The Maryland Building at the Baltimore Zoo

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The Maryland Building was designed by noted Baltimore architect George A. Frederick for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It is one of only two State buildings that have survived, the other being the Ohio Building.

The building was dismantled and relocated to the Maryland Zoo after the close of the Exposition and had fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years. Rather than demolish the deteriorated, but salvageable building, the Maryland Zoo chose to restore the building for classroom and administrative use. The building has been carefully restored, including historically accurate paint colors and exterior detailing, while meeting all modern safety, accessibility, and functional requirements.

The exterior lead abatement and reproduction of historically accurate materials were the most challenging aspects of the project. It wasn't until the lead paint was completely removed that the extent of the damage and fine details in the wood work were known. The project team had to move quickly to reproduce custom materials to match the original dimensions and design.