Baltimore Type

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Baltimore Type

A collection of lettering and type found throughout the "Land of Pleasant Living." Type is everywhere. For more info contact me at [email protected]

Whether quickly scribbled or carefully crafted, it was made by someone to tell us something. But if done correctly, type can say more than just the words that it spells out. This collection is a tribute to the letterforms displayed throughout Baltimore that communicate something beyond words. "Every city finds expression and identity in its lettering." - Tobias Frere-Jones

All photos for Baltimore Type are taken and curated by John Adsit.

01/15/2023

267. S&N. Katz
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Happy New Year! (Is it too late to say that?) This beauty was recently uncovered when the building at the corner of Eastern & Conkling was demolished toward the end of last year. That building was built in 1930 making this sign at least 93 years old!
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S&N Katz once had several jewelry stores around the city including stores in Hampden, Hamilton, and downtown. Their original location at 109 N. Charles St. still features their name in elegant type high above the entrance. This Highlandtown location was opened in 1919 according to an archived issue of “The Jeweler’s Circular” from August of that year. That means this sign was painted between 1919-1930.
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Speaking of the sign, there’s so much to love here. From the block letters up top, to the friendly rounded ones in the middle, to the quirky italics at the bottom, it’s all so full of personality. It’s always a pleasure to see a sign this old that has been so well preserved.
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04/17/2022

265. Jesus Saves
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Happy Easter! This sign on the back of the old Riverside Baptist Church–now home to –has been faithfully spreading this message of hope across South Baltimore for many years. The blackletter design is easily visible from many points in the city and always sticks out as you enter Baltimore on 395. Judging from how fresh the paint looks up close, I’d say the sign has likely been repainted in recent years to maintain such great visibility.
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04/03/2022

263. Balto. Fire. Dept. 2
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There are a number of beautiful old firehouses around the city, but this one, with it’s green and gold signage, might be my favorite. Check out the last photo for a shot with downtown in the background.
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#1920 #2

02/27/2022

262. Ukrainian American Youth Ass’n. Inc.
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Been thinking about Ukraine a lot this week and I couldn’t help but think of this sign too. I used to live a block away from this building and would walk by it on a daily basis. To see a sign in both Cyrillic and Roman alphabets is rare in Baltimore, so I’d often take a moment to look up at the handpainted letterforms as I passed by.
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The banner from 2019 hanging over the sign is a reminder of the strange times we’ve been living in over the last two years. The Ukrainian festival is usually held every September a block down from this building—next to St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Church (photos 5&6)—but hasn’t happened since Covid hit. We’ve got some great family memories attending this festival. It’s a beautiful thing seeing how our city’s immigrant history has helped shape different neighborhoods into what they are today. For a look at the sign without the banner, check out the screenshot on the last slide from Google Maps.
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Praying for the people of Ukraine. Praying for peace. 🇺🇦

01/04/2022

161. Pyle
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Had to get a shot of some snow-capped dimensional letters on this first snow day of the year. Pyle Fence Co. has been serving the Baltimore area since 1939 and it looks like this sign has been doing its job for just as long. This is a new favorite of mine, especially that ‘Y.’ Swipe for some great additional handpainted signs on their building.
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01/01/2022

Happy New Year! Here are my top posts from the past year. After a bit of a hiatus at the end of 2021, I’m looking forward to posting some more great type finds from around the city.
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Posts from top left to bottom right:
40. Vote Against Prohibition (Reshoot)
249. The National Brewing Co.
247. “Oh Boy, what a Beer”
244. 29th Street Tavern
248. Domino Sugars (Part 2)
248. Domino Sugars (Part 1)
42. Balto. Marine Repair Shops (Reshoot)
254. OLES
260. J. Rothstein & Co.
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09/23/2021

260. J. Rothstein & Co.
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The old Rothstein & Co. building on W. Ostend Street still features some pretty great old hand painted signs. Now the home to , the building still houses some great metal work too.
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&co

08/17/2021

259. Bromo Seltzer
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When I think of Bromo Seltzer bottles, the old, all-glass version with the raised letters comes to mind first, but check out these beauties at ! This was my first time seeing a Bromo bottle with a paper label and it did not disappoint. If you’re fond of old stuff like I am, do yourself a favor and stop by rust-n-shine the next time you’re in highlandtown.
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I’ll be sharing a photo of the older Bromo bottle that I own in my story too, so be on the lookout!
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07/04/2021

257. O say can you see…
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Happy 4th!
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07/02/2021

256. Patterson
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The Patterson Theater was built in 1930 and designed by John J. Zink, the same architect behind and many of the other great local movie houses of the era. Though the building itself wasn’t quite as ornate as some of Zink’s other designs, the simple brick exterior allowed the theater’s large vertical sign to stand out all the more. The sign has been an icon of southeast Baltimore ever since.
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The theater, which once held up to 1,500 people, split the auditorium into two 500 seat spaces in the ‘70s. By the time it closed in 1995, management had made the move to showing old releases for discounted prices.
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In 2000, acquired the building and began renovations to turn the Patterson into the multi-purpose arts center it is today—complete with artist studios, galleries, a classroom, a lounge and a 200-seat theater. The original sign, unfortunately, could not be salvaged during renovations due to extensive deterioration. Creative Alliance had the sign you see today made just before the Theater’s reopening in 2003. The new sign is a great duplicate of the original and remains an icon of Eastern Ave. to this day.
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Be sure to check out my stories for some photos of the theater and the original sign from over the years.
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05/16/2021

144. BUS
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Didn’t think this bus stop could get any cooler, but of course found a way to make it happen. Happy to have an excuse to post it again!
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05/12/2021

253. Mack
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#1925

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3508 Eastern Ave
Baltimore, MD
21224

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