Baltimore Inner Harbor, Northwest branch of Patapsco River south of Pratt Street & between Light Street & Jones Falls, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Significance: The Inner Harbor, located at the heart of Baltimore, provided the foundation for the city's commercial economy in the late 18th and early 19th century. After the Great Fire of 1904, which destroyed all but one structure on the massive filled finger piers extending into the harbor, the City of Baltimore condemned the privately held land for municipal control of the harbor. The bulkheads on Piers 4, 5, and 6 are among the first reinforced concrete structures constructed in seawater in the United States. The solid piers, consisting of filled bulkheads, played a critical role in the evolution from timber pile to reinforced concrete for seawater construction. In the late 20th century, the Inner Harbor was among the first major urban waterfront renewal projects, pioneering the concept of coupling festive retail with a waterfront aquarium anchor.
Survey number: HAER MD-86
Building/structure dates: 1904-1910 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1970 Subsequent Work