Mount Royal Station (Maryland Institute College of Art)

File:Mt Royal Station Baltimore.jpg

Designed by Baltimore architect E. Francis Baldwin in a blend of modified Romanesque and Renaissance styling, the station was constructed in 1896 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) as part of its massive Baltimore Belt Line improvement project for its New York passenger service.{{cite book| first=Timothy| last=Jacobs| title=The History of the Baltimore & Ohio| location=New York| publisher=Crescent Books| year=1989| isbn=0-517-67603-6| page=68}} Located at the north end of the B&O's Howard Street tunnel, the station was built of Maryland granite trimmed with Indiana limestone, with a red tile roof and landmark {{convert|150|ft|m|0|adj=on}} clocktower.{{cite book| last=Potter| first=Janet Greenstein| title=Great American Railroad Stations| publisher=John Wiley & Sons| location=New York| year=1996| isbn=0-471-14389-8| page=134}} The station's interior featured marble mosaic flooring, two fireplaces, and rocking chairs. It opened to the public on September 1, 1896.{{cite book| last1=Salamon| first1=Stephen J.| last2=Oroszi| first2=David P.| last3=Ori| first3=David P.| title=Baltimore and Ohio: Reflections of the Capitol Dome| publisher=Old Line Graphics| date=1993| location=Silver Spring, Md.| page=24| isbn=1-879314-08-8}} "It was considered," said the Baltimore Sun, "the most splendid station in the country built and used by only one railroad."{{cite news| first=Charles V.| last=Flowers| title=Mount Royal Closes Doors But Tower Clock Will Run| newspaper=The Baltimore Sun| date=July 1, 1961| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46735968/the-baltimore-sun/| page=16| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} That evaluation was shared by railroad historian Lucius Beebe, who proclaimed Mount Royal "one of the celebrated railroad stations of the world, ranking in renown with Euston Station, London, scene of so many of Sherlock Holmes' departures, the Gare du Nord in Paris, and the feudal fortress of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Broad Street, Philadelphia."{{cite book| last1=Beebe| first1=Lucius| last2=Clegg| first2=Charles| name-list-style=amp| title=The Trains We Rode| publisher=Promontory Press| location=New York| date=1993| isbn=0-88394-081-7| page=111 }}{{cite web| url=https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-179.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mount Royal Station|date=n.d.|access-date=2016-03-01 | first=Dennis M.| last=Zembala| publisher=Maryland Historical Trust}} A commentator for the Baltimore Evening Sun reminisced about the station years after it closed, writing that its waiting room ambiance was "like a mountain lodge after dinner", with cozy fireplaces ablaze at both ends of the station while passengers relaxed in rocking chairs serenaded by soothing recorded music.{{cite news|first=Gilbert|last=Sandler|title=Baltimore Glimpses — Placid Mt. Royal Station|newspaper=Baltimore Evening Sun|date=March 5, 1985|page=9}}

File:Mount Royal Station interior (B&O).jpg

The B&O pioneered the first U.S. mainline railway electrification system at Mount Royal Station when it opened in 1896, installing an overhead third rail system in the station's trainshed and its tunnel approaches.

The most famous train associated with the Mount Royal Station was the Royal Blue, which ran between Washington, D.C. and New York City. Luminaries using the B&O's station over the years include U.S. Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with Western showman "Buffalo Bill" Cody, singer Enrico Caruso, and celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini, whose private Pullman car was parked on a siding during his appearances at the nearby Lyric Theatre. After the B&O ended all passenger service north of Baltimore on April 26, 1958, Mount Royal Station became the eastern terminus of B&O's passenger trains. It was one of thirteen Baltimore buildings selected in 1959 for the Historic American Buildings Survey. On June 30, 1961, the B&O consolidated its Baltimore passenger train service at Camden Station, permanently ending its use of Mount Royal Station after 65 years of operation.

