William Donald Schaefer Building

William Donald Schaefer Building
The William Donald Schaefer Building is the fourth-tallest building in Baltimore.
General information
Location	6 St. Paul St (northwest corner, E Baltimore St and St. Paul Street), Baltimore, Maryland, US
Coordinates	39°17′23″N 76°36′51″W / 39.2898°N 76.6141°W / 39.2898; -76.6141
Completed	1986
Opening	1992
Height
Antenna spire	590 ft (180 m)
Roof	493 ft (150 m)
Technical details
Floor count	37
Floor area	305,394 sq ft (28,372.0 m2)[1]
Design and construction
Developer	Maryland Department of General Services
References
[2][3]

The William Donald Schaefer Building (a.k.a. William Donald Schaefer Tower or simply Schaefer Tower, previously known as Merritt Tower) is the fourth-tallest building in the City of Baltimore, Maryland, located at 6 St. Paul Street. Originally completed by Merritt Savings and Loan in 1986 and later re-opened under state management in 1992,^[3] the building rises 37 floors and 493 feet (150 m) in height.^[2] Office space constitutes the lower 29 floors, housing more than 1,100 employees in 14 state agencies. The nine upper floors are unoccupied, containing a maintenance area, cement staircase, a ladder to the rooftop deck and then an eight-floor spiral staircase leading to the top of the spire and the flagpole.^[4]

The flagpole atop the building reaches to 590 feet (180 m), higher than any building in the state.^[5] The flags flown from the tower's poles are (by order of former Governor Martin O'Malley) a large and noticeable Star-Spangled Banner flag (a recreation of that flown over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812); and a smaller Maryland state flag. Both are usually clearly visible throughout the downtown area and most of the city.^[5]

The iconic building was renamed for William Donald Schaefer (1921–2011), who served as the Mayor of Baltimore (1971–1987),^[2] Governor of Maryland (1987–1995), and state comptroller (1999–2007).^[2]