BNHA Davidge Hall (College of Medicine of Maryland)

Affiliations

Baltimore City Landmark

National Historic Landmark

National Register of Historic Places

Interpretive Framework

Shaping a Monumental City: The City’s Growth in the 20th Century

Upholding Independence: Baltimore and the War of 1812

Resource Type

Points of Interest

522 W Lombard St

Baltimore, Maryland 21201

The first building on the University of Maryland’s Baltimore Campus, Davidge Hall is the oldest structure in the nation in continuous use for medical education. It is named for Dr. John Beale Davidge, anatomist and surgeon, who received a charter to establish the College of Medicine of Maryland in l807. The Pantheon-style building is unique in its superposition of two circular amphitheaters under the wooden dome, Anatomical Hall and Chemical Hall. Since the dissection of human bodies was offensive to the public, dissecting rooms were tucked between the sloping seats of the amphitheaters and the outer rectangular walls, and concealed spiral staircases were erected for the delivery of bodies. The building presently houses classrooms, offices and the University’s medical museum.

Davidge Hall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and designated a city landmark in 1975.

Site summary courtesy of the Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation