Plaza) is the only building in Baltimore designed by Daniel H. Burnham, a famed Chicago architect of early skyscrapers. Burnham is noted for designing many iconic buildings, including the Flat Iron Building in New York City and Washington, DC’s Union Station.
The Continental Trust Company Building was the tallest building in Baltimore when it was constructed in 1901 for the Continental Trust Company. It was one of the few buildings to survive the Baltimore Fire of 1904. Although the interior was incinerated, the exterior walls were not damaged and the building was quickly rehabilitated.
In addition to the famous architect, the building is also noteworthy for housing the private detective agency for which noted author Dashiell Hammett worked. The Continental Trust Company Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designed a Baltimore City Landmark in 1982.
Source: Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation