Hendler Creamery facts for kids
The Hendler Creamery is an old building in Jonestown, Baltimore, Maryland. It's a big place, taking up a whole city block! This building is important because it shows how transportation, entertainment, and industries changed over time in Baltimore.
Quick facts for kids |
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Hendler Creamery
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Hendler Creamery in 2011
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 Location in Baltimore
Location in Maryland
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1100 E. Baltimore St. & 1107 E. Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | Jackson C. Gott |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Early Commercial |
| NRHP reference No. | 07001032 |
| Added to NRHP | December 20, 2007 |
Contents
A Building with Many Lives
Building a Strong Foundation
The Hendler Creamery is actually made of two connected buildings. The main part is a three-story brick building built in 1892. It replaced five older houses in the Old Town / Jonestown neighborhood. This building was made to be very strong, with large arched doorways. It uses red bricks and special stone for decoration.
An old newspaper called "The Sun" wrote about the building in 1892. They said it would be "one of the most prominent structures" in that part of the city. They also mentioned that it was designed to be practical and strong, without too much fancy decoration.
Later, more parts were added for different owners, including the Hendler's Creamery. These additions were built between 1915 and 1949. There's also a one-story brick building from the 1960s connected to it. Another large brick building, used as a warehouse, was built from 1923 to 1927.
Designed by Jackson C. Gott
The architect who designed the main building was Jackson C. Gott (1829-1909). He was a famous architect from Baltimore. Eight of his buildings are still around today and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the same year he designed the Hendler Creamery building, Gott also designed the Charles Theatre building. This building was also a cable car powerhouse. Gott also designed parts of the old Maryland Penitentiary in 1894 and the Southern District Police Station in 1896.
Powering Cable Cars
From 1892 to 1898, the Hendler Creamery building was a cable car powerhouse. This was a big deal for Baltimore's transportation! Cable cars were a new way to get around, replacing horse-drawn carriages.
The building powered a cable line called the Red Line. This line ran from North Avenue, down Gay Street, and then along East Baltimore Street to Patterson Park. The cable cars moved at about 11 miles per hour.
In 1898, electric-powered cars started replacing cable cars. They were cheaper and faster. The old cables were removed, but the underground parts were often just covered up because they were too expensive to dig out. The company that ran the cable cars, the Baltimore City Passenger Railway Company, joined a bigger company called the United Railways and Electric Company. Power for the new electric trolleys came from a huge power plant on the waterfront.
The Hendler Creamery building is special because it's the only cable car powerhouse in Baltimore listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other powerhouses were either torn down or changed a lot.
A Stage for Yiddish Theater
After the cable cars were replaced, the building became a performance hall. A man named James Lawrence Kernan (1838-1912) bought it. He was a theater manager and helped the community.
Kernan added a second floor with an auditorium and dressing rooms. He called it the Convention Hall Theater. From 1903 to 1912, it was mainly a Yiddish theater. This was important for the many Jewish immigrants living in Baltimore at the time. Some of the city's first movies were also shown here.
The building becoming a theater connects it to Baltimore's history of performing arts in the early 1900s. This included plays, movies, opera, and other shows.
The Famous Hendler Ice Cream Company
The building's most famous chapter began in 1912 when the Hendler Ice Cream Company bought it for $40,000. They turned it into the country's first fully automated ice cream factory!
Hendler's made one of Baltimore's favorite ice cream brands. They also made many important inventions for the ice cream industry over the next 50 years. These included new ways to package ice cream and methods for making it smoother and freezing it quickly. The building next door, built in the 1920s, was important for creating one of the first systems to deliver ice cream using refrigerated trucks.
At its busiest, Hendler's ice cream was sold in over 400 stores across Maryland. They made vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream almost every day. They also made special flavors like ginger and peppermint for Hutzler's department store. For the Southern Hotel, they even made a tomato sorbet! Their eggnog ice cream, made with real rum, was a big hit during Christmas. They also created holiday-themed treats, like an Independence Day ice cream with vanilla, strawberry, and blueberry flavors.
The creamery closed in the 1970s. The nearby Jewish Museum of Maryland has many items and records from the Hendler Company and family.
Historic Landmark
The Hendler Creamery was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. This means it's recognized as an important historical site.
What's Happening Now?
After being used as a warehouse and for city services, the Hendler Creamery buildings are now being planned for a new future. A company bought the building in 2012 and plans to turn it into apartments. The plans include 276 apartments, shops, outdoor courtyards, a pool, basketball courts, and a yoga studio.
City officials believe this project will help connect the Johns Hopkins Hospital area with Downtown Baltimore. However, in March 2023, a city commission decided not to stop the demolition of parts of the building. There are now plans to create a community green space where the building stands.
Images for kids
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Front view.
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Front door detail.
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Medallion with man's head and the first two digits of year built -"18". Note the basket weave design of the brick pattern.
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Medallion with woman's head and second two digits of the year built - "92"
