Henderson’s Wharf

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The ghostly traces of the words “Baltimore and Ohio Railroad” painted on the brick wall give a clue to the former life of the substantial building that anchors the east end of Fell Street. Designed by architect E. Francis Baldwin in 1897 for the B&O Railroad, Henderson’s Wharf was one of the largest and most up-to-date tobacco warehouses of its day. Its subsequent renovation a century later is a fine example of how Baltimore has been a pioneer in reimagining old industrial buildings and transforming them into spaces for contemporary living.

Henderson’s Wharf was originally known as O’Donnell’s Wharf, named after Captain John O’Donnell, the founder of Canton and one of the wealthiest men in the United States at his death in 1805. In 1850, James A. Henderson, a merchant, purchased the property and made it a major steamship hub. By 1865, the Sun hailed the sendoff of the steamship Somerset from the wharf and anticipated the excitement of the community and the profit to be made: “The pioneer of the ocean line of steamships between Liverpool and Baltimore…will doubtless be witnessed by many persons, as it is an event of the greatest moment to all the various mercantile interests of Baltimore. It is understood that a number of merchants of this city have given orders to European agents to have goods sent them direct from Liverpool by the Somerset on her return trip and the gentlemen having charge of the line are also assured that she will return with a full number of steerage passengers. The prospects of the Ocean Line are altogether of an encouraging character.”

By the 1890s, a different kind of journey was available to Baltimoreans as companies like the Sassafras River Company offered steamship day excursions across the bay to destinations like Worton Manor Beach.

B&O announced their proposal to build a warehouse on Henderson’s Wharf in 1894. A Baltimore Sun headline in 1896 announced:

A BIG WAREHOUSE: To Be Erected by the B. and O. Railroad Company for Tobacco Storage HENDERSON'S WHARF THE SITE The Building Will Be the Largest Structure of Its Kind in Baltimore Its Cost Will Be About $200,000 and It Will Have Capacity for 25,000 Hogsheads--In Size It Will Be 250 by 300 Feet and Six Stories High--Important Addition to the City's Terminal Facilities

The warehouse boasted two-and-a-half foot thick walls with more than 30,000 sq feet of floor space divided into four sections, each with its own elevator.

Both the size and the scope of the building were designed to keep the tobacco inspection and storage industry within the state of Maryland, instead of sending Maryland tobacco out-of-state to Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky to be processed. The B&O cited not only the capacity of their new warehouse as an advantage but praised the location as well. Railroad tracks ran into the building, the better for loading and unloading from trains. Similarly, the harbor location allowed ships carrying tobacco crops from the Eastern Shore or Southern Maryland easy access to the warehouse, and tobacco destined for foreign ports could be loaded on railroad barges to be transported to any part of the harbor to be sent abroad.

The warehouse was used for various purposes until it was abandoned in 1976. In 1984, a fire swept through, causing significant damages. The building underwent a $9.75 million renovation in 1991 that retained some of its original architectural elements including its lovely archways. Since then, Henderson’s Wharf has been used as a variety of residences, including apartments, condominiums, and currently, as a luxury hotel.