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GARRETT-JACOBS HOUSE

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1884–1893, McKim, Mead and White; c. 1905; 1909–1913 additions, John Russell Pope. 7–11 W. Mount Vernon Pl.
  • (Alexander Heilner)

The most imposing town house on Mount Vernon Place was built for Robert Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad. Its plan was so massive that a court battle ensued to prevent its construction, arguing that its Renaissance Revival style, while appropriate for New York City, was not in keeping with conservative Baltimore. The vestibule alone measures 20 × 24 feet and adjoins a portico that projects onto the sidewalk. Its lavish interior décor is among the grandest in Baltimore. Garrett’s widow and her second husband, physician Henry Jacobs, added a large ballroom in 1905, later enhancing the gallery space, and eventually incorporating the adjoining house. In the 1940s, the house was used by various organizations and is currently owned by the Engineers Club of Baltimore. It remains the largest town house ever built in Baltimore.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie
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Data

Timeline

  • 1884

    Built

What's Nearby

HACKERMAN HOUSE (THOMAS-JENCKS-GLADDING HOUSE)
WALTERS ART MUSEUM
DECATUR MILLER ROW HOUSE
WASHINGTON MONUMENT (Baltimore)
HAMILTON STREET ROW HOUSES

Citation

Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie, "GARRETT-JACOBS HOUSE", [Baltimore, Maryland], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-BC4.

Print Source

Buildings of Maryland, Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2022, 155-155.

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