The Baltimore Orioles have a “signature feature” in their ballpark, as most teams do. I don’t need to tell you what it is, as you’ve seen it a million times at the park, in downtown Baltimore, and on television. The B & O Warehouse was almost demolished when the ballpark was built. Instead, it’s a symbol of the Orioles and of Baltimore.
People of my generation equate it with Cal Ripken Jr, and the numbers counting up to 2132 during “the streak.” But the fact is that it has a rich history. The longest building on the east coast, it was completed in 1905. A classic railroad warehouse, it was the eastern terminus of the famed B & O Railroad.
What most people don’t know is that the warehouse gives Baltimore a unique connection with the city of Cincinnati, whose Reds come into Oriole Park at Camden Yards tonight. Because in Cincinnati sits Longworth Hall, which is the Ohio terminus of the same B & O Railroad. (It was originally named the B & O Freight Terminal.) You can click on the link in the text, or Google the building; either way, you’ll see that it’s almost identical to Baltimore’s B & O Warehouse.
To be clear, there are subtle differences. Longworth Hall is apparently a little bit longer. It also only has five stories, while the B & O Warehouse has eight. However to the naked eye, they definitely look very similar. They’re considered “sister buildings,” and in a sense they bound Baltimore and Cincinnati together.
While Baltimore made the B & O Warehouse the backdrop for it’s baseball park, Longworth Hall is mainly commercial real estate, housing companies and offices. So both cities have incorporated it’s version of the building into the contemporary version of itself. And for the record, there’s one other connection between the two buildings, that being baseball. The Orioles’ side of that connection is obvious. But who would have thought that Longworth Hall sits on “Pete Rose Way?!”
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad of course was a major route between the east coast and the Midwest in the “guilted age” of trains. Baltimore specifically was considered a massive hub for train travel – both passenger trains and freight. Camden Station is very historic, and it’s still in use in front of the warehouse (as an MTA Station).
What many people don’t know is that it’s also synonymous with one of America’s greatest leaders. While the Warehouse wasn’t built until the early 20th century, President Lincoln spoke at Camden Station in 1861 (as President-Elect) while on his way to Washington, DC for his inaugural. (He also was forced to quickly get out of town in disguise as there were rumors of an attempt being made on his life.)
He also traveled through Camden Station on his way to Gettysburg for the historic Gettysburg Address, and his funeral train traveled through following his assassination as his body was brought back to Illinois. Whether or not Lincoln (or his body) passed by the site of what’s now Longworth Hall in Cincinnati is unknown. It would stand to reason that in some manner he did, because as I said the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was a massive route at that time.
If you’re attending any of the games in the series this week, keep all of this in mind when you see the Warehouse. These two cities actually have a unique bond, that’s largely unknown, save for the fact that the Warehouse is such an important landmark in Baltimore. As a sportswriter and a history buff, I can’t properly drive home how cool I think it is that there’s so much history on that site (Camden Yards). And that on Pete Rose Way in Cincinnati, they have their own warehouse. The sister building to Baltimore’s.
Birdland Crush 