2. Monument Square & the Battle Monument 
(1815-25, Maximilian Godefroy, architect)

Originally known as “Courthouse Square,” Monument Square was the site of Baltimore's first public buildings—a courthouse and jail, built in 1768. In 1805, the city erected a more substantial, brick courthouse on the site of the current courthouse (built 1894-1900), indicating that by the turn of the 19th century the square was already established as the functional center of civic life. The construction of the Battle Monument in 1815-25 to commemorate the soldiers who had died in the Battle of North Point during the War of 1812 underscored the square's importance as a symbol of civic identity and pride. The Battle Monument, together with the Washington Monument in nearby Mount Vernon Square, prompted President John Quincy Adams in 1827 to refer to Baltimore as “the monumental city.”  For more information download the Monument Square & the Battle Monument.PDF file. (222 KB)

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