William Donald Schaefer Building
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The William Donald Schaefer Building (a.k.a. William Donald Schaefer Tower or simply Schaefer Tower, previously known as Merritt Tower) is the fourth-tallest building in the City of Baltimore, Maryland, located at 6 St. Paul Street. Originally completed by Merritt Savings and Loan in 1986 and later re-opened under state management in 1992,[3] the building rises 37 floors and 493 feet (150 m) in height.[2] Office space constitutes the lower 29 floors, housing more than 1,100 employees in 14 state agencies. The nine upper floors are unoccupied, containing a maintenance area, cement staircase, a ladder to the rooftop deck and then an eight-floor spiral staircase leading to the top of the spire and the flagpole.[4]
William Donald Schaefer Building | |
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General information | |
Location | 6 St. Paul St (northwest corner, E Baltimore St and St. Paul Street), Baltimore, Maryland, US |
Coordinates | 39.2898°N 76.6141°W / 39.2898; -76.6141 |
Completed | 1986 |
Opening | 1992 |
Height | |
Antenna spire | 590 ft (180 m) |
Roof | 493 ft (150 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 37 |
Floor area | 305,394 sq ft (28,372.0 m2)[1] |
Design and construction | |
Developer | Maryland Department of General Services |
References | |
[2][3] |
The flagpole atop the building reaches to 590 feet (180 m), higher than any building in the state.[5] The flags flown from the tower's poles are (by order of former Governor Martin O'Malley) a large and noticeable Star-Spangled Banner flag (a recreation of that flown over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812); and a smaller Maryland state flag. Both are usually clearly visible throughout the downtown area and most of the city.[5]
The iconic building was renamed for William Donald Schaefer (1921–2011), who served as the Mayor of Baltimore (1971–1987),[2] Governor of Maryland (1987–1995), and state comptroller (1999–2007).[2]