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Old St. Paul's began as one of the original thirty parishes established in Maryland by the Church of England in 1692 and predates the founding of Baltimore City itself in 1729. The first church (picture 1), was a log cabin structure on the banks of Colgate Creek near present-day Dundalk in southeast Baltimore County. By the 1720s it became clear that the major population center of the colony would be further north and west, so the Maryland Assembly was called upon to lay out what they termed 'Baltimore Town.' At this time the parish vestry purchased a lot for a new church building in the newly-formed village. This site was a choice piece of property encompassing the highest point overlooking the harbor. The current church occupies the northwestern-most corner of this original parcel. So it was that the second church building of St. Paul's Parish was constructed in the 1730s.

In 1791 funds were secured to build a suitable rectory to house the parson and his family. The Historic Rectory now sits one block west of Old St. Paul's on the corner of Saratoga and Cathedral Streets and, though it no longer houses the rector's family, is the oldest continuously occupied house in the City of Baltimore. It also houses the offices of Preservation Maryland.

The parish cemetery was moved in 1800 to what was then the western edge of the city, now the corner of Redwood Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, behind the University of Maryland Hospital. Among the many notable Marylanders buried there is Samuel Chase, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Picture 2 shows the grave of Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead (1780-1818), commander of the garrison at Ft. McHenry during the war of 1812, and his nephew, Brig. General Lewis A. Armistead (1817-1863), of  the Confederate States Army.  The cemetery is open to the public by appointment. See our cemetery pages for more information.

The third building to be called St. Paul's Parish (picture 3) was erected in 1817, and designed by the noted Baltimore architect Robert Cary Long (1770-1833) who is buried in St. Paul's cemetery. As the city continued to grow into an urban center it became clear that a rustic church building with a courtyard seemed out of place. The new building with its 126-foot tower, was neoclassical in style and offered an imposing façade of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns abutting Charles Street. One Scotsman who visited the church noted its "splendid interior," the rows of Corinthian columns and a "great deal of gilding and decoration." This massive, 1,600-seat structure served the parish well until it tragically burned nearly to the ground in 1854, but its foundation and surviving brick walls were retained and used in the present church building.

The vestry wasted little time securing the funds and design for a new church structure for what would become the fifth and current building of St. Paul's Parish. The new building was designed by the famous English-born architect, Richard Upjohn. Upjohn created an impressive Italian Romanesque building that was consecrated in 1856 (picture 4).

A few things survived the fire of 1854 and exist today in the present church. One item is the old baptismal font (picture 5) (located now near the Lady Chapel and shown on the left), designed by French architect Maximilian Godefroy; the marble piece was carved in Livorno, Italy and shipped to Baltimore. Another item is the Bishop's Chair (picture 6) with its gilded croziers and miter, a gift to the parish from vestryman George Grundy, who lived at the Bolton mansion on the site of the Fifth Regiment Armory. Additionally, part of the window, Suffering Christ, survived the fire.

Outside the church, directly above the triple-arched portico, the two stone Panel Friezes (photos 7 & 8) were salvaged from the burned 1817 church building. Picture 7 (left when facing the church) is a depiction of Moses and Picture 8 (right when facing the church) is a representation of Christ, both by sculptor Antonio Capellano.

The current St. Paul's church building is also blessed with an exceptionally beautiful interior.  The chancel was redecorated and beautified in 1902 in a most elegant style. One of the principal changes was the addition of the Great East Window (picture 9) which replaced the much smaller window containing the figure of St. Paul. This large stained-glass window, the work of Helen Maitland Armstrong, depicts the Glorification of God, inspired by the "Benedicite, omnia opera Domini" ("O ye Spirits and Souls of the Righteous, bless ye the Lord; praise him and magnify him for ever"). The window was refurbished in 1994. The dark red walls, marked with religious symbols, also date from the 1902 restoration. There soon followed a number of lovely stained glass windows in the nave by Tiffany and Company, and by Clayton & Bell, a famous English studio. See picture 10 for full view of the chancel.

 In 1904, the exquisite Louis Comfort Tiffany reredos was installed. This mosaic reredos has Caen stone panels containing Christian symbols, including the peacock. Some details of the reredos is given in photos 11 & 12. The cross in the center panel contains peridot, the August birthstone (picture 13).

In 1990-91, the chancel, including the reredos, was wonderfully restored to its original glory. Also in anticipation of Old St. Paul's tricentennial, a ring of 23 bells was added to the North Tower as a gift to the city through the generosity of a number of prominent Baltimore corporations and Mr. George Harrison (see tower at picture 14 and plaque at picture 15).

Some of these pictures are available for personal use in one file by clicking here.

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