William Donald Schaefer Building

William Donald Schaefer Building
The William Donald Schaefer Building is the third-tallest building in Baltimore.
General information
Location	6 Saint Paul Place (northwest corner, St. Paul Place/Street and East Baltimore Street), Baltimore, Maryland, US
Coordinates	39°17′23″N 76°36′51″W / 39.2898°N 76.6141°W / 39.2898; -76.6141Coordinates: 39°17′23″N 76°36′51″W / 39.2898°N 76.6141°W / 39.2898; -76.6141
Completed	1986
Opening	1992
Height
Antenna spire	590 ft (180 m)
Roof	493 ft (150 m)
Technical details
Floor count	37
Floor area	305,394 sq ft (28,372.0 m2)
Design and construction
Developer	Maryland Department of General Services
References

The William Donald Schaefer Building (a.k.a. William Donald Schaefer Tower or simply Schaefer Tower, previously known as Merritt Tower) is the third-tallest building in the City of Baltimore, Maryland, located at 6 Saint Paul Street, on the northwest corner with East Baltimore Street. Originally completed by Merritt Savings and Loan in 1986 and later re-opened under state management in 1992, the building rises 37 floors and 493 feet (150 m) in height. The nine upper floors are unoccupied and contain a spiral staircase to the top floor.

The flagpole atop the building reaches to 590 feet (180 m), higher than any building in the state. The flags flown from the tower's poles are (by order of former Governor Martin O'Malley) a large and noticeable Star-Spangled Banner flag (a recreation of that flown over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812); and a smaller Maryland state flag. Both are usually clearly visible throughout the downtown area and most of the city.

The iconic building was renamed for William Donald Schaefer (1921–2011), who served as the Mayor of Baltimore (1971–1987),Governor of Maryland (1987–1995), and state comptroller (1999–2007).

The Merritt Commercial Savings and Loan Association, originally from Merritt Boulevard in the southeast Baltimore County suburban area of Dundalk, was one of several savings and loan associations (S&Ls) which had experienced rapid growth in deposits in the late 1970s and early 1980s. To invest a portion of this capital and increase its prestige, Merritt S&L constructed the Merritt Tower to replace its small brick offices on the west side of St. Paul Street just above East Baltimore Street. The new building would also overshadow the headquarters of rival Baltimore Federal S&L, a recreated Georgian/Federal-style building known as "Colonial Corner" which had dominated St. Paul Street since the 1950s, and the headquarters of many of the traditional larger banks and insurance companies which had dominated the city's skyline since the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.