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Ephraim F. Baldwin architectural ledgers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 3262

Abstract

This collection contains five handwritten ledgers detailing the work of architect Ephraim Francis Baldwin from 1868 to 1915. The journals offer details on the buildings Baldwin designed, costs, and names of people who labored on the buildings.

Dates

  • 1868-1915

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

The reproduction of materials in this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright clearances or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information visit the MCHC’s Rights and Permissions page.

Biographical / Historical

Ephraim Francis Baldwin was born in Troy, New York, on October 4, 1837. His mother was Mary Elizabeth Elder (1805-1872) and his father was Alonzo Clarke Baldwin (1808-1843). After his father's death, Baldwin's mother moved the family to her hometown of Baltimore. He attended Loyola Blakefield from 1850 to 1852, as well as Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, from 1854 to 1855. In 1873, Ephraim Baldwin married Ellen Douglas Jamison (1851-1935). The couple had 9 children: Francis Joseph (1874-1963), Mary Elizabeth (1876-1948), William Douglas (1879-1935), Alonzo Charles (1881-1957), Joseph Aloysius (1883-1959), Thomas Abbot (1885-1973), Ellen Douglas (1889-1962), Lawrence Aloysius (1892-1966), and Eugene Francis (1895-1975). His eldest son became an architect and joined his firm, Baldwin & Pennington.

Baldwin began his career in architecture at the firm of Niernsee & Nielson. Following his departure from that firm, he worked on his own for two years before partnering with a former Niernsee & Nielson employee, Bruce Price. The firm of Baldwin & Price was in business from 1869-1973, and dissolved when Price relocated to Pennsylvania. For the next ten years, Baldwin practiced on his own. In 1872, he was appointed the head architect for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and designed many notable stations and other structures over the course of 25 years.

In 1883, Baldwin formed a partnership with Josias Pennington, who had worked for him as a draftsman at Baldwin & Price. The firm of Baldwin & Pennington was in business for over 30 years, only dissolving upon Baldwin's death from pneumonia on January 20, 1916. He was buried in New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.

Ephraim F. Baldwin was the architect behind over 500 buildings in Maryland and other states. Baldwin designed and worked on churches, banks, office buildings, warehouses, railroad stations, municipal and public buildings, hospitals, schools, clubs, and residences, with 80 percent of his work found in Maryland.

Baldwin's notable works include: Christ Episcopal Church, St. Paul Street, Baltimore (with Bruce Price); St. Gregory's Catholic Church; St. Ann's Catholic Church; St. Patrick's Catholic Church; St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church; St. Mary's Orphan Asylum; Our Lady of Good Counsel; St. Weneceslaus' Catholic Church; Cathedral at Savannah, GA; Catholic University, Washington, D.C.; additions to the Bascilica of the Assumption; Baltimore Sun Building; Mercy Hospital; St. Agnes' Hospital; Mount Hope Retreat; St. Joseph's Hospital; Little Sisters of the Poor; St. Mary's Seminary, Paca Street; Mount St. Mary's College and Seminary buildings, Emmitsburg; Institute of Notre Dame, College of Notre Dame of Maryland; McCoy Hall of Johns Hopkins University; the old Baltimore City College building; the old Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, North Avenue; Safe Deposit and Trust Building; Professional Building; Fidelity Building; Hotel Rennert; Park Terminal carbarn; Hutzler's; O'Neill's; Mess Hall, Washington, D.C.; St. Ann's Church, Wilmington, DE; St. Augustine's, Washington, D.C.; St. Mary's, Washington, D.C.; Immaculate Conception Church, Germantown, PA.

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet (1 box containing 5 ledgers)

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Elizabeth Hockwarth, November 2019.

Scope and Contents

The Ephraim F. Baldwin architectural ledgers consist of 5 ledgers from the office of Baldwin, as well as his partners at various times, Bruce Price and Josiah Pennington, from 1868-1915. All of the ledgers are primarily handwritten by Baldwin, and each entry contains the date, name of the building, and a description of the work to be done. He also includes the cost of the design and its individual elements.

Ledger 1 begins with an entry for 2 dwelling houses on the corner of Madison Ave. and Mosher St., commissioned by Ambrose White. Work began in December 1868, and continued throughout 1869. The entries continue until 1883, and then jump to entries beginning in 1900. The buildings and locations described in this ledger include: Druid Hill Avenue houses, Chesapeake Bank, Maryland Academy of Art, Christ Church, Chase St. houses, St. Joseph's Church, Carmelite Convent, St. Ann's Church (Greenmount Avenue), Savannah Cathedral, St. Aloysius Church (Washington, D.C.), St. Augustine's Church (Washington, D.C.), St. Vincent's Seminary (Germantown, Pa.), Academy of the Holy Cross (Washington, D.C.), Little Sisters of the Poor (Washington, D.C.), and St. Mary's Seminary, among others.

Work commissioned for individuals in Ledger 1 include: Ambrose A. White, John S. Gittings, B.R. Armstrong, William Kennedy, Mrs. Emily Hillen, Miss Clem Grace, William Donnell, Lambert Gittings, E. Austin Jenkins, Richard Cromwell, John Work Garrett, Thomas M. Lanahan, John King Jr., Mrs. Arabella Russell, John Carey, and Mary E. Auld, among others.

