The lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner laser-cut into steel greets guests in the lobby of the 128-room Sagamore Pendry, setting the tone for the regal haven located on Recreation Pier, a century-old commerce pier along the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. Across from Fort McHenry, a landmark known for America’s pivotal win in gaining independence from Britain during the War of 1812—also where Francis Scott Key wrote the words that later became the national anthem—the second location of Montage’s new Pendry brand (the first opened in San Diego earlier this year) is part of a revitalization of the pier by Kevin Plank, CEO and founder of Under Armour and Sagamore Development.
With the storied location and the old Rec Pier building to work with, the design is a mix of luxury and a “working man aesthetic that drives all of Baltimore,” says local designer Patrick Sutton, who crafted the interiors. “Putting those two things together became what we referred to as gritty luxury.” Historical treasures and references are found around every corner, from exposed steel beams with rivets to expansive windows inside chef Andrew Carmellini’s Rec Pier Chop House, which couldn’t be altered since it is a part of the building’s historic façade. The open space—situated in an arched cutout in the center of the building—boasts oversized floating lantern light fixtures and candlelit chandeliers made of steel that complement rich cream and black leather upholstered booths and cast iron details.
Laying a new foundation for the hotel’s extension (built out over the water and thus surrounded by it on three sides), Sutton’s team became thwarted by a blockade underwater. Divers were sent down to figure out the problem: three cannons dating to 1690—a discovery that only solidified the patriotic motif. “We had a product in this hotel that should encourage exploration and curiosity, and encourage guests to go find these nuances and these stories,” notes Sutton. One is showcased below a glass enclosure in the flooring at the appropriately named Cannon Room whiskey bar that’s dark and mysterious with globe pendants and a beveled wood-planked ceiling. The other two preside over the pool deck, which proved to be another challenge. Because of historic restrictions, the outside deck could only be a temporary structure. Sutton built “a shipping container because that’s what would’ve been on the end of that pier anyway,” he laughs, but elevated it with an eye-catching red and white color palette, cabanas, and an infinity pool that seemingly blends into the Chesapeake Bay.
Guestrooms continue the seafaring feel and “evoke what it might be like to be on the captain’s birth of a ship,” he says. Classical nautical details such as louvered mahogany panels and unlacquered brass appointments mix with contemporary accent pillows designed with an octopus motif wrapped around an anchor, a nod to sailor tattoos, allowing guests to feel “like they are on a boat,” he notes.
Adding a final layer to the story is an “old Arabic geometric pattern” that Sutton uses throughout—in elevator doors, the laser-cut balcony railings, and the mechanical air grille. “Forgetting its origins,” Sutton says he chose it for “the feeling—again going back to the Star-Spangled Banner—of fireworks or ‘bombs bursting in air,’” that highlights the pride of Charm City.
