Loch Raven in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Towson Armory
ca 1933
The Towson Academy, better known as the Towson Armory, was built in 1933 on the former site of the Smedley House, a popular hotel frequented by Baltimore families around 1900. The building is one of thew last military armories built in Maryland during the reorganization and expansion of the National Guard system in the 20th century. The armory's distinctive T-shaped, symmetrical design features a two-story head house in the front and a one-story drill hall in the rear. The marble-like stone faηade reflects medieval fortifications with towers on either side of the central entrance and on adjoining walls.
By 1980, the building was being minimally used by the National Guard and instead was largely used by community groups for meetings and social events. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 25, 1985. In 2021, the building was repurposed as "StarTUp at the Armory," featuring entrepreneurship/small business programming and public coworking space.
[Caption:]
Prior to the Armory this site was occupied by the Smedley House hotel, which burned down in a spectacular fire in 1916. This picture shows the burned-out shell of the building. Photo courtesy of the Baltimore County Public Library collection.
Topics.
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Location. 39° 23.971′ N, 76° 36.316′ W. Marker is in Towson, Maryland, in Baltimore County. It is in Loch Raven. It is at the intersection of Washington Avenue and West Chesapeake Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Washington Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 307 Washington Ave, Towson MD 21204, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hometown Hero (within shouting distance of this marker); Abisado (within shouting distance of this
Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 244 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 23, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
