Ira Remsen House
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The Ira Remsen House is a historic house at 214 West Monument Street in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
. Built in the 1880s, this undistinguished
row house A terrace, terraced house (British English, UK), or townhouse (American English, US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses party wall, sharing side walls. In the United States ...
was the home of
Ira Remsen Ira Remsen (February 10, 1846 – March 4, 1927) was an American chemist who introduced organic chemistry research and education in the United States along the lines of German universities where he received his early training. He was the first pr ...
(1846-1927), a noted chemist and educator who served as president of
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
from 1901 to 1913, and influenced a generation of chemists and chemistry researches with his textbooks and pedagogical methods. This house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
and designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1975.


Description and history

The Ira Remsen House stands on the west side of Baltimore's
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
neighborhood, on the north side of West Monument Street at its junction with Tyson Street. The house is a typical
row house A terrace, terraced house (British English, UK), or townhouse (American English, US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses party wall, sharing side walls. In the United States ...
of no particular architectural distinction. It is a three-story brick row house with a gabled roof. Its facade is three bays wide, with the main entrance in the leftmost bay, set in a rounded-arch opening. Windows are in unadorned rectangular openings with stone sills, and a wood-frame shed-roof dormer extends across the roof. The house was renovated in 1945, when the cornice was replaced, the front sandblasted, and the interior divided into three apartments. The house is significant as the residence between 1901 and 1925 of
Ira Remsen Ira Remsen (February 10, 1846 – March 4, 1927) was an American chemist who introduced organic chemistry research and education in the United States along the lines of German universities where he received his early training. He was the first pr ...
. Educated in Germany as a chemist, Remsen came to
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
in 1876 to help build its chemistry department. His most notable research discovery was
saccharine Saccharin, also called saccharine, benzosulfimide, or E954, or used in saccharin sodium or saccharin calcium forms, is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener. Saccharin is a sultam that is about 500 times sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or me ...
, but he was much more widely inspirational in his teaching methods and textbooks, which influenced a generation of students and teachers. In 1901, the year he moved into this house, he was named president of the university, succeeding
Daniel Coit Gilman Daniel Coit Gilman (; July 6, 1831 – October 13, 1908) was an American educator and academic. Gilman was instrumental in founding the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale College, and subsequently served as the second president of the University ...
. He served as president until 1913, and remained active in the chemistry department until 1925. His ashes are buried on the Johns Hopkins campus, at Remsen Hall, named in his honor.


See also

*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Maryland This is a List of National Historic Landmarks in Maryland. There are currently 76 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) in Maryland. Also included are short lists of former NHLs and of other historic sites of national importance administered by the ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Central Baltimore This is a list of National Register of Historic Places properties and districts in Downtown Baltimore, downtown Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Many other properties are located in other parts of the city; for these, see National Register of H ...


References


External links

*, including photo dated 2004, at Maryland Historical Trust {{DEFAULTSORT:Remsen, Ira, House Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore Houses completed in 1885 National Historic Landmarks in Maryland Houses in Baltimore Mount Vernon, Baltimore Brick buildings and structures in Maryland