Baltimore City College
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Baltimore City College is the third oldest public high school in America, predated only by the English High School of Boston (1829) and the Central High School of Philadelphia (1838).
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History
Authorized by the City Council of Baltimore, in March 1838, it took until October of 1839 to open the new school under Professor Nathan C. Brooks. Located on Courtland Street (now Preston Gardens at St. Paul Place), it was later renamed the "Male High School" after the establishment of two schools for females, Eastern and Western High Schools in 1844.
In the 1850s, it became known as "The Central High School of Baltimore" when it was located at the northwestern corner of Holliday and Fayette Streets (the former "Assembly Rooms", built in 1799 by architect/builders Robert Cary Long and Nicholas Rogers, and also the site of the first private Library Company of Baltimore. The school's first commencement was held in 1851 with philosopher, author and civic leader Severn Teakle Wallis speaking.
Here it was next door to the Holliday Street Theatre where the Star Spangled Banner was first performed in 1814 following the British attack on Baltimore. A few more doors to the north was the first home of what later became Loyola High School and College for young men in 1852 where a curriculum of the classics, literature and fine arts was taught.
By 1866, the school was raised to the status of college and named "The Baltimore City College" (BCC) by act of the City Council of Baltimore, and a five year curriculum was begun.
Relocation
In 1873, the Holliday and Fayette structure was destroyed by a fire that also burned down the neighboring theatre. After several temporary locations, the BCC relocated to a new English Gothic-styled building to the northwest of the old downtown, at Howard and Centre Streets. In 1876, ceremonies were held in the adjacent Academy of Music for the commencement of the new Johns Hopkins University, which had established several buildings alongside City College under its first president, Daniel Coit Gilman.
Baltimore public schools were racially segregated then, and a Colored High School was begun out of the Douglass Institute established in 1865. This was later renamed Frederick Douglass High School and became a prominent center for black education.
Football Rivalry
During the late 1880s, inter-scholastic sports became a feature of school life and a number of teams were begun in various sports. In 1889, the first football game was played between the BCC and the new Manual Training School (1883), then located on Courtland Street just a short distance from City College's first building fifty years before. After the Manual Training School was renamed to the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (BPI), a scrimmage game continued to be played for almost 15 more years until the first victory by BPI in 1904. This led to the longest high school football rivalry in the nation.
Reconstruction
City College's Tudor Gothic building lasted until 1892 when it was undermined by the construction of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tunnel from Camden Station to Mount Royal Station, and collapsed. Several years of political in-fighting and the change to a reformist city administration delayed construction of a replacement structure on the same site. In 1895, the new structure, designed by the architects Baldwin and Pennington, was built facing north towards Centre Street.
The "Castle on the Hill"
This new building became quickly overcrowded and an annex was established on 26th Street. This addition, however, did not help with the increase in school-aged youth beginning to attend school by World War I. During the 1920s, campaigning was begun by the school's alumni to provide a proper building, and in 1926 ground was broken for a massive Collegiate Gothic stone castle with a 40 acre (160,000 m²) campus, on a hill in the newly-annexed northeastern suburbs at 33rd Street and The Alameda. This new structure cost almost 3 million dollars (1926 dollars) and was one of the most expensive secondary schools ever constructed.
The four-level "Castle on the Hill" was surmounted by a 150-ft clock tower designed by architects Buckler and Fenhagen. The "castle" featured arched windows and cornices, gargoyles, stained glass, mahogany paneling, plaster arches, chandeliers and terra cotta tiles and terrazzo floors with two courtyards and plans for additional wings and buildings. Opened April 10, 1928, the Castle was designated a National Historic Landmark on its 75th birthday. In 1939, City College celebrated its Centennial Anniversary with a year-long program of activities and events.
Into the 21st century, the four year course of study has become more comprehensive including modern languages, sciences and mathematics in addition to more traditional classica.
Notable Graduates
Kurt L. Schmoke, former Mayor of the City of Baltimore; current dean, Howard University School of Law
Andre DeShields, Broadway actor
J. Terry Edmonds, Director, Office of Speechwriting in the Clinton Administration
Charles A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger
John Schuerholz, General Manager, Atlanta Braves
Notable former teachers and coaches
ZZ Packer, writer
George Young (1930 - 2001), former General Manager, New York Giants and NFL executive
Dr. Samuel L. Banks
External Links
- City Knight's Official Website (http://baltimorecitycollege.org)