| | | |  By David Seibert, September 11, 2011 | |
| | | 1. Baltimore Block Marker | | | Inscription. Baltimore Block was built in 1885 by Jacob J. Rosenthal. Named for the developer’s home town, the rowhouses were Atlanta’s first apartment-type development and the first to be based on a long-term land lease. Each of the graciously appointed fourteen original units featured central heating and gas fixtures and in accepted Baltimore custom, the land was leased to homeowners for 99 years. For a quarter of a century, the elegant rowhouses were home to socially prominent families and professionals, including the builder himself, who had settled in Atlanta.
Around 1907, the block began to fall out of vogue, and during the 1920’s, four of the buildings were torn down. The remaining units were left derelict, a home to vagrants.
Then, in 1932 came a renaissance, when artistically-minded Atlantans began to buy and restore the rowhouses, converting many to smaller apartments. Since that time, Baltimore Block has been home to artists, writers, journalists, actors, and even a French countess. Unfortunately, two more buildings were destroyed in 1954, after renovators mistakenly removed vital parts of their foundation. During the 1960’s, the block became a mecca for the bohemian set, when a coffeehouse, later a bar, operated out of two of the rowhouses. Later, offices, galleries and small shops began to mix in with the residential units. | | | |  By David Seibert, September 11, 2011 | |
| | | 2. Baltimore Block Marker | | Interstate 75/85 ("the Connector") is just beyond the fence. | | | In 1989, the rowhouses, all under a single ownership for the first time, were renovated for use as office space, and a large L-shaped, 5-story addition was completed. Location. 33° 46.083′ N, 84° 23.317′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. Marker is on Baltimore Place 0.1 miles west of West Peachtree Street NW, on the right when traveling west. Click for map. The marker is located at the very western end of Baltimore Place, inside a gated/guarded parking area. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Baltimore Place NW, Atlanta GA 30308, United States of America. Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Georgian Terrace Hotel (approx. 0.4 miles away); James J. Andrews (approx. half a mile away); Georgia Institute of Technology (approx. half a mile away); The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (approx. half a mile away); Academy of Medicine (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Winecoff Fire (approx. ¾ mile away); Thrasherville (approx. 0.8 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Atlanta. Also see . . . Baltimore Row. This website illustrates Baltimore Block today from the air, showing the “large L-shaped 5-story addition” described on the marker, now available as office space (Submitted on September 30, 2011, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.)
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