Infusing Style and Sophistication:

Infusing Style and Sophistication: (HM3ZU)

Location: Baltimore, MD 21201
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 17.393', W 76° 37.413'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 523 views
Inscription

The Influence of Maximilian Godefroy

For its first 25 years, the burying ground remained a simple place characterized by plain grave markers. After 1810, tastes changed and First Presbyterian Church's leading public figures demanded the ornate.

The most dramatic change was a new entrance and imposing brick wall on Greene Street, completed by September 1815 at the enormous cost of more than $5000. The gates and flanking piers were designed in the Egyptian revival style by French emigre Maximilian Godefroy (1765-c.1840). The new entrance created a pronounced east-west corridor that was soon lined with impressive burial vaults.

For more information, see Robert L. Alexander's Architecture of Maximilian Godefroy (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1974).

[illustration]
Egyptian and Classical Motifs The symbols on Godefroy's gates "mourn the brevity of life and celebrate the eternity of the spirit" (Robert L. Alexander, 1974). The large flanking piers are carved sandstone, a soft sedimentary stone that is prone to damage as evidenced by its present condition.
Cavetto Cornice - Hollow or concave molding
Lekythoi - Greek, or lachmyral, urns, denoting grief
Inverted Torch - Inverted or extinguished torch symbolizing death
Winged Hour Glass - Symbols of time's swift flight

Entrance to Westminster Cemetery Green [sic] Street by Edward J. Wunder
From Maryland Institute...Announcement Schools of Art and Design 1914-1915
First & Franklin Street Presbyterian Church Archives

[painting]
Charming and Headstrong Maximilian Godefroy spent 15 productive years in Baltimore beginning in 1805. Godefroy, along with the British-born Benjamin H. Latrobe, designer of the Roman Catholic Cathedral, introduced a sophisticated classically inspired architecture to early Baltimore.

Maximilian Godefroy by Rembrandt Peale, oil on canvas, ca. 1815
Courtesy of the Maryland Commission on Artistic Property of the Maryland State Archives

[photograph]
Designer Vaults Several wealthy merchants hired Godefroy to design stylish burial vaults. His vaults for John O'Donnell, Cumberland Dugan and Robert and William Smith share similarities among their columns, doors, and details. Notice, too, Godefroy's use of slits in the masonry which allowed for air circulation, a system he also used in powder magazines at Fort McHenry.

Vaults (left-right): Dugan-Hollins, Robert and William Smith, O'Donnell
Photographs by Jennifer White, June 2006

An Indelible Stamp Godefroy produced a number of outstanding buildings that infused taste and sophistication into early Baltimore. They include St. Mary's Chapel (located nearby, off Greene Street), Battle Monument (Calvert and Fayette Sts.) and First Unitarian Church (Charles and Franklin Sts.)
Details
HM NumberHM3ZU
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 19th, 2014 at 5:43am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 359985 N 4350202
Decimal Degrees39.28988333, -76.62355000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 17.393', W 76° 37.413'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 17' 23.58" N, 76° 37' 24.78" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)410, 443, 301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 69 N Greene St, Baltimore MD 21201, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?