William Donald Schaefer Building

History

The Merritt Commercial Savings and Loan Association, originally from Merritt Boulevard in the southeast Baltimore County suburban area of Dundalk, was one of several savings and loan associations (S&Ls) which had experienced rapid growth in deposits in the late 1970s and early 1980s. To invest a portion of this capital and increase its prestige, Merritt S&L constructed the Merritt Tower to replace its small brick offices on the west side of St. Paul Street just above East Baltimore Street. The new building would also overshadow the headquarters of rival Baltimore Federal S&L, a recreated Georgian/Federal-style building known as "Colonial Corner" which had dominated St. Paul Street since the 1950s, and the headquarters of many of the traditional larger banks and insurance companies which had dominated the city's skyline since the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.

The Merritt Association went bankrupt along with several other major S&Ls in the metropolitan area during the aftermath of the Old Court Savings and Loans financial embezzlement scandals, following a run on its deposits in 1985.{{cite court The Merritt Tower was sold at auction for US$30 million.

After a succession of owners, the Maryland state Department of General Services purchased the building from Chemical Bank of New York for US$12.2 million, which was less than half of the building's estimated cost, and eventually planned to use it for supplemental center-city state offices in addition to the long-time "State Office Building Complex" (formerly known as the Mount Royal Plaza). It was renamed for William Donald Schaefer who served as city mayor (1971–1987) and state governor (1987–1995).

On March 24, 2025, the state of Maryland announced that the building is on the market and that state offices will relocate to other state facilities or leased offices.

Building characteristics

The building was an immediate landmark for its scale and copper-colored metal-clad roof. The upper floors were designed as a loft apartment with a huge palladian window overlooking the inner harbor. It was to be a "shag pad" for the personal and private use of the developer (the president of Merritt S&L). The floor in front of the window had been scheduled to have a hot tub installed and the upper mezzanine-style half-floors on the left and right sides of the space were to be bedroom areas for his personal entertainment. the now-finished floor is a conference room for the Maryland Transit Administration.

Tenants

The Schaefer Tower houses several state agencies. These include the headquarters of the Maryland Transit Administration, the Board of Contract Appeals (suite 601), the Maryland Governor's Office of Minority Affairs (suite 1502), the Maryland Office of People's Counsel (suite 2102), the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (suite 900), the Office of the Public Defender (suite 1400), the Maryland Public Service Commission, and the Maryland Teachers & State Employees Supplemental Retirement Plans system (suite 200). It also houses branch offices of the Department of Assessments and Taxation, the Department of General Services, an office suite for the Governor of Maryland, the Governor's Office of Health Care Alternative Dispute Resolution, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, and the Property Tax Assessment Appeal Boards.

References

References

1. "William Donald Schaefer Tower". CTBUH.
2. "William Donald Schaefer Tower". Emporis.com.
3. "Donald Schaefer Building". SkyscraperPage.com.
4. (25 July 2019). "You asked: What's at the top of that weird spire in Baltimore's skyline? We took a reader up to find out.". The Baltimore Sun.
5. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20250325154921/https://commercialobserver.com/2025/03/maryland-sell-schaefer-building-wes-moore/]" ''[[Commercial Observer]]''. March 24, 2025. Retrieved on April 1, 2025.
6. "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BDRB&d_place=BDRB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1216CC9B2CA87EC0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM What's atop the Schaefer Tower in Baltimore?]" ''[[The Baltimore Daily Record]]''. June 20, 2008. Retrieved on September 18, 2012.
7. "[http://mta.maryland.gov/contact-mta Contact MTA]." [[Maryland Transit Administration]]. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "Maryland Transit Administration 6 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21202-1614"
8. "[http://www.dgs.maryland.gov/Facilities/Baltimore_City/Managed/6_Saint_Paul_St.html DGS Managed Facilities William Donald Schaefer Tower]." [[Maryland Department of General Services]]. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "Location 6 Saint Paul Street Baltimore, MD 21202"
9. "[http://www.msbca.state.md.us/ Home]." [[Maryland Board of Contract Appeals]]. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "6 St. Paul Street, Suite 601. Baltimore, MD 21202-1608"
10. "[http://www.mdminoritybusiness.com/omaWhere.html Contact Us]." [[Maryland Governor's Office of Minority Affairs]]. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "Governor's Office of Minority Affairs Suite 1502 6 Saint Paul Street Baltimore MD 21202 "
11. "[http://www.opc.state.md.us/ Home]." [[Maryland Office of People's Counsel]]. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "6 Saint Paul Street, Suite 2102 - Baltimore, MD 21202"
12. "[http://www.mccr.maryland.gov/ Home]." [[Maryland Commission on Civil Rights]]. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "6 St Paul Street, Suite 900 - Baltimore MD 21202 - 1-800-705-3493"
13. "[http://www.opd.state.md.us/contact.html Contact] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-09-04 ." Maryland Office of the Public Defender. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "OPD Administration 6 Saint Paul Street Suite 1400 Baltimore, MD 21202 ")
14. "[http://webapp.psc.state.md.us/intranet/psc/contactus_new.cfm Contact Us] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-09-26 ." Maryland Public Service Commission. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "William Donald Schaefer Tower 6 St. Paul St., 16th Floor Baltimore, MD 21202")
15. "[http://msrp.maryland.gov/directions.htm Directions to MSRP]." Maryland Teachers & State Employees Supplemental Retirement Plans. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "Directions to MSRP Wm. Donald Schaefer Twr., Suite 200, 6 St. Paul St., Baltimore, Maryland 21202-1608"