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| Richard, Rob, Tom and Jim after the clock tower tour |
Yesterday we told you about a visit we took to Baltimore's landmark Bromo Seltzer Tower
and explained what Bromo Seltzer was. Today we'll take you up to the
famous clock tower. There's a lot of cool things about this structure,
so join us with our friends Jim and Richard as we take you on a tour of
this landmark! (For Superhero fans, it reminded me of the clock tower
the Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl had her apartment in). - Rob and Tom
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| Rob and Tom in the tower |
A Tour of the Bromo Seltzer Clock Tower!
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| Rob and Richard |
WHAT
IS THE BROMO-SELTZER TOWER? - Emerson
Tower often referenced as Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower is a 15-story, 88 meter
(289 foot-high) skyscraper erected in 1911 at the corner of Eutaw and Lombard
Streets in Baltimore, Maryland, designed by Joseph Evans Sperry for
Bromo-Seltzer inventor "Captain" Isaac E. Emerson. It was the tallest
building in Baltimore from 1911 until 1923.
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| The tower and former factory |
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| Rob and Jim |
MODELED
AFTER AN ITALIAN TOWER - The design of the tower along with the
original factory building at its base was inspired by the Palazzo Vecchio in
Florence, Italy, which was seen by Emerson during a tour of Europe in 1900. Systems
engineering for the building's original design was completed by Henry Adams.
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| Inside the clock tower |
WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE ADJACENT BROMO-SELTZER FACTORY? -
The factory was demolished in 1969 and replaced with a firehouse. Bromo Seltzer
tower on Eutaw Street in 1912. The Bromo-Seltzer Tower remains one of
Baltimore's most distinctive landmarks.
THE
CLOCK IS REMARKABLE! - The building features four clock faces
adorning the tower's 15th floor on the North, South, East and West sides.
Installed by the Seth Thomas Clock Company at an original cost of $3,965 they
are made of translucent white glass and feature the letters B-R-O-M-O
S-E-L-T-Z-E-R, with the Roman numerals being less prominent.
HOW
IS IT LIT UP? HOW DOES IT WORK? - The dials, which are
illuminated at night with mercury-vapor lamps, are 24 feet (7.3 meters) in
diameter, and the minute and hour hands approximately 12 and 10 feet (3.7 and
3.0 meters) in length respectively. Originally driven by weights, the moving
parts are now electrically powered.
NEEDED
TO GET "OFF THE BOTTLE"- The tower originally had a 51 foot (16 meter)
Bromo-Seltzer bottle, glowing blue and rotating. Weighing 20 tons (18.1
tonnes), it was lined with 314 incandescent light bulbs and topped with a crown
on a clear night it could be seen from 20 miles away.The bottle was removed in
1936 because of structural concerns.
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| Inside the Clock Tower 15 stories up |
TOWER
ABANDONED AND RE-OPENED - The tower was virtually abandone
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| Richard and Rob |
d in
2002, but in early 2007 the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts began
renovations to transform the building into 33 artists' studios. The Baltimore
Fire Department's John F. Steadman Fire Station, which opened in 1973 and is
situated at the tower's base, houses BCFD Hazmat 1, Airflex 1, Medic1, Medic
23, MAC23, Engine 23, Rescue 1, and formerly Truck 2.
The Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower was placed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is included within the
Baltimore National Heritage Area.
HOW
IS IT LIT UP? HOW DOES IT WORK? - The dials, which are
illuminated at night with mercury-vapor lamps, are 24 feet (7.3 meters) in
diameter, and the minute and hour hands approximately 12 and 10 feet (3.7 and
3.0 meters) in length respectively. Originally driven by weights, the moving
parts are now electrically powered.
