Inner Harbor - History

History

While Baltimore has been a major U.S. seaport since the 18th century, the historically shallow water of the Inner Harbor (prior to manipulation through dredging) was not conducive to large ships or heavy industry, most of which was concentrated in Locust Point, Fell's Point, and Canton.

In the mid-20th century, Baltimore suffered from economic decline common to industrial cities. Old harbors were abandoned with the arrival of container ships after World War II. Later, the old harbors were used as focal points for public space, tourism, business and housing.

During the 1940s, John H. Threadgill, the head of the Steamship Trade Association, spearheaded a study on the idea of a cross-harbor bridge. A bridge across the Inner Harbor of Baltimore was one idea that was discussed frequently. In his capacity as head of the association, Threadgill ultimately recommended that the idea for a cross-harbor bridge be abandoned, due to the fact that Baltimore relied heavily on a shipping trade and fears that the bridge would negatively impede the flow of shipping traffic at the Port of Baltimore. Threadgill was named head of Baltimore's Port Commission during the 1950s.

However, in the 1950s, economic shifts ended both the freight and passenger use of the Inner Harbor, such as the Old Bay Line's steamers. Rotting warehouses and piers were eventually torn down and replaced by open, grass-covered parkland that was used for recreational purposes and occasional large events.

The waterfront was gradually transformed with award-winning parks and plazas surrounded by office buildings, hotels and leisure attractions, which reversed the city's decline and became a model for urban renaissance in cities around the world. The renewal of Baltimore's Inner Harbor area began with the adoption of the 33-acre (13 ha) Charles Center project by the City Council and Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro in March 1958. Between 1958 and 1965, Baltimore renewed the center of its business district by rebuilding Charles Center with office buildings, hotels and retail shops.

At the beginning of mayor Theodore R. McKeldin's second term in 1963, the redevelopment program was expanded to include 240 acres (97 ha) surrounding the Inner Harbor, where corporate headquarters and hotels were built around the shoreline of the Inner Harbor, which was transformed with a public park and promenade for leisure activity and community gatherings.

On July 4, 1976, following the rendezvous of Tall Ships in New York for the U.S. Bicentennial, eight ships from other nations visited Baltimore, where they attracted a huge outpouring of tourists and launched the creation of many tourist attractions – including the National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center, Baltimore Convention Center, Hyatt Regency Baltimore Hotel and the Harborplace festival marketplace (operated by The Rouse Company), which opened on the Fourth of July, 1980.

With the success of the Inner Harbor in the 1970s and '80s, Baltimore became a worldwide tourist destination and model of urban planning and development, influencing more than 100 other cities and winning more than 40 national or international awards, including a citation by the American Institute of Architects in 1984 as “one of the supreme achievements of large-scale urban design and development in U.S. history.”

In recent years, the area along the waterfront to the east of the Inner Harbor (in the direction of Fells Point and Little Italy) has been developed with condominiums, retail space, restaurants, and hotels – an ongoing project known as Harbor East.

While little development land remains around the Inner Harbor, what land is available has attracted many plans, which have not been realized. Recently completed projects include mixed-use developments incorporating office space, street-level retail, and condominiums as well as hotel projects such as the Ritz Carlton Residences, a condominium project on Key Highway at the southeast corner of the Inner Harbor.

In September 2003, the Inner Harbor area was flooded by Hurricane Isabel. The Baltimore World Trade Center remained closed for a month, but all the other buildings were saved from flooding by the Inner Harbor development controls, which were created by the master developer team of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management, Inc.

In March 2004, a water taxi capsized during a storm on the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River near Fort McHenry. While occurring over a mile downstream of the Inner Harbor, it nonetheless was associated with the Inner Harbor by news reports and casual observers. A total of 5 passengers died in the accident, which the National Transportation Safety Board determined was caused when the small pontoon-style vessel encountered unpredictable strong winds and waves.