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The Block, Baltimore
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The Block, Baltimore
The Block is a group of buildings on the 400 block of East Baltimore Street in Baltimore, Maryland, containing several strip clubs, sex shops, and other adult entertainment merchants. During the 19th century, Baltimore was filled with brothels, and in the first half of the 20th century, it was famous for its burlesque houses. It was a noted starting point and stop-over for many noted burlesque dancers, including the likes of Blaze Starr.
By the 1950s, the clubs became seedier, as burlesque was replaced by strip clubs and sex shops. The Block of that era is featured prominently in several films, notably Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights[citation needed] and Diner,[citation needed] as well as Steve Yeager's independent feature drama On The Block, with Howard Rollins.
The decades to follow would bring a marked increase in general crime, sex work, and drug dealing, an unusual situation considering the location of Baltimore's Police Headquarters and Central Police District House at the east end of the block. It has been suggested that the police, whose headquarters are located right next to The Block, chose to contain the prostitution and drug dealing in that small section of Baltimore rather than combat it.[citation needed]
The passing decades would see a shrinking of the area. Once several blocks long, stretching almost to Charles Street in the central part of downtown Baltimore, today The Block only stretches about two blocks long from South Street to Gay Street.[citation needed]
A five alarm fire on December 6, 2010, heavily damaged four buildings, including the building that formerly housed the Gayety Theater. The fire was believed to be an act of arson.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the growing population, low wages, and political corruption in Baltimore led to an environment that allowed sex work to flourish. As the sex industry began to grow, many other businesses and individuals benefited from the proceeds of the industry. Madams and sex workers were "easy targets" due to their low social status, so it was common for them to be extorted by businesses and individuals. This led to the emergence of brothel landlords. Brothel landlords were able to make a large income from the industry without being directly involved, which prevented their reputation from being ruined. It was known that madams had a hefty income, and brothel landlords used this as a way to exploit them. They charged madams more for rent because of the risk associated with renting to a madam and inflated monthly rents since madams had limited options and could afford a higher rent. Due to the stable income that brothels provided for landlords, by the mid-19th century, brothels became an integral part of the real estate speculation in Baltimore. Hatters, sailors, and teachers were all found to be brothel landlords in East Baltimore in the mid-1840s. Marginalized groups at the time, such as Irish and Jewish immigrants, also made it practice to lease properties to madams as a way of ensuring they would always have enough cash on hand in case that they couldn't get credit.
Another consistent source of income for brothels was alcohol sales. In Baltimore, the type of alcohol sold at brothels distinguished their social status. Low-class brothels sold beer and hard liquor, middle-class brothels sold wine, and high-class brothels sold champagne. The sale of alcohol allowed madams to keep their income high while decreasing the pressure clients may have felt to have sex. Clients would sometimes come to brothels and hang out for a while before purchasing sex, and the sale of alcohol allowed brothels to still make money while clients did this.
During the Civil War, Union soldiers that occupied camps surrounding the city became well-known clients of many brothels. Most of the soldiers at these camps were young men eager to spend the large bonuses they just made by joining the war, and as a result, sneaking out to go seek the purchase of sex became a common activity for soldiers. In Baltimore, the demand for sex work greatly increased between 1861 and 1864, and so did the supply. Many women turned towards sex work as a way of making a living while their husbands fought and died in the war. This increase in sex work also increased the number of brothels in Baltimore. New brothels began opening up around the city, specifically in Guilford Alley. Aside from the appeal of sex, these brothels were a comfort to soldiers who were used to dirty camps with no privacy. Madams and sex workers also were an important source of intelligence for the Union soldiers. Confederate sympathizers would come into these brothels, have too much to drink, and share information regarding troop movement and military campaigns. Madams then took this information and passed it onto the Union soldiers that were regular clients. In return, the provost guard would favor these brothels by turning a blind eye and ensuring these brothels would have lower fines, if any.
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The Block, Baltimore
The Block is a group of buildings on the 400 block of East Baltimore Street in Baltimore, Maryland, containing several strip clubs, sex shops, and other adult entertainment merchants. During the 19th century, Baltimore was filled with brothels, and in the first half of the 20th century, it was famous for its burlesque houses. It was a noted starting point and stop-over for many noted burlesque dancers, including the likes of Blaze Starr.
By the 1950s, the clubs became seedier, as burlesque was replaced by strip clubs and sex shops. The Block of that era is featured prominently in several films, notably Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights[citation needed] and Diner,[citation needed] as well as Steve Yeager's independent feature drama On The Block, with Howard Rollins.
The decades to follow would bring a marked increase in general crime, sex work, and drug dealing, an unusual situation considering the location of Baltimore's Police Headquarters and Central Police District House at the east end of the block. It has been suggested that the police, whose headquarters are located right next to The Block, chose to contain the prostitution and drug dealing in that small section of Baltimore rather than combat it.[citation needed]
The passing decades would see a shrinking of the area. Once several blocks long, stretching almost to Charles Street in the central part of downtown Baltimore, today The Block only stretches about two blocks long from South Street to Gay Street.[citation needed]
A five alarm fire on December 6, 2010, heavily damaged four buildings, including the building that formerly housed the Gayety Theater. The fire was believed to be an act of arson.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the growing population, low wages, and political corruption in Baltimore led to an environment that allowed sex work to flourish. As the sex industry began to grow, many other businesses and individuals benefited from the proceeds of the industry. Madams and sex workers were "easy targets" due to their low social status, so it was common for them to be extorted by businesses and individuals. This led to the emergence of brothel landlords. Brothel landlords were able to make a large income from the industry without being directly involved, which prevented their reputation from being ruined. It was known that madams had a hefty income, and brothel landlords used this as a way to exploit them. They charged madams more for rent because of the risk associated with renting to a madam and inflated monthly rents since madams had limited options and could afford a higher rent. Due to the stable income that brothels provided for landlords, by the mid-19th century, brothels became an integral part of the real estate speculation in Baltimore. Hatters, sailors, and teachers were all found to be brothel landlords in East Baltimore in the mid-1840s. Marginalized groups at the time, such as Irish and Jewish immigrants, also made it practice to lease properties to madams as a way of ensuring they would always have enough cash on hand in case that they couldn't get credit.
Another consistent source of income for brothels was alcohol sales. In Baltimore, the type of alcohol sold at brothels distinguished their social status. Low-class brothels sold beer and hard liquor, middle-class brothels sold wine, and high-class brothels sold champagne. The sale of alcohol allowed madams to keep their income high while decreasing the pressure clients may have felt to have sex. Clients would sometimes come to brothels and hang out for a while before purchasing sex, and the sale of alcohol allowed brothels to still make money while clients did this.
During the Civil War, Union soldiers that occupied camps surrounding the city became well-known clients of many brothels. Most of the soldiers at these camps were young men eager to spend the large bonuses they just made by joining the war, and as a result, sneaking out to go seek the purchase of sex became a common activity for soldiers. In Baltimore, the demand for sex work greatly increased between 1861 and 1864, and so did the supply. Many women turned towards sex work as a way of making a living while their husbands fought and died in the war. This increase in sex work also increased the number of brothels in Baltimore. New brothels began opening up around the city, specifically in Guilford Alley. Aside from the appeal of sex, these brothels were a comfort to soldiers who were used to dirty camps with no privacy. Madams and sex workers also were an important source of intelligence for the Union soldiers. Confederate sympathizers would come into these brothels, have too much to drink, and share information regarding troop movement and military campaigns. Madams then took this information and passed it onto the Union soldiers that were regular clients. In return, the provost guard would favor these brothels by turning a blind eye and ensuring these brothels would have lower fines, if any.
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