Baltimore Heritage

Cornelius D. Kenny moved to Baltimore in 1872 with his family and opened a tea and coffee business which would eventually become C.D. Kenny Co., a chain of 60 coffee and tea shops across 12 states. Ten of these stores were in Baltimore, and this former store location next to Hollins Market still bears the hand-painted company name on its side.

Mr. Kenny died in Baltimore in December 1902 and the business passed to his second wife, Fannie, and was managed by her brother, Hamilton Fant, who was formally named president of C.D. Kenny Co. in 1930. Hit hard by the Great Depression, the C. D. Kenny Company closed all of its retail stores in 1935. Though C.D. Kenny Co. may longer exist, the current Hollins market building next to this ghost sign dates back to 1864, and is the oldest existing public market structure in Baltimore city.