A Guide to Baltimore Architecture [Paperback]

John R. Dorsey (Author), James D. Dilts (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From 18th century mansions to urban highrise buildings, A Guide To Baltimore Architecture chronicles two hundred years of architectural history through an exploration of the city's most beuatiful and significant structures. Grouped by neighborhood in 15 walking and driving tours, more than 200 notable Baltimore buildings are pictured and descirbed with commentary on their history and style. Now in a thoroughly re-written third edition, A Guide To Baltimore Architecture is a guide that incorporates new photographs, maps, and tours as well as updated biogrpahies of Baltimore architects. This revised and expanded edition also features a fresh examination of 20th century design in Baltimore by architectural historian Phoebe B. Stanton. A Guide To Baltimore Architecture is a valued addition to all architectural reference collections. It is also an excellent touring guide to some of the most impressive sites Baltimore has to offer the visiting vacationer or life-long native. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 454 pages
• Publisher: Tidewater Pub; 3 Rev Sub edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870334778
• ISBN-13: 978-0870334771
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,282,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Maryland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Significant Gaps!, May 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Guide to Baltimore Architecture (Paperback)

This book has some significant gaps in its coverage of modern buildings in Baltimore. A partner in our firm (an FAIA) was going to visit the city, and had me call up the local AIA for some recommendations, particularly good recent projects and arts-related buildings. It didn't seem like that much had been going on recently in Baltimore, so they suggested I get this book. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't find any mention of the Lyric Theater or the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall anywhere! From what the AIA and some research on the web told me, these are major public buildings, worth seeing based on their architectural merit. One is older with some new work, the other 20 years old, so it's not as though they're too new to be included. Is it simply that the various authors of this book didn't like those buildings? If so, why couldn't they have included them, but with a critique so that others could make up their own minds? What other notable buildings were left out? The truly flabbergasting part was locating, on the maps provided, where the Lyric and Meyerhoff are, in blank areas among all kinds of churches and old houses. History is great, but it keeps going.

Aside from that, the information for those buildings included in this guide seemed thorough, and the designer bios at the back were a nice touch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat dated guide to historic landmarks is still good, January 25, 2005

By 

Jon L. Albee "Faulkner Wannabe" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Guide to Baltimore Architecture (Paperback)

Baltimore is a hard city to get your hands around. It's the quintessential image of urban decay; poor, crime-ridden, but also surprisingly hospitable and absolutely crammed with exceptional historical architecture. Poverty, in this case, has proved to be the best preserver, and most of Baltimore's lovely old churches and public buildings are still with us in their somewhat decrepit state. Despite the public image, any enthusiast of American urban architectural history has to love Baltimore. The building stock from 1790 to 1860 is PARTICULARLY good, as Baltimore absolutely exploded during those years.

This book summarizes the provenance and artistic significance of about 200 [mostly historical] sites. It largely, though not entirely, ingores Baltimore's modern structures (Myerhoff, Harborplace, Eisenhower Library, etc...), and there are even some conspicuous gaps in the presentation of the historic ensemble. The Lyric Opera House, for example, is completely absent. So is the Old Post Office. Pimlico, ditto. Memorial Stadium? Also, this book was published in 1997, which makes it rather dated in the world of architectural surveys. Time for a new edition. And fill in those holes!

Those issues aside, this book is better than the vast majority of the urban architectural surveys out there. It includes a photograph of every structure, along with a concise essay describing its history and distinguishing features. It includes biographies of important Baltimore architects and well-written, substantive introductory chapters to set the historical context. It's well done.

The book is organized into area tours, featuring the most important landmark structures. There are also excursions beyond the city limits, into the shallow suburbs.

Recommended for architectural historians and cultural tourists alike.

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to Baltimore Architecture, January 13, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to Baltimore Architecture (Paperback)

Excellent, accessible book filled with quality information