Picture a brick firehouse doubling as council chamber, right here in Anne Arundel County, Maryland's Annapolis. This is a 2+1/2-story, three-bay brick building built 1821–1822 by the City of Annapolis. It was the first structure erected by the city for municipal purposes.
Imagine how the ground floor once held the fire station, its doors opening onto the street, while above that a meeting room served the town council. In 1868 the city sold the building for commercial purposes, a change that marks its shifting role in the life of the city. Notice details of the brickwork and the compact, civic scale that speak to its municipal origin.
The building was later recognized for its historic significance and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Stand here and feel the continuity: this is a place that began as the city's own firehouse and council room, then moved into new uses, and now stands as a recorded piece of Annapolis history. Three bays wide and 2+1/2 stories tall, the brick still reads firehouse below and council room above.