BNHA Hansa Haus
Affiliations
Baltimore City Landmark
Interpretive Framework
Seeking Prosperity on the Chesapeake: Baltimore History from Colonial Times through the 1800s
Shaping a Monumental City: The City’s Growth in the 20th Century
Resource Type
Points of Interest
11 S Charles St
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
The Hansa Haus was designed in 1911 by the architectural firm of Parker, Thomas and Rice for the Savings Bank of Baltimore. It was designed specifically for their German tenant Albert Schumacher and Company, shipping agents for the North German Lloyd Steamship Company. Labeled by the Baltimore Sun as a “Picturesque Edifice for [the] Heart of Baltimore,” the structure was designed according to specific instructions provided by the shipping agency.
Modeled after a medieval courthouse in Halberstadt, Germany, the Hansa Haus is a two-and-one-half story, brick and stucco, half-timbered structure. The building was symbolically named in honor of the Hanseatic League or “German Hansa,” a medieval trade confederation of independent German city-states. The coats of arms of those cities were painted on the building above the first story level, along with a carved panel depicting a ship under full sail which represented the logo of the Hanseatic League. The Hansa Haus is one of the most unique structures in Baltimore and is reflective of the German heritage of many Baltimore citizens. The Hansa House was designated a city landmark in 2011.
Site summary courtesy of the Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation