St. James the Less Catholic Church & Rectory, 1225 East Eager Street, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Significance: As a building designated in the High Victorian Gothic style with Romanesque Revival overtones, the St. James The Less Roman Catholic Church is an example of a type of architecture that was commonly used in Baltimore in the second half of the nineteenth century for church structures, although this church is an unusual example in that it is constructed of brick rather than the more commonly used stone, particularly for buildings of similar size and lavish treatment. The structure achieves additional significance as an early work of George A. Frederick (1842-1924), a prolific and prominent architect in Baltimore who designed buildings of all types, mainly in the Baltimore area, but also across the state. The craftsmanship of the period is apparent in the detailing of the building itself as well as in the stained glass windows from the studios of Josef Mayer in New York and Germany; three large interior murals painted about 1886 by the German-born artist William Lamprecht, and marble sculpture work by the Baltimore sculptor Josef Martin Didusch. There is an associated four story Rectory.
Survey number: HABS MD-969
Building/structure dates: 1865-1867