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BALTIMORE NATIONAL AQUARIUM

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1981, Peter Chermayeff for Cambridge Seven Associates; 2002–2005, Bobby C. Poole, with Chermayeff, Sollogub and Poole. Piers 3 and 4, 501 E. Pratt St.
  • (Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie)
  • (HABS)
  • (Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie)

The aquarium stands as the sculptural centerpiece of the Inner Harbor and an example of Baltimore’s national influence in urban redevelopment during the 1980s. Designed by an interdisciplinary firm that first reimagined the aquarium building type for Boston’s New England Aquarium, this project inspired an international burst of aquarium construction with its bold, sculptural exterior and innovative exhibits. Visitors move on a one-way path through seven levels from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to a rainforest canopy under the glass pyramid roof. The dramatic roof profile and position projecting into the harbor compliments the aquarium’s status as a blockbuster education and entertainment attraction drawing millions of visitors. Chermayeff’s firm also designed the Glass Pavilion north addition that opened in 2005 and added another dramatically angled roof line to the Aquarium’s profile.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie
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Data

Timeline

  • 1981

    Built

  • 2002

    Addition

What's Nearby

WORLD TRADE CENTER
HARBORPLACE AT INNER HARBOR
CANTON HOUSE
EASTERN AVENUE PUMPING STATION
FURNESS HOUSE

Citation

Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie, "BALTIMORE NATIONAL AQUARIUM", [Baltimore, Maryland], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-BC50.

Print Source

Buildings of Maryland, Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2022, 183-183.

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