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Benson Building
Photo: Smallbones, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
National Register of Historic Places

Benson Building

Also known as IPC Building

On the National Register since 198046 years
CommercialListed 1980Baltimore
DirectionsAdd an old photo

Many listed buildings are private homes. Please enjoy them from the street.

About

About Benson Building

Benson Building, at 4 E. Franklin St., was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Mar 26, 1980. The Register lists it for its commerce and architecture, at the local level. It describes its style as Commercial, as it does for 7 other Maryland listings. 15 more Register listings are within a quarter mile.

What it isBuilding in Maryland, United States of America. From Wikidata (CC0). Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

PDFRead the original nominationThe form that put it on the Register, with its history, photos and a map · 30 MB · National Archives↗
Visit

Make it a walk: 5 landmarks in about 10 minutes

4 E. Franklin St., Baltimore · about 0.2 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Benson BuildingStart here
  2. 2First Unitarian ChurchGothic Revival · next door
  3. 3Franklin Street Presbyterian Church and ParsonageGreek Revival · next door
  4. 4Old Roman Catholic CathedralBuilt 1821 · next door
  5. 5Cathedral Hill Historic DistrictArt Deco · next door
Around it

67 more Register listings within half a mile

★ National Historic Landmark · D district · B building · S site. Each opens its own page.

BWoman's Industrial ExchangeBuilding0.1 miBBrown's Arcade (Additional Documentation)Colonial Revival0.1 miBStandard Oil BuildingBeaux Arts Classical0.1 mi★Mount Vernon Place Historic District (Additional Documentation)District0.1 miBSt. Paul's Protestant Episcopal ChurchGothic Revival0.2 miBCommercial Credit Company BuildingBuilt 19540.2 miBSt. Paul's Church RectoryGeorgian0.2 miBBaltimore Gas and Electric Company BuildingBeaux Arts Classicism · Built 19160.2 miBOdd Fellows HallRomanesque0.2 miDChinatown Historic DistrictDistrict0.2 miBMount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury HouseNorman-Gothic0.2 miBPaca Street FirehouseRenaissance Revival0.3 miBFederal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Baltimore BranchSecond Renaissance Revival0.3 miBBaltimore City Municipal Office BuildingBuilding0.3 miBStewart's Department StoreLate Victorian0.3 miBTerminal WarehouseBuilding0.3 miBZion Lutheran ChurchEarly Republic0.3 miBBaltimore College of Dental SurgeryEastlake0.3 mi
Show the other 49
BHotel KernanFrench Renaissance Revival0.3 miBYoung Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association BuildingBuilding0.3 mi★Ira Remsen HouseBuilding0.3 miBFirst Presbyterian Church and ManseGothic Revival0.3 miBAlex Brown BuildingGeorgian Revival · Built 19010.4 miBContinental Trust Company BuildingClassical0.4 miDBusiness and Government Historic DistrictRomanesque0.4 miBBaltimore Federal Savings & Loan AssociationBuilding0.4 miOBattle MonumentClassical · Built 18250.4 miBBrewers ExchangeRenaissance Revival0.4 miBBaltimore City HallFrench Renaissance Revival · Built 18750.4 miBKnipp, George, & Brother BuildingItalianate0.4 miBBaltimore Equitable SocietyItalian Renaissance0.4 mi★Peale's Baltimore MuseumBuilt 17860.4 miBHutzler Brothers Palace BuildingRomanesque Eclectic0.4 miDMarket Center Historic District (Boundary Increase)Federal0.4 miBKrug Iron WorksVictorian0.4 miBBuilding at 239 North Gay StreetItalianate0.4 miBMother Seton HouseBuilding0.4 miBOne Charles CenterModern Movement · Built 19620.4 miBBaltimore City CollegeBeaux Arts Classicism0.4 miDSeton Hill Historic DistrictGothic Revival0.4 mi★Henry August Rowland HouseBuilt 18850.4 miBThe Maryland ClubBuilding0.4 mi★William H. Welch HouseBuilding0.4 miBFederal Office BuildingBuilding0.5 miBRombro BuildingQueen Anne0.5 miBCanton HouseColonial Revival0.5 miBMercantile Deposit and TrustBuilt 19690.5 miBChamber of Commerce BuildingNeo-Renaissance0.5 miBGarrett BuildingCommercial Style0.5 miBFrank, L., & Son BuildingItalianate0.5 miBMercantile Trust and Deposit CompanyRomanesque0.5 miBBuilding at 409 West Baltimore StreetItalianate0.5 miBFaust Brothers BuildingItalianate0.5 miBHippodrome TheatreBeaux Arts0.5 miBBaltimore GrandClassical Revival0.5 miBBaltimore General DispensaryNeoclassical0.5 miBSanitary Laundry Company BuildingQueen Anne0.5 miBSt. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic ChurchGeorgian0.5 miDGay Street Historic DistrictEarly Republic0.5 miBSt. Alphonsus' Church, Rectory, Convent and HalleGothic Revival0.5 miBOld Town Savings BankItalianate0.5 miBEngine House No. 6Italian-Gothic0.5 mi★St. Mary's Seminary ChapelSecond Empire Style0.5 miBNull HouseItalianate0.5 miBOrchard Street United Methodist ChurchRomanesque Revival0.5 miBBelvedere Hotel (Additional Documentation)Beaux Arts0.5 miBBuildings at 10, 12, 14, and 16 East Chase StreetBuilding0.5 mi
More like it

Commercial style, nearby

Other National Register listings within 25 miles described as Commercial.

Baltimore General Dispensary0.5 mi away
Erlanger Buildings0.8 mi away

Memories of Benson Building

The record says what it is. Neighbors know what it means.

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Questions about Benson Building

Is Benson Building on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on Mar 26, 1980 (Register number 80001782).

Is Benson Building a National Historic Landmark?

No. It is on the National Register; Maryland has 71 National Historic Landmarks. The nearest is First Unitarian Church, 0 miles away.

Can you visit Benson Building?

Our record doesn’t say whether it is open to visitors. Many listed buildings are private, so it may only be seen from the street.

Where can I read the history of Benson Building?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 30 MB PDF at the National Archives, linked on this page.

Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · National Archives catalog record 106776434 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.