Part 2: A Tour of the Bromo Seltzer Clock Tower!

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

Rob and Tom in the tower

 


A Tour of the Bromo Seltzer Clock Tower! 

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.

The tower and former factory

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.

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.

Inside the Clock Tower 15 stories up

TOWER ABANDONED AND RE-OPENED - The tower was virtually abandone

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.

Part 1: Baltimore's Bromo-Seltzer Tower: What was the Product?

Richard, Rob, Jim and Tom in the tower

Recently, we toured the famous "Bromo Seltzer" clock tower in Baltimore with our friends Jim and Richard. This is part one of that visit, and this focuses on what Bromo-Seltzer was- we'll go inside the tower on tomorrow's blog.

Display case of the Bromo Seltzer blue bottles

OUR MEMORIES -  As a kid, I (Rob) remember my grandparents having a big blue bottle of Bromo Seltzer in Massachusetts. I didn't know it was made in Baltimore. Bromo-Seltzer was the precursor to Alka Seltzer, but it had some other ingredients in it that really needed to come out (as you'll learn here). The owner knew how to market, and he specifically had the blue bottles created to market his product. That's how we both remembered it. - Rob and Tom

Jim and Richard near an old marketing stand

WHAT IS BROMO SELTZER?  - Bromo-Seltzer (acetaminophen, sodium bicarbonate, and citric acid), was a brand of antacid used to relieve pain occurring together with heartburn, upset stomach, or acid indigestion. First produced by inventor Isaac E. Emerson's drug company of Baltimore, Maryland, in 1888, Bromo-Seltzer was sold in the United States in the form of effervescent granules which must be mixed with water before ingestion.

HAPPENED TO THE PRODUCT? - The product took its name from a component of the original formula, sodium bromide. Each dose contained 3.2 mEq/teaspoon of this active ingredient. Bromides are a class of tranquilizers that were withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1975 due to their toxicity. Their sedative effect probably accounted for Bromo-Seltzer's popularity as a remedy for hangovers. Early formulas also used, as the analgesic ingredient, acetanilide, now known as a poisonous substance.

Tom and Rob in the presentation room

Rob and Tom Touring the Art rooms

Bromo-Seltzer's main offices and main factory were located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The factory's most notable feature was the clock tower, built in 1911, which featured "BROMO SELTZER" in place of the numbers on all four clock faces.

HISTORY AND TOURS TODAY- When the product disappeared, the factory where Bromo Seltzer was made and bottled shuttered. The factory was torn down, but the tower that was a small part of it remains. The tower was recently opened to the public for tours and is the home of many artists who sell their artwork on the premises.  The tower is also open for public tours.

Jim and Richard

  Check it out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emerson-Bromo-Seltzer-Tower

 NEXT: A Tour of the Bromo Seltzer Clock Tower!

Jim and Richard being goofy