The Edward A. Garmatz U.S. Courthouse is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.Building historyDuring the 1960s, the federal courts in Baltimore occupied the old U.S. Courthouse and Post Office, now known as Courthouse East, on Calvert Street. The courts rapidly outgrew their facilities, however, and required a larger building to accommodate the growing caseload. In 1970, the U.S. General Services Administration selected a 2.5acre parcel of land bounded by West Pratt, West Lombard, and South Hanover streets and Hopkins Place for a new federal courthouse. Congress allocated funding for the proposed building the same year. The courthouse was designed by RTKL Associates and contains elements of the International Style of architecture, first popularized in 1930s Europe and later adopted for federal buildings in the United States. The International Style does not reference regional architectural trends, so similar buildings can be found throughout the United States.In 1972, the building was named to honor Edward A. Garmatz (1903–1986). Garmatz, who was born and died in Baltimore, was a U.S. Representative for Maryland from 1947 to 1973, serving as the chairman of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries for much of his political career. Garmatz was elected during a special vote after Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., resigned his Congressional seat to become mayor of Baltimore.Completed in 1976 at a cost of $23 million, the new Edward A. Garmatz Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse had 532,020 gross square feet. The federal courts occupied the building later the same year. On May 1, 1978, a dedication ceremony was held in the plaza adjoining the building. In 2004, in Courtroom 5-D of the building, Ed Norris, former superintendent of the Maryland State Police, pleaded guilty to charges that he made illegal personal expenditures from the Baltimore Police Department's discretionary fund while serving as the department's commissioner.
