Federal Hill Lofts from above: a three-story brick and white-painted building on South Charles Street, with a CVS at street level

Federal Hill Lofts

1000 S. Charles Street, Baltimore

Loft homes built into Southway Lanes, a bowling alley from around 1939.

Owner sign-in

From Southway Lanes to lofts

For much of the twentieth century this stretch of South Charles Street was home to Southway Lanes, a neighborhood bowling alley dating to around 1939. Its long, open floor plates are what make the homes upstairs unusual.

The conversion, completed in 2006, left the structure on show instead of hiding it. Wooden rafters and beams run overhead, the ductwork stays exposed, skylights open the roof, and the windows along the street stand more than seven feet tall. In some kitchens the island is built from the alley's original lane floor.

  1. c. 1939 Southway Lanes bowling alley
  2. 2006 Renovation into lofts completed
  3. 2007 Federal Hill Lofts Condominium established

The building

Address
1000 S. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
Homes
Nine lofts above one commercial unit
Ceilings and light
Over ten feet, with exposed rafters, skylights and street windows over seven feet
Street level
A CVS pharmacy, with the lofts on the floors above
Access
Elevator building, with a parking lot at the rear
Neighborhood
Federal Hill, next to Cross Street Market and a short walk from Federal Hill Park and the Inner Harbor
An open loft with a polished concrete floor, exposed wooden rafters, silver ductwork and a kitchen along the back wall
One open floor under the original rafters.
A kitchen island and pendant lights beneath dark steel beams and skylights
Kitchen beneath steel beams and skylights.
A loft with dark blue walls, wooden ceiling joists and glass doors opening onto a roof deck
Glass doors out to a private roof deck.

The neighborhood

Federal Hill takes its name from the hill above the Inner Harbor, where Baltimoreans gathered in 1788 to celebrate Maryland's ratification of the Constitution. The hill is now a park, and its view over the harbor has been drawn and photographed for nearly two centuries.

Around it are blocks of brick rowhouses, Cross Street Market a few steps from the lofts, and the restaurants and shops of South Charles and Light Streets.

Downtown Baltimore towers and the Inner Harbor marina seen from Federal Hill on a clear day A hand-colored 1831 print of Baltimore harbor seen from Federal Hill, with sailing ships, warehouses and figures on the grassy hillside
Baltimore from Federal Hill, 1831 (aquatint by W. J. Bennett), and the same view today. Drag the divider, or use the arrow keys, to compare.
A sepia panorama of Baltimore harbor in 1903, with factory smokestacks, warehouses and boats along the water
The harbor from Federal Hill, 1903. Photograph by J. W. Schaefer.
A row of brick and painted-stone rowhouses on a quiet Federal Hill street
Brick and stone rowhouses in Federal Hill.
Federal Hill Park at dusk, lit by streetlamps, reflected in the harbor water
Federal Hill Park at dusk, from the West Shore Promenade.

For owners

The residential owners keep a shared, private record of building matters: correspondence with management, repair requests, documents and meeting notes. It is open to owners only.

Owner sign-in
  • Correspondence with management
  • Repair requests
  • Documents
  • Meeting notes