BALLROOM RESTORATION

Mary Frick Garrett Jacobs, was the undisputed grande dame of Baltimore society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  To associate with her and her husband, Robert “meant that one had arrived at the top of the social ladder. A nod from her in church or at the opera meant everything.  An invitation to their Mount Vernon Place Mansion was the most coveted in Baltimore.” (Sander 118)  Entertainment in her home took many forms.  There were teas, luncheons, lectures, magic shows, tableaux charades, some dancing, and vaudeville shows for the children.  Some of the best talent in the country made its appearance in Baltimore under her patronage, and she sponsored many performances for charitable benefits, a number of which were held in her home (Dehler 14).

She entertained lavishly in her Baltimore townhouse; however, some forms of entertainment that were practiced in New York and Newport were not tolerated in Baltimore for “Baltimore had its own social code; and while large sums of money were lavished on entertainment, the bizarre and the vulgar were frowned upon” (Dehler 2) which brings us to the Mansion and the Ballroom in it where much of her entertaining took place.

The original rowhouse at #11 Mount Vernon Place, the nucleus for the present mansion, was a wedding gift from John Work Garrett in 1872.  In 1884, she and Robert purchased #9 and in 1902 while married to Dr. Jacobs, she purchased #7.  In 1915, she purchased #13 the Janes’ house, had the rear demolished, leaving it only one room deep.  The extended house eventually had over 40 rooms, not including closets and halls, 16 fireplaces, and approximately 100 windows (Dehler 3).  It was the Garretts’ intention to transform their Baltimore townhouse into one that would “rival the grandest of the grand manor homes of the Astors and the Vanderbilts of New York.” (Sander 118).   Mary Frick Garrett Jacobs accomplished what she set out to do:  Her mansion became the grandest home in Baltimore for five decades.   However in 1939, this townhouse ceased to be a private residence for sure when Dr. Jacobs died in the Mansion three years after his wife who died in Newport.   It was decades before there were any major renovations by subsequent owners.  For part of that time, the Mansion remained empty and unheated until its last purchaser, the Engineering Society of Baltimore in 1961.

Ballroom Then and Now

Charles A. Meyer, Sr. GJMEF Board Trustee (now President) overseeing the Ballroom Restoration wrote for the Autumn/Holiday 2009 issue, “The intriguing aspect of the restoration has been envisioning how the room was used.   What was the lighting like?  What were the sounds like? Can we bring back the ambiance that existed for their parties and performances.”

In 1908, the Ballroom was known as the Large Gallery measuring 70 feet by 30 feet.  It was a blend of French Classical Baroque and Rococo architecture. At the end of the Gallery were a stage and a very fine pipe organ.  In Katherine Dehler’s Our Heritage, she described the room as follows:  “Red satin damask with a frieze of small paintings cover the walls on which were hung five Brussels tapestries depicting the story of Scipio Africanus.  The furniture is Louis XIV and XV, and Regency in style and consisted of carved and gilded state chairs with six straight chairs, all covered in the same wine red material, a very beautiful marquetry Louis XV table, two other large tables, a pair of settees covered with crimson silk floral damask, and a sofa upholstered with crimson velvet.  Rare Persian rugs covered the floor.”  The renovation eventually cost $1 million—in today’s currency, well over $15 million (Sander 118).

The Original Architect
John Russell Pope was one of the most influential architects of his era.   He went on to become the leading proponent of neo-Classicism—most notably in Washington, D.C., where he designed the Constitution Hall, the National Archives Building, and the National Gallery of Art.  In Baltimore, he designed the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Masonic Temple of Scottish Rite, and the University Baptist Church.  Pope was responsible for the easternmost part of the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion, including the library, a hall paved in tiles of buff-colored Caen marble, a supper room, and a great ballroom.  Ballroom guests were surrounded by the Jacobs’ art collection—eventually valued at $2 million and donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The Current Architect

Henry Johnson of Johnson/Berman Architecture and Interior Design is  responsible for the restoration and refurbishment of the interiors of the Mansion.  There are many historic preservations projects in Baltimore and Annapolis to Henry Johnson’s credit.   Here are a few:  The Reception Lobby in the Bank of America located at 10 Light Street, the restoration of the Maryland Club at Charles and Eager Streets after the fire in 1994, and the total restoration of the Alex. Brown building (now Chevy Chase Bank) on Baltimore Street.  “The restoration and refurbishment of the Mansion’s interiors including the Ballroom is a very complex and time-consuming matter,” he wrote to this editor.  Mr. Johnson continued, “The ancient golden oak floors, the ornate plaster mouldings with miles of gold-leafed finishes, hand-carved marble mantles, bronze light fixtures, silk upholstered walls, carved wood paneling, and painted ceilings all are beginning to glisten and dazzle the most discerning visitor.”  In an e-mailed report to this editor, he wrote, “The restoration process is a team effort by necessity and that is the way all serious historic work is accomplished.  There have been very few ‘block buster’ surprises for us during the restoration.”  He concluded, “Fortunately, we have found that our structure is sound, our adaptive requirements relatively simple and cost almost affordable!  Therefore Hollywood style dramatic surprises have not popped up and for that we are thankful.”

The Details

The wall paneling of French Walnut is refinished, repaired, and gold leafed along with the ceilings’ original paint colors, murals, and decorative finishes by Thomas Moore Company.  Henry Johnson had the wall reupholstered in a fabric similar to the original made in Lyon, France.  The stage curtain encasement is currently being reproduced in the same fabric and will be complemented by a rich burgundy velvet theatrical curtain.  The interiors have returned to the historic environment that was designed to delight one of the wealthiest families in the world.

What’s Technologically New or Improved

During Phase I of the Ballroom Restoration Project, the entire electrical system was redone to meet the current code requirements.  Included in this work was the installation of a state-of-the-art Crestron lighting control that currently operates the room lights and faux skylight which has LED fixtures that can have the colors changed to create a specific mood or theme in the room.  The Crestron system controls the new stage lighting.  The three existing “skylight” openings were reopened to replicate their historical appearance.  A fire suppression system was installed and the existing HVAC was upgraded.

More than a Ballroom—It’s part of the fabric of Mt. Vernon
and Baltimore.

The Mansion is home to four artists-in-residence:  Concerts Artists of Baltimore, Baltimore Concert Opera, Atlantic Guitar Quartet, and Unified Jazz Ensemble.  Christmas Cheer, CAB’s Christmas concerts are sell-outs for both its performances.  La Boheme likewise sold out for the Baltimore Concert Opera.  The Ballroom also provided the setting for symposiums and lectures including a series all of which drew the public in attractive numbers.  The symposiums and lectures are particularly interesting because they were about Baltimore’s history and historical figures which ranged from royalty to business and commerce.  These successful programs will continue. Entertainment has returned to the tasteful standard that Mrs. Garrett insisted in her Mansion. There are dinners, parties and balls, too.  The Mansion’s ambiance is back.

Mount Vernon Square is about to embark on a multi-million dollar restoration program.  The Mansion and the Ballroom in it are already part of the fabric of the community.  The Garrett-Jacobs Mansion Endowment Fund established partnerships with its neighbors, such as, the Walters Art Museum, the Basilica of the Assumption, and the Maryland Historical Society.

Because of the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion Endowment Fund, the benefactors, the architect, historical preservations, the craftsmen, it looks as though we have accomplished what we set out to do.  What was once an exclusive private residence has returned to its former glory, but is open to everyone as an inclusive foundation.

Mrs. Garrett may give more than a “nod” perhaps she’d applaud with delight.