Charles R. Thomas Fire Station on Edmondson Avenue

Built in 1910 of brick with stone trim in Tudor style, Fire Engine House No. 36 celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010. Designed by architects Ellicott & Emmart and built by the Fidelity Construction Co., Engine House No. 36 reflected Baltimore's investment in modern fire-fighting facilities and technology in the aftermath of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. Ellicott & Emmart worked on a number of public buildings around this same period including Primary School No. 37 (located at E. Biddle St. and N. Patterson Park Ave.) and the Forest Park Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library (1912).

, Baltimore City Fire Department

2249 Edmondson Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21223

One of the area’s earliest movie theaters, "The Bridge" opened in May 1915, seating seven hundred patrons and featuring Paramount Pictures films. Under the management of Edmondson Amusement Company president, Louis Schilchter, the Bridge Theater offered more than just movies. Schilchter hosted everything from song and dance shows to a community gathering to honor soldiers returning from WWI. After an explosion in 1930 damaged the side of the building, the theater rebuilt and continued to operate until 1968.

Since 1970, the building has been used as a church and is presently home to the Life Celebration Center.

2100 Edmondson Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21223

A Former Factory on Franklin Street

Constructed in 1911, the American Ice Company is an enduring reminder of West Baltimore’s industrial development with a striking brick facade on W. Franklin Street and a powerhouse that backs up to the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. At the time of the building’s construction, West Baltimore was quickly developing beyond the 1816 city line as small builders put up new rowhouses that soon extended west out to the Gwynns Falls.

The previous decade had also witnessed significant changes in the ice industry as the business of importing natural ice from rivers and lakes in the Northeast to Mid-Atlantic and Southern cities dwindled in the face of competition from new factories that enabled businesses to supply a more regular and consistent supply of “manufactured ice.�

The building was severely damaged in a 2004 fire. Fortunately, the current owner supported a recent nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and plans to redevelop the property while retaining the historic ice house structure.

2100 W. Franklin Street, Baltimore, MD 21223