What do a bank, a disco, and a theater have in common?

They all were housed in this building at 7 Calvert Street, Baltimore, Maryland---the current home to the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

My daughter Emily helped me acquire an invitation for a backstage tour, so we eagerly took advantage of the opportunity.  As we met the delightful Jean Thompson, Communications Director, we quickly realized that it wasn't a tour of the backstage, but of the entire building and its history....And oh what a history it has!

The building was constructed in 1885 and opened as the Mercantile Deposit. It wasn't banking as we know it today---more of a giant safe deposit box where residents could safely leave valuables. Jean told us the story of the women (or their house servants) coming into the bank just to wear the pearls; left unworn, pearls lose their sheen.  It merged with the building next door and became  the Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust, now providing more traditional bank services. 

This is the door of the bank vault, still beautifully intact! The vault itself is used for a children's play/timeout room. There are costumes to play dress up, and inspiration from a friend:

But I'm getting ahead of myself........

In 1904 there was a great conflagration (9th grade vocab word). According to History.com, more than 1,500 buildings were destroyed, 1,000 severely damaged, causing a loss of $100 million. Unbelievably, the Mercantile Building survived! It did have damage to its ceiling, so when it was restored, the ceilings were altered in a very grand way.

The breathtaking canopy extends over the entire ceiling surface.

The bank continued to operate as a PNC Bank until 1993, making it one of the United States' oldest banking institutions. 

But then what happened?

Janet, Madonna, Whitney, Mariah, and Gloria wanted to "Turn the Beat Around"!! It became a disco (The Redwood Trust was the original), or as they were called in the 90's, a nightclub (that played disco music).  The headline of the Baltimore Sun read "Happy Hours, Not Bankers' Hours" as city-dwellers took back their pearls and let down their hair! The building was used as a number of night-time establishments, until the end of that era in 1993.

And then, Will moved in.

(The disco ball was still hanging--literally.)

Thanks to some very sophisticated architects, the bank floor/ dance floor could easily be converted to the stage area.

The column seen on the right needed to be added after the fire to support the ceiling. Behind the curtain is the 4-foot backstage area. (And I thought that was going to be our tour!)

The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (greeted by the Baltimore Sun with the headline "Shakespeare is Banking on Baltimore") has presented almost 60 shows since 2002, including A Baltimore-inspired A Christmas Carol. It hosts a yearly production of Romeo and Juliet from March-May for students (over 7,000 last year). Obviously its mission is education. While it currently hosts workshops, book clubs, speakers, and classroom visits, it hopes to offer an acting studio at some point in the future.

Emily and I were invited to a preview production of The Taming of the Shrew. It was both funny and engaging.  Overall, our whole experience was an unexpected surprise.......ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL! (Ask Will, he will tell you.)

BC....we were invited back......

I'd like to thank the very passionate (there's THAT word again) and informative Jean Thompson for her hospitality, facts, and informative stories.