Hollins Market is the name of the oldest existing
public market building in the city of
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. It is a contributing property to the
Union Square-Hollins Market Historic District.
The market, located at 26 South Arlington Ave just west of downtown Baltimore, runs the length of the 1100 block of Hollins St between South Arlington and South Carrollton Avenues. In 1829 the city granted the petition of a piano manufacturer named Joseph Newman and his brother Elias Newman, who together in 1842 founded Newman & Bros., (of whose pianos two are in the inventory of the
Smithsonian), to erect a market house at their own expense
on land donated by banker George B. Dunbar. That structure blew down in a windstorm in 1838; the market was rebuilt and opened the following year. The market was expanded in 1864 through a $23,000 appropriation by the city
to construct the
Italianate
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
addition. The market is
The Hollins Market building is at the center of the
Hollins Market neighborhood. It is the geographical heart of what many refer to as
Sowebo, and on the Sunday of
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
weekend, is the center of an arts festival calle
Sowebohemian Arts Festival Hollins Market is open Tuesday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. In the early 1900s, many other businesses flourished around the market on Hollins St and other adjacent streets, including Riggy's Bar, Zirclears Bakery, Santo's Barbershop, etc. Actually Santo Scalco thought that it was such a great location, that he moved his barbershop from across the street from the Whitehouse where he cut several Presidents hair to 1141 Hollins St., which was at Hollins St. and Carrollton Ave.
The 1990
Barry Levinson
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); '' Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ...
film
''Avalon'' depicts Hollins Market in the mid-1900s.
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
Retail markets in the United States
Buildings and structures in Baltimore
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore
Union Square, Baltimore
Historic district contributing properties in Maryland
Market halls
Food retailers