History

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Mr. Henry Adams immigrates in 1880 to the United States at the age of 22. Educated as a building engineer, he takes his first job in the U.S. with Benjamin F. Bennett, a prominent Baltimore builder.

In 1886, Adams takes the job of chief engineer for the Treasury Department, Supervising Architect’s Office. Adams is responsible for the heating and ventilating systems in all federal buildings, including several at Ellis Island. During his 12-year tenure with the government, he is active in establishing the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE and forerunner to ASHRAE), and becomes a charter member in 1894. Adams writes many technical articles for the society, serves as its sixth president in 1899, and remains active until his death in 1929.

In 1898, seeing a growing need for engineered building systems, Henry Adams leaves the government and starts his own consulting practice in Baltimore, MD. Adams is responsible for the development of heating and ventilating systems for several prominent buildings in Baltimore and other major cities.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

The 1900s sees rapid development in technology. Automobiles go into mass production, the Wright Brothers make their first flight at Kitty Hawk, and radio broadcasting takes to the airwaves. In 1902, Willis Carrier develops air-conditioning for the workplace and later patents the equipment allowing design to better control temperature, humidity and ventilation. In 1906, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) is founded.

The Great Baltimore Fire also ravages the central portion of the city, destroying over 1,500 buildings, and requiring a major reconstruction effort. It spurs improved fire protection codes and standards and leads to the establishment of the Engineer’s Club in 1905.

Henry Adams completes the Belvedere Hotel in 1903, the Equitable Building in 1906, and the Maryland Institute for Arts in 1908. The Belvedere becomes the premiere hotel in Baltimore hosting U.S. Presidents and celebrities. The new home for the Maryland Institute for Arts is awarded a gold key by the New York Association of Independent Architects, the highest award in architecture at the time. The firm also completes projects in China and Manila.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Henry Adams completes Baltimore’s iconic Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower in 1910. At 289 feet, it becomes the tallest building in Baltimore and holds the title for over a decade. Years later it is added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Henry Adams completes a number of projects including the 17-story Emerson Hotel in 1911. The most notable project is the 18-story Hearst Tower in 1912, which houses the Maryland Casualty Company until it is purchased by William Randolph Hearst for his newspaper empire. The firm also completes the Southern Hotel in 1917.

In the 1910s, local ordinances begin limiting what can be built. The 61st US Congress enacts the Heights of Buildings Act in to limit heights of buildings in DC to the width of their right-of-way on the street they front. New York City adopts the first zoning regulations.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

The Roaring 20s that include the development of talkies (The Jazz Singer) and Charles Lindbergh’s solo trans-Atlantic flight also see major changes in architecture and engineering. The refinement of steel, reinforced concrete, elevators, and water pumps push vertical construction to unprecedented levels. Skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building begin to rapidly transform city skylines.

Henry Adams designs the permanent home of the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1929 on the south end of the Johns Hopkins University campus.

Henry Adams completes the Church Home Hospital in 1922, the Court Square Office Building in 1926, the City College in 1928, and the Pittsburgh Glass Company building in 1929.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Henry Adams completes Hutzler’s first downtown Baltimore department store in 1930 and begins a relationship that lasts over fifty years. A retail innovator, Hutzler’s is develops the “one price” policy that replaced haggling and employs a liberal “return” policy.

The decade of the Great Depression still sees notable architectural and engineering achievements like the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. Henry Adams completes Patterson Park High School and a major addition to Baltimore’s Polytechnic School. Henry Adams incorporates in 1930 following the death of its founder.

Henry Adams completes a growing variety of projects for the 5th Regiment Armory in 1933, the Hopkins Club in 1936, Hagerstown City Hall and the Baltimore Municipal Airport in 1938, and the Appraisers Store Building in 1939.The firm helps Canada Dry go national with a Baltimore soda plant. To this day, the firm maintains a philosophy of handling a diverse array of projects.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Raging wars in Europe and the Pacific creates a focus on domestic healthcare. Henry Adams is instrumental in completing a number of hospitals, including the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1944 and Union Memorial Hospital in 1945.

The end of World War II spurs a building boom that lasts several decades. Construction benefits from alternative building materials developed when metals were in short supply. New technologies improve energy efficient and reliable building systems. Henry Adams completes projects including Eastern High School in 1944, Friendship Airport in 1947, and the Loyola College Chemistry Building and Hochschild-Kohn at Belvedere Square in 1949.

Blueprints begin to be supplanted by new technologies. True blueprints, white lines on a blue background, were developed in the 18th century. The diazo printing process creates blue lines on a white background. It’s low cost and ease of use for “mark-ups” make it the print of choice for the next fifty years. More recently, digitally plotted formats using toner again change the industry. Still, the term “blueprint” is used even today.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Post-war development of suburbia is in full swing and retail is attracting customers with air conditioning. Henry Adams completes the Towson Hutzler’s department store in 1950 and Stewarts Department Store in 1954.

ASHRAE is formed as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers by the merger in 1959 of American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE) founded in 1894 (as ASHVE) and The American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE) founded in 1904. To this day, the firm actively supports the work of ASHRAE.

