The Cork Factory
1601 Guilford Ave, Baltimore MD 21202
Information
About
The Cork Factory is part of the original Crown Cork & Seal Factory from 1898. It is one of the last ornamented industrial buildings and one of the last pure masonry buildings in Baltimore.
By 1931, the Crown Cork and Seal Company had become the leading supplier of bottle caps worldwide. Founded in 1892 by Baltimore native William Painter, inventor of the bottle cap, the company maintained its headquarters in Baltimore for six decades. Its first big production facility, located on Guilford Avenue, was a six-floor Victorian building where the company operated until the 1930s, when they relocated to a larger industrial complex in Highlandtown. The 33,000 square foot building was bought for $200,000 in 1997 by an artist collective, transforming it into a residence and work space. Notably, in 2002, the art community in the neighborhood, including the Cork Factory, the adjacent CopyCat building and Area 405, received recognition as Baltimore’s first arts and entertainment district, known as Station North.
Artist residents will be on hand to show their loft and studio spaces and talk about what it’s like to live in an artists’ collective.
- Accessibility: Fully handicap accessible (Entire building can be accessed via wheelchair)
- Parking: Street Parking
- Restrooms: Public Restrooms
