It is a large two-story masonry vernacular Beaux-Arts style building bearing classical features and symmetry. It was constructed about 1905 as the city hall, fire station, and meeting hall for the small community of Curtis Bay within the southern limits of Baltimore City. In 1925 United Polish Societies purchased the building and named it Polish Home Hall. Polish Home Hall derives historical significance for its association with the Polish immigrant community in the Baltimore area. Beginning around the turn of the 20th century, the Curtis Bay community received an influx of immigrants arriving from Eastern Europe to work in the new industrial concerns operating in the area. Constructed c. 1905 to serve the combined functions of town hall, volunteer firehouse, and community center, the building occupies an entire block within the small community, and represents a substantial and highly visible institution. Polish Home Hall was central to the Polish experience in Curtis Bay. Athanasius Church in 1909, was moved into the hall in 1925 and operated there into the 1930s. The property continued to function as a social, educational, and political center for Curtis Bay's Polish community into the 1970s. The property derives additional significance for its architectural character, exhibiting a vernacular interpretation of Beaux-Arts design through its classical symmetry and detailing. The building retains much of its original architectural character and integrity. The exterior remains substantially unchanged in its masonry, fenestration, and detailing, and the building retains its general roof form, deep projecting eaves, and chimney. Numerous large windows allow ample light into interior spaces characterized by high ceilings and finished in pressed metal. Early lighting fixtures survive on the second level and wainscoting and other decorative elements are found throughout the building. Some changes were made c. 1919 when the building was converted from its original function as city hall and fire station to use for the manufacture of sailcloth. The east elevation entrance for the fire wagon was presumably altered at this time, when the firehouse ceased operations. Polish Home Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.[1]
