July 7, 2011

A Little E&E B&E

Well, not really… E&E and I really didn’t B&E, we just took an unauthorized tour of an empty building!

After meeting up with Easy & Elegant Life and his family for a summer supper at my house (Toad had a puking puppy in the car, and headed back west towards home), I returned the E&E family to the hotel where they were staying in Baltimore. E E B E 003One of the reasons I’d recommended the hotel to E&E was the adjoining building, also owned by the hotel. It’s a former Masonic Lodge, and I remembered it from a previous visit to be quite extraordinary. E E B E 004So we wandered over to that building, expecting someone to stop us at any minute and question our motives, but luckily, they didn’t!  E E B E 009So E&E and I had the entire building to ourselves to explore. We walked down every hallway, we opened every door only to gasp in amazement at what lay behind it. E E B E 013 Some rooms were Moroccan in their decoration, and others were Jacobean. E E B E 011 Behind each door was a new adventure. E E B E 016We started out in some of the more mundane marble pillared rooms. E E B E 005 Although they were quite amazing, as we went up, floor by floor, the rooms became even more ornate. I am guessing that when it was the Masonic Hall, the super decorated rooms were the ones which the public never saw. There were Doric, Ionic and Corinthian rooms, there were occidental and oriental rooms. E E B E 020 The room above must be used for weddings, since the little room where the painting is, seems to be set up as a small chapel, with symbols of love all around the paneling. E E B E 025 E E B E 027 There were more coved and coffered ceilings than I could count, and each one was different. E E B E 024 E E B E 030 E E B E 010 I had remembered that the men’s and women’s lounges in this place are pretty amazing, and E&E and I discovered what we think is the quintessential bathroom for our friend Dusty. E E B E 036 It comes complete with a French maid, a footed chest E E B E 038 and a Baltimore chair. E E B E 039 The ladies lounge was even more incredible with chandeliers, E E B E 045 columns of several types of marble, E E B E 043 marble sinks with rock crystal legs E E B E 044 and more luxe that you could ever want!E E B E 042 I think that it was voted one of the most amazing bathrooms in America!

We would up our adventure in the library, actually one of my favourite rooms because of it’s understated scale. E E B E 047 I loved the glass doors on the book cases!E E B E 050 And the urns stating when the building was originally built, and then when it was restored.

E E B E 048 E E B E 049

I am pretty certain that my pal, David Wiesand did a lot of the restoration work on this building. I’ll have to get him to tell me about it.

E E B E 052 When we finally finished creeping around the building, we celebrated our adventure with E&E’s charming wife and a great bottle of wine.

Thanks to the E&E family for including me in your trip to Baltimore!  I know Connor’s well pleased with his new portrait!E E B E 054 He’s having a gallery showing for all of his “babies” on the left!

16 comments:

  1. Meg such astounding beauty, Architecture nearly impossible to replicate!! Love Connor's portrait

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  2. Amazing, I can't believe this place is empty!

    I am your newest follower. Blogging from Wales in the UK. Stop by and see me sometime. I recently blogged about a fairytale castle with painted walls. This place reminded me of it somewhat.

    Dianne
    YONKS
    XOXO

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  3. Thanks for the great tour. Guides sometimes forget the restrooms can be interesting too, as seen here.

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  4. My company owns the building and did the restoration work. I have amazing pictures of what it looked like before we started. And you're right - David Weisand did a great deal of the work: the murals in the library, the men's room, and the store front windows. E-mail me for details if you'd like: cchatham@wcsmith.com.

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  5. Absolutely astounding, breathtaking.

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  6. Wow! Now that's a ladies' room. Thanks for the tour.

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  7. Great tour! What hotel is there? Connor is one of my favorite blog dogs, and my husband's too.

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  8. A former colleague's daughter had her wedding there, and she absolutely raved about it. Said the staff was just as fabulous as the rooms, she wanted to move in! Sounds like you had a wonderful visit...you inspire me to start socializing more in my tiny place. Maybe Connor can come welcome guests?!

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  9. Wow and wow! Doesn't look anything like the hotels I have stayed in Baltimore!
    xo Cathy

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  10. Fabulous building!! How fortunate to have the run of it.

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  11. I work next door to the Tremont hotel, and we had our last Christmas/Holiday party there a few years ago (before cost-cutting kicked into high gear) - stunning building, and I do remember loving the bathrooms!! Thanks for posting these photos!

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  12. Megtown, it was our pleasure. Thank you for hosting.

    I'm going on a diet after catching a glimpse of myself in that mirror.

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  13. Gorgeous.
    Love your blog and always welcome seeing darling Connor.
    Thank you.

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  14. Not a soul around - extraordinary. Book me in when I come to visit from Downunder. What is the name of the hotel next door - I didn't seem to find it on the blog - did I miss something?

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  15. Now if the walls could talk! Wonderful look into the past! I love your blog and wanted to wish you a happy weekend!
    Jamie Herzlinger

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  16. I am new to your blog and I love it! An "Alice in Wonderland" tour to be sure..............and with no one around!!! Beautiful. Love your blog!
    Mary Anne

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