One Charles Center is a 23-story skyscraper in Baltimore, MD, built in 1962 and designed by Mies van der Rohe’s. It’s a very Miesian buildings, sharing many elements with his other designs such as the Chicago Federal Center and the Seagram Building in NYC. But there are a couple of exceptions. Mies loved his travertine and there is none of that to be found here. Turns out that travertine didn’t fair so well in Baltimore’s climate, so it was replaced on the exterior spaces with precast concrete and with limestone on the interior floors.
The other element that sets One Charles Place apart from other Mies designs is its shape. Instead of his usual 2001: A Space Odyssey skyscraper monolith, this building is in a ‘T’ shape that better uses the available zoning on the lot.
Inside, the lobby is spare and gorgeous. The Tinos green marble on the walls, the bronze columns, and the brass elevator doorways all just come together in a Modernist perfection. The Mies designed Barcelona chairs and couches in the lobby add a nice nod to the building’s architect.
If you find yourself in downtown Baltimore, after getting that crab cake for lunch, head to One Charles Place and check out that lobby. You won’t regret it.