The vacant railroad station building, train shed, and the surrounding 3¼ acres were acquired by the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 1964 for $250,000.{{cite book| last=Binney| first=Marcus| title=Railway Architecture| publisher=Save Britain's Heritage (Association)| date=1979| page=226| isbn=0-442-20393-4}} The sale amount was far below market value and represented "a substantial donation on the part of the B&O", said MICA officials.{{cite news| first=Frank P.L.| last=Somerville| title=Institute Buys B&O Station| newspaper=The Baltimore Evening Sun| date=September 22, 1964| pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46736434/the-baltimore-sun/ 46], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46736395/the-baltimore-sun/ 31]| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} After $1 million was raised by MICA for the project, the station was converted for use by art students in 1967 at a final cost of $18 per square foot of building space, which was considerably less than the estimated cost for a new building of $25 per square foot. The former B&O baggage room and platform areas were enclosed for use as studios and the station's exterior and clock tower were retained. The original {{convert|800|ft|adj=on}} long iron trainshed remains over CSX Transportation's active mainline tracks. This adaptive reuse preserved the Mount Royal Station as an example of late 19th century industrial architecture, using it for a purpose different from its original one.{{cite book| last=Harwood| first=Herbert H. Jr.| title=Royal Blue Line| publisher=Greenberg Publishing| date=1990| location=Sykesville, Md.| page=171| isbn=0-89778-155-4}} Design work for the conversion was performed by Richard Donkervoet of Cochran, Stephenson and Donkervoet.{{cite book| last1=Dorsey| first1=John| last2=Dilts| first2=James D.| title=A Guide to Baltimore Architecture| publisher=Tidewater Publishes| location=Centreville, Maryland| date=1981| edition=Second| pages=180–181| isbn=0-87033-272-4| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/guidetobaltimore00dors/page/180| via=Archive.org}} Donkervoet retained as much of the building's exterior appearance as possible, and also preserved much of the interior character, including the vaulted ceilings, columns, and mosaic floor. Architectural Forum recognized the station renovation for "sensitivity by later architects to the initial conception by the original," and Margaret Mead, in a lecture given at the station, commented that the renovation "is perhaps the most magnificent example in the Western World of something being made into something else".{{Quote without source|date = April 2018}}

File:CSX train at Mt Royal Station.jpg train under the trainshed in 2009]]

On December 8, 1976, the station was added to the register of National Historic Landmarks, granting it full protection as an historic site. The Mount Royal Station's train shed, one of the country's last remaining such structures, was renovated in 1985 due to advanced deterioration of the shed's materials. In 1992, the AIA's Baltimore chapter honored the Maryland Institute and architects Cochran, Stevenson & Donkervoet with a 25 Year Award for Excellence in Design of Enduring Significance for their adaptive reuse of the former train depot.{{Citation needed|date = April 2018}}

Between 2005 and 2007, MICA accomplished a two-phased, $6.3 million renovation of the building by the architectural firm of Grieves, Worrall, Wright & O'Hatnick, Inc. The first phase, renovation of the interior, was completed in Fall, 2005: interior finishes, such as the mosaic tile flooring, marble columns, tin ceilings, wood wainscot, and trim were cleaned and restored. Classroom space was also increased, as well as the quality and quantity of studio space. The second phase, restoration of the building's exterior and train shed, was completed in Spring, 2007: stonework and wood were cleaned, repaired, and repainted, the slate canopy restored, and the drainage system fixed; clerestory and structural timbers in the train shed were replaced and the steel roof framing was reinforced. In keeping with the pedestrian landscaping and streetscape that MICA has created along Mount Royal Avenue, a new plaza with benches, bike racks, shrubs, and ornamental grasses and ground cover was added.{{Citation needed|date = April 2018}}

The Mount Royal Station building now houses the undergraduate departments of fiber and interdisciplinary sculpture, 3-D classrooms, and the Rinehart School of Sculpture, as well as senior studios. The historical address of the property was 1300 West Mount Royal Avenue, but the building's address is now 1400 Cathedral Street, as the former address is now used for the university campus at large.{{cite web|url=https://mht.maryland.gov/nr/NRDetail.aspx?NRID=181|date=2004-02-28|access-date=2022-05-04|title=Maryland's National Register Properties: Mount Royal Station|publisher=Maryland Historical Trust}}

{{Portal|National Register of Historic Places|Trains|Maryland}}

• Baltimore Terminal Subdivision
• Maryland Institute College of Art
• Mount Clare Shops

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Mount Royal Station}}

• {{MHT url|id=181|title=Mount Royal Station, Baltimore City}}, including photo in 2004, at Maryland Historical Trust
• {{HABS |survey=MD-193 |id=md1485 |title=B & O Railroad, Mount Royal Station, Cathedral Street at Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, Independent City, MD |photos=4 |data=7}}
• {{HAER |survey=MD-10 |id=md0150 |title=Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Mount Royal Station, Baltimore, Independent City, MD |photos=4 |data=3 |cap=1}}
• {{HAER |survey=MD-29 |id=md0911 |title=Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Mount Royal Trainshed, 1400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Independent City, MD |photos=7 |data=5 |cap=1 |link=no}}

{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland}}

{{MICA}}

Category:Bolton Hill, Baltimore

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1896

Category:Maryland Institute College of Art

Category:National Historic Landmarks in Maryland

Category:Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore

Category:Former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stations

Category:Clock towers in Maryland

Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Baltimore

Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Baltimore

Category:Railroad-related National Historic Landmarks

Category:1896 establishments in Maryland

Category:1961 disestablishments in Maryland

Category:Railway stations in Baltimore

Category:Former railway stations in Maryland

Category:Baltimore City Landmarks

Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 1961