Deconstruction: Water

Now let's Baltimore on the waterline. What would that have looked like on an October morning of 1966?

The harbor is where the Patapsco River enters Chespeake Bay ---the Algonquian pota-psk-ut, which translates to "backwater" or "tide covered with froth---where it enters the harbor.   It was centerpiece of Maryland's industrial revolution from the 1770s onward.

From this spot grew the first stream-powered railroad in the United States, in 1828. So let's see some awesomely rotting rail yards.

Let's see a shiny late model Lincoln Continental parked by itself on a wharf where the tides slurps at wooden piers. We cannot see much inside the windows, nor tell if someone is inside. Nearby is a placid shack, its windows and doors shuttered, showing no sign of life.

"The renewal of Baltimore's Inner Harbor area began with the adoption of the 33-acre (13 ha) Charles Center project by the City Council and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro in March 1958. Between 1958 and 1965, Baltimore renewed the center of its business district by rebuilding Charles Center with office buildings, hotels, and retail shops."