Tell Us About That Clock Tower Fatty

In response to a comment posted by "Spluck" :

The Bromo-Seltzer Tower Building

Situated at the comer of South Eutaw and West Lombard Streets, the Bromo-Seltzer Tower Building has been a landmark in Baltimore since the early part of the 20th century. A former Maryland resident recalls hearing that Captain Emerson modelled the tower after one he had seen in Florence, Italy. Certainly, a comparison with the Palazzo Vecchio, by architect Arnolfo di Cambio, confirms the resemblance.

Although the tower is fourteen stories high, the top story is numbered fifteen because there is no floor numbered thirteen. According to an earlier newspaper account, the flashing light on the huge revolving Bromo-Seltzer bottle atop the tower served as a guide to aviators flying the night mail. It could be seen from trains arriving in the city.

In 1935, the bottle was taken down, after twenty-five years of dominating that part of the Baltimore scene. The base upon which it stood was disintegrating. The outer covering was burned and its framework sold as twenty tons of scrap metal.

The Arts Tower Committee reopened the Tower Building in 1973 as an arts and crafts center. An adjoining part of the building is presently used as a firehouse. A decision was made only recently to preserve the landmark building, now dwarfed by larger office buildings in the area.

From: http://www.scripophily.net/emdrugcomofb.html