Baltimore Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers have defined American cities since the ten-story Home Insurance Building dominated the Chicago skyline in 1885.  The soaring buildings are testaments to the architectural, technical and physical power of modern man.

The grungy East Coast city Baltimore pales in comparison to most of the other dense urban areas of the world. Paul Kazmierczak's algorithm which assigns totals to the world's skylines by all building heights, minus spires, above 90 meters, ranks Baltimore at a dismal 102nd.  Hong Kong comes in an impressive first, followed by Baltimore's neighbor New York City.

Nethertheless, Baltimoreans can still marvel at the 17 buildings taller than 100 meters in our downtown area and be proud of some of the more unique shapes that greet the eyes.



The Legg Mason Building is the tallest in all of Charm City. Built in 1973, it stands at 161 meters with 40 floors. Located at 100 Light St., it seems to stand alone away from the cluster of other skyscrapers. It holds the honor of being the tallest building between Philadelphia and Charlotte.



Coming in at a close second with 155 meters is the Bank of America building. Baltimore's oldest skyscraper was built in 1924 to the protests of citizens like writer H.L. Mencken, who argued that if he wanted tall buildings, he'd move to New York City.



The William Donald Schaefer Tower is the third tallest building in Maryland but often considered the most recognizable. Built to 150 meters with 37 floors in 1992, its unique structure gives it an iconic place in the city's skyscape.



Commerce Place is known for its quadrilateral top. Completed in 1992, this 31 floor building on South St. evokes a reverence that seems appropriate: the skyscrapers of modern America are the Temples of Capitalism that replaced the Church Steeples that once dominated our skylines.



Finally, while not in the central business district and certainly far from the tallest building around, the Bromo-Seltzer Clock Tower holds its own on the downtown's Westside. Completed in 1911, the tower with a 51-foot revolving replica of the namesake's medicine bottle, which was illuminated by 596 lights and could be seen from 20 miles away. After sitting vacant for decades, it was recently renovated into artists' studios, yet another symbol of Baltimore's resurgence.