In the second part of the nineteenth century, Baltimore had several foundries producing cast-iron building fronts, making the city a critical supplier of this new construction technique for new buildings around the world. In New York City, you'll find the now-chic Soho area full of cast-iron buildings. Baltimore had more than 100 of these cast-iron fronted buiding by 1900, but all but a few were either destroyed the the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 or torn down during redvelopment. The Wilkins Building in the photo here is one of the few remaining.
