Port of Baltimore, Point of Entry: The Baltimore Immigration Museum and Resource Center

Abstract

From 1880 until the 1920's, approximately two million immigrants arrived in America through the Port of Baltimore. This thesis explores how architecture can be used to celebrate immigrants, past and present, through the design of a waterfront immigration museum and resource center. This museum and resource center serve to honor the immigrants who settled in or passed through Baltimore and bring awareness to the city's role as a major port of entry. The building also serves to celebrate the resulting ethnic and racial diversity that remains the city's legacy by telling the story of how Baltimore came to be the ethnic melting pot it is today and by providing a variety of services for contemporary immigrants. The building is situated in Fell's Point, between the Bond Street Wharf and the Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Museum. The memorial is located across the harbor, visually connected to the museum and resource center.