Henry Adams completes the Stella Maris Children’s Village in 1958. Henry Adams designs many of the hospitals in the Baltimore area during the 1950’s, including the Blalock Building at John’s Hopkins Hospital – the first fully air conditioned hospital in Baltimore. The firm also completes U.S. Consulates in Japan, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

In 1965, the firm develops the first low-temperature reheat induction system for patient rooms at Harbor Hospital Center. Henry Adams is nationally recognized for the development, which is implemented extensively throughout the world in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Henry Adams enters a third decade of major healthcare design completing Mercy Hospital in 1964, the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) in 1965, the North Hospital Building for what is now UMMC in 1966, and has the Shock Trauma Center “on the boards.” The firm also completes several buildings for the new Social Security Administration in Woodlawn, MD.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is formed in 1963 from the merger of AIEE (founded as the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1884) and IRE (founded as the Institute of Radio Engineers in 1912). Also in 1963 the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) issues its first format for construction specifications with 16 divisions. The system is slowly adopted by the industry and provides for uniform construction documents that improve coordination and estimating.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Henry Adams relocates to Towson’s Equitable Building. The firm continues leadership through innovation in building technology with a focus on energy efficient design. The leadership team was a product of the Great Depression and the focus on value-based decisions continues to this day. The first application of chilled water storage is done for the Baltimore branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

The real estate boom of the 70’s brings notable building commissions including both I.M. Pei’s Baltimore World Trade Center and the original Baltimore Convention Center in 1977. Henry Adams also completes the inner harbor’s Maryland Science Center in 1978 and work abroad includes the University of Riyadh in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (King Saud University).

Significant Henry Adams healthcare and retirement community projects during this period include Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C, a new high-rise patient tower for Mercy Hospital in 1972, Johns Hopkins Cancer Center in 1974, and Franklin Square Hospital in 1978. The firm also focuses on education and completes Dunbar High School, the Park School, and the Maryland Science Center.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Henry Adams moves to its present day Towson location in 1984. Continuing its trend toward innovation, the firm develops the industry’s first application of a dual-duct/dual-fan, low-temperature air conditioning system for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1986.

Notable Henry Adams projects included the IMAX portion of the Inner Harbor’s Maryland Science Center in 1986, Towson Sheraton in 1987, and the award-winning Fort Detrick Telecommunications Center in 1984. Other major clients include the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Gallaudet University, National Institutes of Health, University of Maryland Medical System, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, McCormick Company, T. Rowe Price, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

The A/E industry sees a revolution in the advent of computer aided design. AutoDesk and Bentley Systems release their first versions of AutoCad and MicroStation in 1982 and 1985 respectively. AutoCad became a platform of choice for architects while MicroStation enjoyed popularity with civil engineers. Henry Adams has always recognized and rapidly adopted beneficial technology.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Henry Adams completes several large and notable projects throughout the mid-Atlantic region. In Baltimore, the new 712,000sf Baltimore VA Hospital is completed in 1996 and the Baltimore Convention Center is expanded to 1,225,000sf in 1997. Henry Adams also completes the 800,000sf Defense Logistics Agency HQ in Fort Belvoir and UMMC Homer Gudelsky Building in 1996.

Henry Adams celebrates its 100th year anniversary in 1998 with multiple events over the course of the year.

Sustainability begins to emerge as the USGBC is formed in 1993 from a collection of architects, realtors, and other industry representatives. It launches LEED Version 1.0 in 1998 to measure green buildings. LEED itself gradually builds industry momentum and the following decade Henry Adams completes the State of Maryland’s first LEED Certified project, the Gunpowder Falls Hammerman Services Building.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Henry Adams receives several ACEC Awards for Excellence. The Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Maryland in 2001 opens as a world class performance venue. The firm also completes intricate renovations of Baltimore's historic Hippodrome (known as the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center) in 2005 and the Boston Opera House in 2006.

Henry Adams sees significant higher-education projects with the MSU Earl S. Richardson Library achieving ENR’s “Higher-Ed Project of the Year” in 2008. Other significant higher-education projects include the Murphy Fine Arts Building in 2001, John and Anne Wilson Hall Art and Music Building at Washington & Lee in 2006, and Morgan State Student Center in 2005. The firm's strength in customizing solutions makes it ideal for higher education projects.

Just as it did a century earlier, change defines the “noughties.” Change is reflected in globalization, the aftermath of 9/11, the 50 division expansion of MasterFormat, and the “great recession.”Henry Adams evolves into a Limited Liability Company.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

Henry Adams completed significant higher-education projects including the University of Maryland Baltimore SMC Campus Center and the Bowie State University Student Center. A notable infrastructure project included the Emergency Standby Generator Plant for Johns Hopkins Bayview campus, a 13.2kV generator plant that tied directly into the utility service for peak shaving opportunities.   

The firm quickly recognizes the Building Information Modeling (BIM) revolution and adopts Revit as it's platform. It allows representation of structures beyond virtual 3D models. Digital representation has potential to include 4D, 5D, and beyond by incorporating manufacturer data, cost data, construction sequencing data, and more. Models can be used to improve construction management, facility maintenance and operation, and anything else a team can envision.

The decade that began under the Great Recession cloud found Henry Adams and its clients adapting. We were fortunate enough to travel with our clients, working on notable projects from Gainesville, Florida to Ithaca, New York. It was also the decade the firm emerged as a major force in commercial construction and completed numerous $100M and high-rise projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

• Image

  
• Image

  
• Image

  

The firm was already experimenting with remote work capability when COVID-19 exploded onto the scene. Remote work on a wide scale immediately became a necessity. Encouraging results allowed a permanent expansion of the program and on any particular day over 50% of staff are now working remotely.   

For over 125 years our firm has helped clients meet their challenges. Our progressive attitude, collaborative approach, and ability to customize solutions results in unparalleled value. Still, as we adapt to meet an ever-changing industry, our future...is under construction.