baltimore |
the greatest city in america, the city that reads, monument city, charm city, etc |
An 88x31 for the city, to link here or not. No credit desired.
Little Castles: a Formstone Phenomenon is a short documentary (featuring John Waters) about the "man-made stone" trend of the 40s-60s. Rowhouses built with cheap brick needed to be painted regularly, and formstone promised the luxury of stone without needed maintenance - kind of like covering up hardwood with carpet seemed like a good idea at the time. This doc made me hate it a little less.
"Wash Day (c. 1946) ...The white steps of Baltimore have become the city’s trademark and a marvel to visitors. Most of them are white marble, from nearby quarries, and homeowners vie in keeping them bright. In any block, there is seldom a day that someone is not out scrubbing them."
This Turnstile video/short film makes me want to be sixteen again. I had never heard of them until I ended up at this free hometown show they put on at Wyman Park that had incredible energy.
Seal of Baltimore
City of Baltimore Logo
City of Baltimore Flag
Screen painting is a 100+ year old tradition in the city of painting landscapes (usually) on window screens for aesthetics and privacy. See some examples or read history from the Painted Screen Society of Baltimore.
The Rawlings Conservatory is the second-oldest wood, iron, and glass-framed building still in use in the United States. This sundial is based on solar time (it was made before standard time was invented in 1884) and records the times for Baltimore, Cape Cod, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Pitcairn Island, Sitka, Honolulu, Jeddo (Tokyo), Calcutta, Cape Town, Jerusalem, Fernando Po, and London.
Ceramic Camark cats were popular in the 1950's and can be found in many parts of the city on brick walls.
LocalCharm.Wiki is an indie website of hobby groups in Baltimore and the rest of the state. Groups include staples like the Baltimore Rock Opera Society and Fluid Motion (synchronized swimming) as well as amateur radio, shape-note singing, broomball, etc.
Baltimore has over 300 sites on the National Register of Historic Places, including the American Brewery building from 1887. Wikipedia has a great list of sites by region with thumbnail photos - it's really helpful for identifying historic buildings like a field guide.