My spouse and I stayed at the Admiral Fell
Inn for one night in early August 1997.
Situated on Baltimore's historic waterfront
in the heart of Fell's Point, the Admiral Fell Inn is a boutique hotel offering
timeless charm and modern amenities. This historic landmark is found in a
location convenient to all of Baltimore’s major attractions. Fell’s Point
itself is worth a trip, with its charming shops, boutiques, galleries, pubs,
and restaurants. The lively and colorful district, founded in 1726 as the
oldest waterfront community in Baltimore, is known for its old world charm and
retains the feel of a European village with brick sidewalks and Belgian block
streets. The Inn is also near Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins
University and just steps from Baltimore's best dining, entertainment, and
nightlife.
Comprised of seven adjoining buildings, some
of which date to the 18th century, the Admiral Fell Inn retains its quaint
charm and cozy ambiance yet offers modern amenities and the elegance of a
luxury hotel. The architectural roots of this newly renovated and expanded
80-room Inn date back to the late 1770s. Today, comfortable guest rooms are
furnished with custom-crafted Federal-style furnishings.
Over the years, the
historic Maryland hotel has served as a ship chandlery, a theater, a boarding
house for sailors and later, and in 1929 was converted into the Seaman’s YMCA.
Historic Fell's Point is Baltimore's original
deep-water seaport. The neighborhood takes its name from the Fell family, early
settlers who emigrated from Lancaster, England. Hence the neighborhood's quaint
British street names such as Thames, Lancaster, Shakespeare, and Fleet.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, shipyards
dotted the waterfront neighborhood. Full-rigged ships carried Maryland grain
and tobacco to the West Indies and Europe, returning with exotic imports.
Throughout its history, Fell's Point has been a port of entry and a home for immigrants
arriving on ships from Europe, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia. Although it was
incorporated into Baltimore Town in 1773, Fell's Point has always maintained
its unique character and independence.
By 1900, the bustling port of Fell’s Point
was a rough waterfront neighborhood filled with warehouses, saloons, and
brothels. The central building of what is now the landmark Admiral Fell Inn was
opened on December 3, 1900. The property, then known as The Anchorage, was
built by the Port Mission Women's Auxiliary as a place "to maintain under
Christian influence a boarding house for seamen, a home away from home, a
social and recreational center where the seafarer might find a safe refuge
while in port." Guests had to be deloused in order to stay. That was still
preferable being shanghaied; the building was a safe haven for merchant seamen
who were grateful to stay in one of the inn's 28 rooms.
The Port Mission encouraged seamen to join a
church and stay in the safe boarding house, which first started in a smaller
location and then moved to the corner of South Broadway and Thames Street to
accommodate more sailors. As more space was needed, the buildings beside The
Anchorage were connected to it. Continuing in this tradition, the YMCA ran the
facility as a Seamen's Branch from 1929 to 1955. After that followed a series
of tenants and periods of vacancy during which time the buildings fell into
disrepair. The most recent tenant, a vinegar factory, closed in the mid-1970s.
In 1985, after a total renovation, the
original Anchorage buildings were reopened as the Admiral Fell Inn, a
bed-and-breakfast with 38 rooms. In 1996, the waterfront inn finished an
expansion into adjoining buildings for a total of 80 rooms and a new rooftop
meeting and banquet facility. The inn's respect for the building's original
architecture, historic integrity, and ambience earned its charter membership
with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Hotels of America
program. Today, Federal period furnishings in the bedchambers and throughout
the Maryland hotel's public areas reflect Fell's Point's past. Each sleeping
room is unique in shape and design and is named for an individual who
contributed to Baltimore's rich history.
A pet-friendly hotel, the Admiral Fell Inn
features 80 guestrooms and suites, each uniquely furnished and decorated in
traditional European style, and all offering a myriad of comforts to ensure a
cozy stay. Each of these Baltimore accommodations afford views of the lovely
courtyard, tugboats in the harbor, and the quiet elegance of Shakespeare
Street. The hotel offers three dinign options; Tavern at the Admiral, Tapas
Adela, and Anastasia.
