4000 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Highfield House (B-1382)

Statement of Significant:

The Highfield House apartment building was designed by Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and was constructed by the Chicago-based development company, Metropolitan Structures, Inc. between 1962 and 1964. The property meets National Register Criterion A for its association with the residential development of Baltimore in the early 1960s. It is a significant product of a longstanding collaboration between the architect and Herbert Realty and Metropolitan Structures, Inc. Mies' association with the development company began in 1948. It allowed him to fully explore the design possibilities of tall buildings, both commercial and residential, while the real estate developers undertook the risks associated with obtaining funding for land acquisitions and property development. This pattern of speculative development characterizes the twentieth century housing market in the United States. Highfield House provided Modern residential space within Baltimore at a time when many city dwellers were moving to new suburban developments beyond the city limits. The design of the space illustrates how Mies integrated the structure into the surrounding community and at the same time provided amenities that emphasized the suburban qualities, such as the garage and the swimming pool, which the contemporary residential market desired. The continued residential use of the building demonstrates the importance of high-rise, large-scale apartment design for the city. Highfield House was constructed as an ideal metropolitan, upper middle-class environment that was cosmopolitan, refined, sophisticated, and uncluttered.

Highfield House is also eligible under Criterion C as an outstanding example of International Style residential architecture in Baltimore City and as the work of a master. Highfield House is one of only two buildings in Baltimore (and Maryland) designed by Mies, one of the masters of Modern Architecture, and his only residential building in the State.

Highfield House achieves exceptional significance (Criterion Consideration G) as one of only two buildings in Maryland designed by master architect Mies van der Rohe in association with Metropolitan Structures, Inc. Mies' design innovations symbolized a new urban residential lifestyle in early-1960s Baltimore, and the building's construction was supported by the Mayor and the Greater Baltimore Committee. The building's period of significance begins in 1962 when its development began and ends in 1964, when construction was completed.