Bankard-Gunther Mansion is a historic Baltimore, Maryland home built in 1866. It is a three-story, three bay wide, nine bay deep, flat roofed brick building on the corner of Baltimore and Chester Streets. It is a richly embellished Italianate style building built originally for Jacob J. Bankard, one of the prominent Baltimore butchers who lived on so-called "Butcher’s Hill".
Jacob J. Bankard[1] was from a family of butchers who worked around Butcher Hill since the 1840s. He made a fortune during the Civil War selling meat to the Union Army and commissioned the home one year after the war ended.[2] The architect and builder are unknown.[2] It is probable that stone mason Hugh Sisson created the ornamentation found on the facade.[2] Sisson ("Marble King of Baltimore") did the stone work for other notable buildings around the city.[2] It originally was a free-standing home, the attached row on the east side was added later, visible by contrasting brick color.[3] There is a large walled in side garden on the west side, today an entrance to one of the units. In the back, an unattached carriage house has been preserved and converted into a separate home.[3]
Bankard died in November 1885,[1] and by 1891, the new occupant was George Gunther, founder of the Gunther Brewing Company.[2] The property's ownership became complicated after Bankard's death. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) records show that after Gunther died, the mansion was next owned by Bankard's nephew, Robert J. "Doc" Slater, a wealthy gambler and powerful political boss of East Baltimore.[2] This created a chronological impossibility, as Slater himself had died a decade earlier in 1902.[4] This suggests the property was likely somehow part of Slater's estate, inherited or purchased from his uncle Jacob, at some point, making the final disposition of the home after 1912 unclear from the NRHP record.[2] It's also unclear if Gunther owned the mansion or leased it.
Although the home's ownership after Gunther's death is unclear, the property was sold in 1919 to the Hebrew Home for Incurables. This institution provided care for the elderly and disabled, particularly those with chronic conditions. In 1929 they moved to a new location that still exists called the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center & Hospital.[2] In 1929, the Presbyterian Church purchased the home and established the Emmanuel Neighborhood House, led by the Rev. Aaron Judah Kligerman. The institution served as a mission, providing humanitarian services and religious outreach to Jewish converts to Christianity.[2]
The mansion entered a period of decline after the Emmanuel Neighborhood House departed in 1948. Though initially divided into apartments, the building was eventually abandoned and deteriorated significantly along with the surrounding neighborhood.[2] By the late 1970s, it was in a derelict condition, with photographs showing boarded windows, rotting woodwork, and a gutted interior.[2][5] The path toward its preservation began in 1980 when the historic home was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[6] This official recognition provided the impetus for a major renovation project. Following extensive restoration, the Bankard-Gunther Mansion was returned to its use as a multi-unit apartment building, while still preserving its historic character.[2]
A photograph of the building with a portrait of some neighborhood boys, titled "Neighborhood boys by the Bankard-Gunther Mansion, Butchers Hill" by Linda Rich, taken sometime between 1977-1980, is collected in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[5]
References
1 2 Jacob J. Bankard (1820- November 19, 1885) moved to Washington, DC, sometime before 1885. He died there on November 19, 1885. He is buried at Baltimore Cemetery in Berea. He was married to Susan Orrick Wright Bankard (1823-1905). See "Local matters". The Baltimore Sun. November 19, 1885. Pg.4 Col. 5. Mr Jacob J. Bankard a former well-known butcher of this city, was yesterday reported dying in Washington, to which he removed over a year ago. He is 67 years old. Jacob's sister was Louisa Bankard Slater who was the mother of the famous Baltimore gambler and political boss Robert J. "Doc" Slater.
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