Ledger 2 begins on July 1, 1871 with an entry for Christ Protestant Episcopal Church, and continues until 1872. The entries skip the years 1873-1876, resuming in April 1877. The entries then continue without any significant gaps until November 2, 1896. Notable buildings and locations described in this ledger include: St. Vincent's Seminary (Germantown, Pa.), Maryland Academy of Art, St. Joseph's Church, Emmanuel Protestant Episcopal Church (Cumberland, Md.), Christ Church, Chase St. houses, Savannah Cathedral, Cumberland Academy of Music, St. Paul's Church, Grace Church (Lexington, Va.), St. Peter's School (Wilmington, Del.), Carmelite Convent, St. Aloysius School House (Washington, D.C.), St. Mary's Industrial School, Academy of the Holy Cross (Washington, D.C.), Cathedral of Baltimore, Church at Woodville (Prince George's County, Md.), Orphan Asylum (Washington, D.C.), Mount De Sales, Rennert's Hotel, U.S. Naval Academy, St. Gregory's Church, Immaculate Conception Female School, St. Vincent's Infant Asylum, St. Mary's Seminary, St. Mary's Orphan Asylum, Catholic University, City Hospital, St. Michael's Church, St. Agnes Hospital, Mount Hope Retreat, Convent of Notre Dame, Builders Exchange building, Maryland General Hospital, and Baltimore City College, among others.

Work commissioned for individuals and companies in Ledger 2 include: John Gill, Miss Clem Grace, John S. Gittings, John Work Garrett, Robert Garrett, Irwin Keyser, Thomas M. Lanahan, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, John King Jr., Baltimore Stock Yard Company, Mrs. Arabella Russell, A. S. Abell, Lambert Gittings, Austin Jenkins, Maryland Central Railroad Company, and Hutzler Brothers, among others.

Ledger 3 begins with an entry on December 13, 1882, listing work done on a country house for J. Harry Lee in Baltimore County. The ledger continues with uninterrupted entries until September 1897. The work listed in this ledger was done during Baldwin's partnership with Josiah Pennington. Notable buildings and locations described in this ledger include: Johns Hopkins University, Eutaw House, Maryland Club, Charlestown Hotel (West Virginia), Academy of Music, Bryn Mawr School, Hopkins Place Savings Bank, Maryland Historical Society, St. Paul's Girls School, Baltimore City College, and Baltimore Medical College, among others.

Work commissioned for individuals and companies in Ledger 3 include: J. Harry Lee, S. S. Keyser, First National Bank, Francis White, Cumberland & Pensylvania Railroad, Thomas Deford, Richard Cromwell, Farmers & Merchants National Bank, Robbert Garrett & Sons, Charles F. Mayer, John King Jr., Easton National Bank, Robert Garrett, James Thompson, John B. McDonald, Fidelity & Deposit Company, Vaile & Young, Mendez Cohen, Western Maryland Railroad, Merchants National Bank, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, Baltimore Steam Packet Company, Elkin's National Bank, Union Pass Railroad Company, George Brown, George Small, John G. Rose, Maryland Life Insurance Company, Douglas H. Thomas, and Theodore Marburg, among others.

Ledger 4 begins with an entry on April 5, 1897 for work done at St. Joseph's Hospital. The entries continue uninterrupted until 1912, followed by one entry on April 1, 1915. Notable buildings and locations described in this ledger include: St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Patrick's Church, St. Agnes Hospital, St. Vincent's Infant Asylum, Savannah Cathedral, St. Mary's Industrial School, St. Vincent's Hospital, St. Charles College, St. Thomas' Church, Sacred Heart School Hall, City Hospital, St. Augustine's Church (Elkridge, Md.), Polish Roman Catholic Church (Canton), Mount St. Mary's College, St. John's Church (Frederick, Md.), St. Anthony's Church (Gardenville, Md.), St. Catherine's Church, and Towson Court House, among others.

Work commissioned for individuals and companies in Ledger 4 include: David Hutzler, Commonwealth Bank, James J. Ryan, O'Neill & Co., National Union Bank, United Railways & Electric Co., Guardian Trust Co., Commonwealth Bank, Safe Deposit & Trust Co., Hutzler Brothers, Bank of Baltimore, and Mendez Cohen, among others.

Ledger 5 begins with an entry on August 3, 1894 for work at the Notre Dame institute. The volume continues with uninterrupted entries until November 10, 1915. Notable buildings and locations described in this ledger include: Notre Dame Institute, Catholic University, St. Elizabeth's House, Baltimore Medical College, Baltimore Cathedral, St. Charles College, St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Patrick's Church, The Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Agnes Sanitarium, St. Mary's Industrial School, Hotel Rennert, City Hospital, Savannah Cathedral, Fairmout Masonic Building, Baltimore County Court House, Immaculate Conception Church, and Church of the Blessed Sacrament, among others.

Work commissioned for indivudials and companies in Ledger 5 include: David Hutzler, Robert Rennert, Germania Maennerchor, Commonwealth Bank, Charles & Parr, James J. Ryan, O'Neill & Co., German Savings Bank, Rev. John Whelan, Safe Deposit Trust & Co., Hutzler Brothers, Summerfield Baldwin, Watt, Rettew, & Clay, and Maryland Electric Railways, among others.

Title
Guide to the Ephraim F. Baldwin architectural ledgers
Status
Under Revision
Author
Mallory Harwerth
Date
2022-06
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository

Contact:
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750