Anniversary Campaign
the
Garrett-Jacobs Mansion at Mount Vernon Place
Preserving a
Tradition The Garrett-Jacobs Mansion, located at
11 W. Mt. Vernon Place, is a building of unequalled beauty and historic significance in Baltimore—a jewel in the crown of the City’s most distinctive homes and public buildings. A landmark of Historic Mount Vernon Place, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Mansion epitomizes nineteenth-century G0lden Age elegance and grandeur. It is a unique example of a building that combines the work of two of America’s most distinguished and influential architects: Stanford White and John Russell Pope. v The Garrett-Jacobs Mansion became
delicately carved wall panels and
a legendary centerpiece of Baltimore
distinguished with a magnificent
society, not only because of its
wooden spiral staircase capped with
exquisite décor and the lavishness
a Tiffany glass dome.
with which Mary Garrett Jacobs entertained, but for the esteemed figures— including George Peabody, Enoch Pratt, William Walters and Johns Hopkins—who gathered there.
After Robert Garrett died in 1896, Mary Garrett married Dr. Henry Jacobs; the couple continued to expand and renovate the Mansion. Mrs. Jacobs engaged John Russell
Robert Garrett, president of the
Pope to design the Library, Caen
B&O Railroad, and his wife, Mary
Stone Hall, Stairway, Theatre and
Frick Garrett, created the Mansion
Supper Room with a musicians’
from Number 11, built in 1853 and
balcony. By 1916, Number 11
given to them in 1872 as a wed-
encompassed three houses made
ding gift. Robert and Mary Garrett
into one, with approximately forty
expanded the house in 1884, engag-
rooms, one hundred windows and
ing Stanford White to design the
sixteen fireplaces.
Vestibule and Entrance Hall with its
Community Serving the
Today, the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion continues to provide a remarkable historic window to Baltimore’s past, revealing otherwise forgotten worlds to its present-day visitors. It is a vital part of the City’s civic life, offering a unique
gathering place for business and community meetings, social events and educational programs. Its historic public rooms, rare book library and dining facilities attract more than 40,000 guests a year. v
Yet, much restoration and interpretation remains to be done. In order to sustain the building’s importance to Baltimore, an advisory council has been formed, bringing together historians, architects, preservationists, and Mt. Vernon business owners and residents to open the Mansion’s history to increased public view and participation. Partnered with the Walters Art Museum, Maryland Historical Society, Peabody Library, and other institutions in the Mt. Vernon Cultural District, the Mansion will complement and enliven the cultural attractiveness of the area to residents and tourists alike.
Looking into the
Future
The Garrett-Jacobs Mansion is
engaged in a five-year, $5 million capital campaign to restore and maintain Baltimore’s most magnificent historic home. To enter the Mansion is to step back in time. The interior remains as it was in the 1880s with elegant rooms flowing into one another through marble hallways and elaborately carved doorways. But many areas of the Mansion are badly in need of refurbishment and electrical and mechanical features must be updated
The campaign will restore the
Garrett-Jacobs Mansion to its original grandeur enabling even more visitors, tourists, preservationists, and students to immerse themselves in Baltimore’s history. v The campaign will also take the Mansion into the future. Plans call for making the Mansion functional and accessible for public use and skillfully adapting the building to manage events that generate significant earnings for future pres-
Through your support, the restora-
v Addition of an elevator to link all
tion of the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion
of the floors for public access and
will feature:
service.
v Rehabilitation of the Courtyard. v Restoration of the historic
Drawing Room, Heritage Room,
v Construction of an informal
dining area on the lower level. v Enhancement of the mechanical
Theatre, Entrance Hall, Caen
and electrical system and instal-
Stone (Marble) Hall and Library
lation of new central security and
on the main level and the public
sound systems, as well as fire and
hallways on the lower level.
smoke detection and alarm
v Completion of the restoration
systems.
ervation and maintenance. Many of
of the West Mt. Vernon Place
Throughout these renovations, scru-
the improvements will enhance the
exterior front façade.
pulous care will be taken to
Mansion’s revenue-
v Accommodation of persons with
producing potential, both as a
disabilities with public accessibili-
gathering and meeting space and
ty into and through the Mansion.
as an important destination for Baltimore’s heritage tourism.
v Construction of a new Drawing
Room Bypass connecting the newly restored Red Room with the Caen Stone Marble Hall.
maintain the architectural and historical character of the building.
Challenge
Meeting the
As stewards of the Garrett-Jacobs
Advice in the report provided by
legacy, the Trustees have pledged to
the architectural firm of Kann &
ensure the Mansion’s long-term
Associates enabled the Trustees to set
presence as the finest architectural
their goals for the restoration of the
example of its kind in Baltimore
Mansion.
and as a premier Baltimore historic and cultural landmark. The master plan for this capital campaign is the “Updated Historic Structures Report” commissioned by the Mansion Trustees in the summer of 2001.
It is the Trustees’ hope that many will share their commitment to preserve this treasured building as an historic landmark for Baltimore and the State of Maryland.
11 West Mount Vernon Place Baltimore, Maryland 21201 410.539.6914 phone 410.783.9372 fax www.garrettjacobsmansion.org Mary Frick Garrett portrait courtesy of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Photography: L. Hudson Pinkney Design: Klinedinst Design LLC