The Western Electric Company was founded in 1869 and served for more than 100 years as the manufacturing and supply unit of the Bell System. Its business and manufacturing activity skyrocketed from increased telephone use at the beginning of the 1900s. The company selected Baltimore as the site of a new cable and wire manufacturing plant due to its proximity to water and rail transportation. The company purchased land along the Patapsco River Neck from the Canton Company and the River View Amusement Park, with grand plans to develop the site into a large manufacturing campus. To complete a comprehensive plan for the new site at Point Breeze, the company hired the Olmsted Brothers firm. Between 1928 and 1931, the Olmsted Brothers prepared at least 263 drawings, including a comprehensive master plan and detailed landscape plans. Three experts will share their knowledge of this unique collection of buildings and site that was the industrial community to 6,000 workers in its heyday.

This presentation will highlight the research and documentation undertaken by EHT Traceries during the preparation of the National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form Women in Maryland Architecture, 1920-1970. Educational and professional opportunities for women architects were limited throughout much of the twentieth century, yet pioneering women contributed significantly to the built environment of Maryland. The struggle of women designers to obtain higher education and parity with men forms part of the broader social history of women’s efforts to achieve greater equality within American society.

This presentation will examine the life and work of Harford County architect Poldi Hirsch, AIA, looking at her career as a female architect in Maryland during the 1960s, her design philosophy and influences, and her principal works. The presentation will focus particularly on the Hirsch Family Residence in Havre de Grace, which was designed by Poldi Hirsch and constructed in 1969-1970.

Public historian and archivist Allison Seyler will detail the evolution of the Hopkins Retrospective Program at Johns Hopkins University. This initiative, created by President Ronald J. Daniels in 2013 was intended to draw lessons from past experiences to look forward to the university's collective future. It was also an attempt to bring together historians and archivists from the institution's different repositories to work on collaborative projects and efforts, ones that might illuminate marginalized or underrepresented groups throughout the university and health system's histories. Over the last 9 years, the program has grown and includes many different components: historical research, oral history interviews, student fellowships, online exhibitions, public programming, and archival processing. Allison will discuss different aspects of this work, elaborate on current projects underway, and talk about the work ahead.