Doors Open Baltimore 2015

When I lived in the UK, I attended the Doors Open London where a number of private buildings are open for a day or a weekend each year. When I became President of the Baltimore Architecture Foundation, we tried to do it here, but logistically it was too overwhelming for the few of us. Now that the BAF has re-affiliated with the AIA Baltimore Chapter, there are many more volunteers and much greater resources. So, a committee was formed, and for the second year, during Arch-tober, we’re presenting Doors Open Baltimore. This year’s theme is Undiscovered Baltimore.

Several dozen buildings in Baltimore will be open on Saturday, October 24th for tours and lectures. I am personally leading two tours of the 1909 purpose-built building where I work, the Medical & Chirurgical Faculty of Baltimore. Chirurgical is derived from the Latin work for surgical, and is pronounced with a hard CH sound.

Other buildings on the tour are Church & Company, an old church converted to an event space, which is just a few blocks from my house;

one of my personal favourite buildings, the McKim Free School;

the Duchess of Windsor Museum, housed in the home where Wallis Warfield Simpson lived as a child; and

the Lithuanian Hall, where the “Night of 100 Elvises” is held each December, and where I attended the AIA Design Awards party last week.

For a complete list of locations that are open, please click here. The event is free, but registration for specific tours is requested.