George Archer and Raymond Allen, architects Baltimore, 1905 Marble Gift of Calvin Buikema, 1999

Argyle Avenue between Biddle and Hoffman streets, Baltimore

Public baths, popular in Baltimore between 1900 and 1960, earned the city a national reputation and served as a model for other cities. Henry Walters constructed five public baths in densely populated sections of the city to provide Baltimoreans with a place to bathe and to launder clothing. At Walters Public Bath No. 3, which served an African-American population, one could take a shower and rent a towel and soap for a few cents.