Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Mount Royal Trainshed, 1400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Significance: When it opened in 1896, the Mount Royal Station and Trainshed was one of the best examples of the harmonious blending of engineering and aesthetic values in an urban environment. Sited at the north end of the Howard Street Tunnel, entirely within the open cut between it and the Mount Royal Station, it was both unobtrusive and convenient. The shelter provided by this below-grade site, combined with the trainshed, made the Mount Royal Depot a hospitable embarkation point in foul weather. The city of Baltimore used the depot as its official welcoming point to greet distinguished visitors, including several Presidents, British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, Cardinal Gibbons, and Queen Marie of Romania. The trainshed which was partly responsible for the generally commodious environment was one of the last gable roof trainsheds built in America. Like the station, it was of a smaller, less monumental scale than the large balloon sheds which were becoming fashionable at the time. It was a monument, however, in providing a sense of intimacy in an otherwise overwhelming urban environment.
Survey number: HAER MD-29
Building/structure dates: HAER MD-29
Building/structure dates: HAER MD-29
Building/structure dates: HAER MD-29
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 73002191