View source for Odd Fellows Hall (Baltimore, 1831)

{{Short description|Former meeting hall of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Baltimore}}
{{coord|39|17|28.7|N|76|36|33.2|W|display=title}}
'''The Odd Fellows Hall''' in [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], [[United States]] was a building that was the meeting place of the [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows]] fraternal organization, as well as the organization's national headquarters, from 1831 until 1890. It was the first Odd Fellows' Hall in the United States.<ref name="Ridgely" />
==Construction==
==Dedication==
The Odd Fellows' Hall was dedicated on April 26, 1831. A procession was formed at the Exchange Building and marched to Trinity Church, where an oration was delivered by Ridgely and a choir performed a musical selection. The procession then marched to the hall, where the dedication ceremony took place and [[Thomas Yates Walsh]] made a speech. The number of the persons in the procession was reported to be over 500.<ref name="Ridgely" />
==Building==
Soon after it was built, the hall was described as a "new and handsome brick house".<ref name="Haynes">{{cite book|last1=Haynes|first1=Stan M.|title=The First American Political Conventions|date=2012|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn=978-0786490301|pages=80–82|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSud-fdhUnkC&pg=PA80|accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref> The first floor housed an extensive library and a reading room.<ref name="The American Odd Fellow">{{cite news|title=Odd Fellows' Hall, Baltimore, Maryland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K9FNAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA17|accessdate=April 3, 2016|work=The American Odd Fellow|volume=III|date=January 1864}}</ref> The upper floor housed a grand ballroom known as the Egyptian Saloon. It was decorated with depictions of ancient Egyptian culture, including hieroglyphics, pharaohs, and the Nile River.<ref name="Haynes" /><ref name="The American Odd Fellow" />
==Notable events==
In January 1844, [[Edgar Allan Poe]] lectured on American poetry at the hall. During his lecture, Poe was "witheringly severe" about [[Rufus Griswold]], who had published an article that attacked Poe's work.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gaylin|first1=David F.|title=Edgar Allan Poe's Baltimore|date=2015|publisher=Arcadian Publishing|location=Charleston|isbn=978-1467123167|page=68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrWsCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA68|accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref><ref name="MPT">{{cite web|title=Odd Fellows Hall|url=http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/person/poesbalto_popup_oddfellows.asp|website=Poe's Baltimore|publisher=Maryland Public Television|accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref>
In 1844, the Egyptian Saloon was the largest meeting room in Baltimore and as such it was chosen to be the venue of [[1844 Democratic National Convention|that year's Democratic national convention]]. The room was a poor choice for the convention, as it was too small to comfortably fit all of the delegates, politicians, and spectators.<ref name="Haynes" /> As a result, the crowd spilled out onto the street. Furthermore, its acoustics were poor and the spectator gallery was described as being "as black as the [[Black Hole of Calcutta|hole of Calcutta]]". During the convention, one delegate moved that the convention to be moved to a larger room in Baltimore, however, the organizing committee responded that there was not a larger room in the city.<ref name="Haynes" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Greenberg|first1=Amy S.|title=A Wicked War|date=2012|publisher=Vintage Books|location=New York|isbn=9780307475992|page=38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4a1sAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA38|accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref>
==Addition==
==Demolition==
By 1889, the Odd Fellows had outgrown the hall. A site at Cathedral and Saratoga Streets was purchased for $42,300 and architect Frank E. Davis was commissioned to design a new hall.<ref name="NRHP">https://apps.mht.maryland.gov/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-605.pdf National Register of Historic Places
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Democratic National Convention venues}}
[[Category:1831 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1831]]
[[Category:Gothic Revival architecture in Maryland]]
[[Category:Odd Fellows buildings in Maryland]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1890]]