Summary
The United States Post Office and Courthouse is a historic combined post office and Federal courthouse located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse | |
 Courthouse east facade, May 2008 | |
    | |
| Location | 111 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°17′27″N 76°36′47″W / 39.29083°N 76.61306°W |
| Area | 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 77001530[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 25, 1977 |
Description edit
The building occupies an entire city block and measures 238 ft 2 in (72.59 m) east-west by 279 ft 10 in (85.29 m) north-south. It is of steel frame construction with concrete floors and tile roof, basement of granite, and outer walls of white Indiana limestone. The structure is six stories in height and provided with basement and two sub-basements. It was completed in 1932 under the supervision the Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore, and features classical ornamentation.
Cases edit
Some notable court cases held in this building include:
- 1934: Judge W. Calvin Chesnut became the first jurist to strike down a New Deal Act of Congress.
- 1948: Alger Hiss filed a libel suit against Whittaker Chambers
- 1968 and 1969: the Berrigans were indicted in this courthouse for destroying Federal records as a protest against the Vietnam War.
- 1973: Vice President Spiro T. Agnew pleaded nolo contendere to tax evasion and resigned as Vice President.[2]
- 2009: Mayor Sheila Dixon was tried for 12 counts including perjury, theft and misconduct. She was convicted of fraudulent misappropriation and eventually resigned as mayor as part of a plea bargain in the Sheila Dixon trial.
Present edit
The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[1] It has since been conveyed to the City of Baltimore, and is in use by the Baltimore city courts. For many years, the courthouse was known colloquially as Courthouse East. On January 17, 2020, Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. Jack Young announced that the courthouse would be renamed the Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse in honor of the late 12-term United States Representative and civil rights activist from Baltimore.[3]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ John W. McGrain, Jr. (July 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: United States Post Office and Courthouse" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ Asmelash, Leah (January 18, 2020). "This Baltimore courthouse is set to be renamed for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings". CNN. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
External links edit
Media related to United States Post Office and Courthouse (Baltimore, Maryland) at Wikimedia Commons
- Historic Federal Courthouses page from the Federal Judicial Center.
- United States Post Office and Courthouse, Baltimore City, including photo from 1985, at Maryland Historical Trust