Ira Remsen House facts for kids
Ira Remsen House
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Ira Remsen House, May 2012
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Location | 214 W. Monument Street, Baltimore, Maryland |
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Built | c. 1885 |
NRHP reference No. | 75002102 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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Added to NRHP | May 15, 1975 |
Designated NHL | May 15, 1975 |
The Ira Remsen House is a special historic home located at 214 West Monument Street in Baltimore, Maryland. This house was built around 1885. It was once the home of Ira Remsen (1846-1927). He was a very important chemist and teacher.
Ira Remsen also served as the president of Johns Hopkins University. He led the university from 1901 to 1913. His ideas and textbooks helped many future chemists. In 1975, this house was recognized as a National Historic Landmark. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places.
About the Ira Remsen House
The Ira Remsen House is found in Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood. It is on the north side of West Monument Street. This house is a typical row house from its time. It is made of brick and has three stories.
The front of the house has three sections, called bays. The main door is on the left side. It is set inside a rounded arch. The windows are simple and rectangular. They have stone sills below them. A small dormer window sticks out from the roof.
Who Was Ira Remsen?
Ira Remsen was a brilliant chemist. He studied chemistry in Germany. In 1876, he came to Johns Hopkins University. He helped to create their chemistry department. This department became very famous.
Remsen made an important discovery. He found a substance called saccharin. This is a very sweet substance. It is used as a sugar substitute. But Remsen was even more famous for his teaching.
He wrote many chemistry textbooks. His teaching methods were also very new. They helped a whole generation of students and teachers. In 1901, he moved into this house. That same year, he became the president of Johns Hopkins University.
He was president until 1913. After that, he continued to work in the chemistry department. He stayed active until 1925. Ira Remsen's legacy lives on at Johns Hopkins. A building there, Remsen Hall, is named after him. His ashes are buried on the university campus.