Page 46 - Port of Baltimore Magazine January/February 2016

PORT VIEW
1955 | BALTIMORE INNER HARBOR
STORY BY KATHY BERGREN SMITH
Bethlehem Steel Key Highway Yard: A Historical Perspective
afterward. Around 1910, Skinner added the graving dock visible in this photo. Bethlehem Steel acquired the yard in the 1920s.
In this shot, nearly a dozen vessels are under repair. They include a naval transport (closest), T-2 type tankers and general cargo freighters from around the world. The shops built by Bethlehem Steel, along the street, are considered to be excellent examples of “modern” factory design from the 1920s. On the piers, whirley cranes are visible. Today, one of these
marks the entrance to the Baltimore Museum of Industry, which is built
on the lot adjoining the shipyard. The Bethlehem Steel Key Highway facility closed in 1982.
Today, the Ritz Carlton Residences and the HarborView Tower and townhouse complex are built on
the shipyard property. Only one
ship repair facility remains on Key Highway: the General Ship Repair, which is visible in this photo and stands next door to the museum. 􏰀
This aerial photo by A. Aubrey Bodine was shot in 1955. It shows Key Highway at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in its mid- 20th century heyday. However, the
yard’s history goes back much further. This is the original site of William Skinner’s Shipyard, which expanded its operations in 1845. In 1896, Skinner operated a marine railway, while the first dry dock in the city arrived shortly
This image is from the archive of A. Aubrey Bodine (1906–1970). During his nearly 50-year career as a Baltimore Sun photographer, Bodine captured the city with an artist’s eye. His fine art work is known worldwide. Bodine’s work is available for viewing, and prints and books may be purchased at www.aaubreybodine.com.
[44] The Port of Baltimore ■ January/February 2017