John A. Ahlers Papers
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Scope and Contents
The John A. Ahlers Papers contains personal papers, photographs, artwork and architectural drawings for a variety of private and commercial buildings in the Baltimore area. Examples of architectural plans and materials in the collection include and drawings for homes, building alterations, churches, apartment buildings, business buildings, and other sites. There are also photographs and visual materials present in the collection documenting the Bethlehem Steel building, Northwood Apartments, portraits of Ahlers, and more.
Dates
- Creation: 1895-1971
- Creation: Bulk: 1935-1957
Creator
- Ahlers, John Allan, 1895-1983 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Biographical Note
John Allan Ahlers was born in Oberhausen, Germany in 1895 and immigrated to Baltimore, Maryland with his parents. He trained as an architect and became a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1931. In 1930 he was assigned to create a new suburb called Northwood by Chief of the Roland Park Company, Edward Bouton. Ahlers designed the Original Northwood neighborhood in Baltimore and became its single most significant contributor of residential and commercial works. The neighborhood, Original Northwood, has greenspace and includes a mix of home styles including New England colonials, and Tudor and Norman style cottages. The neighborhood was entered as a listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
[Information for this historical note was gathered from a 1990 Baltimore Sun newspaper article].
Extent
5.42 Linear Feet (6 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Collection is described as an inventory.
Custodial History
John A. Ahler’s papers were kept by his daughter and son-in-law, Mary Ahlers and William Dewitt Bliss, who conveyed them to architectural historian Dean Wagner for use in his application for designation of the Northwood National Historic District. The collection was donated to the University of Baltimore by Mary Ahlers Bliss in 2006.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for the John A. Ahlers Papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by archives staff. Revised by Aiden Faust (2011). Revised by Laura Bell (2022).
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Baltimore Studies Archives Repository