History
In February 1905, Alfred Quick, the Water Engineer for the City of Baltimore, envisioned a common meeting place where engineers could exchange technical ideas and foster camaraderie. After discovering the overwhelming interest for such an idea, Quick and other engineers began conducting meetings to prepare an organizational plan, draft a constitution and bylaws and elect officers. In April 1905, the Engineer’s Club was born from the ashes of the Great Fire the previous year. The Club originated with 32 charter members.
The Club had several homes including the Women’s Exchange Building (1905), the new Arundel Club Building (1911), the Commerce Trust Building (1921) and the Bickford Building (1925) before settling into its current home, the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion in Mount Vernon.
View the Full Timeline of the Mansion
Celebrating Over 150 Years
Of The Garrett-Jacobs Mansion
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1853
1853
No. 11 West Mount Vernon Place was built by Samuel George on land which belonged originally to John Eager Howard.
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1872
1872
John Work Garrett, President of the B&O Railroad during the Civil War, bought No. 11 and gave it to his son Robert as a wedding present.
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1884
1884
Robert succeeded his father as President of the railroad and his wife (the former Mary Frick) engaged Stanford White to redesign No.11 and No. 9, which was recently purchased.
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1896
1896
Robert Garrett dies after an extended illness.
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1902
1902
Mrs. Garrett married Dr. Henry Barton Jacobs. Soon thereafter, they bought No. 7 and engaged John Russell Pope to design the Library, Caen Stone Hall, Theatre, Supper Room below and expand the Drawing Room. The total cost of the mansion was reported to be $1.5 million.
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1915
1915
No. 13 purchased and rear demolished to provide light and air for Tiffany glass windows on stairway, for storage pantries, and to add a beautiful garden.
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1936
1936
Mrs. Jacobs died, and the Mansion was willed to Dr. Jacobs for life, in 1939 Dr. Jacobs died. Mansion and contents then sold at public auction with the bulk of the proceeds going to their designated charities.
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1941
1941
Boumi Temple bought the building to serve as their headquarters and made many alterations; sold to Baltimore City in 1958.
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1962
1962
Baltimore City sold the Mansion and #13 West to the Club, renamed The Engineering Society of Baltimore, Inc., for $155k.
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1992
1992
The Garrett-Jacobs Mansion Endowment Fund, a charitable 501 (c)(3) organization, is established to facilitate fundraising and restoration efforts.
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1998
1998
A fundraising effort dubbed “The Heritage Campaign” was initiated to restore the Great Façade of the Mansion. The work was completed in 1998 at a cost of $600k.
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2006
2006
The first phase of the Master Plan, including the Courtyard and major infrastructure improvements, was completed at a cost of $3.1 million.
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2007
2007
The Drawing Room was the first room to receive historic restoration under the guidelines of the Master Plan –its intricate 22 carat gold gilding was hand applied over the course of two months.
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2009
2009
An interior easement is granted to the Maryland Historic Trust in January thus guaranteeing protection of the historic building in perpetuity.
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2012
2012
Three of the four phases for the Ballroom Restoration Project are completed – including infrastructure updates, skylight redesign, fabric panels’ replacement, restoration and gilding of wood panels and Courtyard doors.
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2013
2013
The Library restoration was completed in 2013 in addition to restoration of the Foyer and Drawing Room floors. The fine walnut woodwork and the American oak flooring were given new life and fire suppression was concealed in the faux finish plaster.
