Amoco ( / ˈ æ m ə k oʊ / AM -ə-koh ) is a brand of fuel stations operating in the United States and owned by British conglomerate BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a refinery in Whiting, Indiana , and was officially the Standard Oil Company of Indiana until 1985. In 1911, it became an independent corporation as part of the break-up of the Standard Oil trust. Incorporated in Indiana, it was headquartered in Chicago.
118-648: In 1925, Standard Oil of Indiana absorbed the American Oil Company , founded in Baltimore in 1910, and incorporated in 1922, by Louis Blaustein and his son Jacob . The combined corporation operated or licensed gas stations under both the Standard name and the American or Amoco name (the latter from Am erican o il co mpany ) and its logo using these names became a red, white and blue oval with
236-571: A Canadian company. By 1989, Amoco was the fifth-largest gasoline seller in the United States with more than 14,000 stations in 30 states. By the end of the 1990s, worldwide oil prices had slumped to their lowest point in over a decade. Amoco, the fourth largest US oil producer at the time, reported a 50% fall in earnings in second quarter of 1998. Analysts believed Amoco was hurt by its lack of international refining. On August 11, 1998, Amoco announced it would merge with British Petroleum (BP) in
354-524: A Town on the North side of the Patapsco River." Surveyors began laying out the town on January 12, 1730. By 1752 the town had just 27 homes, including a church and two taverns. Jonestown and Fells Point had been settled to the east. The three settlements, covering 60 acres (24 ha), became a commercial hub, and in 1768 were designated as the county seat. The first printing press was introduced to
472-612: A clash between local youth and police that resulted in a state of emergency declaration and a curfew. Baltimore has seen the reopening of the Hippodrome Theatre in 2004, the opening of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in 2005, and the establishment of the National Slavic Museum in 2012. On April 12, 2012, Johns Hopkins held a dedication ceremony to mark
590-590: A day, and by 1918 had delivered over 85 million barrels of oil. In 1911 Doheny signed a contract to supply Standard Oil . Doheny's Mexican Petroleum Company made a major strike in February 1916 with the Cerro Azul No. 4 well in Cerro Azul, Veracruz , Mexico. When the well struck it shot a stream of oil 598 feet (182 m) into the air. It became world's largest, pumping 260,000 barrels per day. Over
708-619: A decline in major manufacturing, heavy industry , and restructuring of the rail industry , Baltimore has shifted to a service-oriented economy . Johns Hopkins Hospital and University are the top employers. Baltimore is home to the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball , and the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League . Many Baltimore neighborhoods have rich histories. The city
826-707: A few years later the Mexican properties were nationalized. President Lázaro Cárdenas expropriated all foreign oil concessions on 18 March 1938 and placed them under the government-controlled Pemex , paying compensation to the former owners. In the 1940s the case of Blaustein v. Pan American Petroleum & Oil Transport Co. was heard by the Supreme Court to determine whether the directors of Pan American had been in breach of their fiduciary duty. The directors were all officers of directors of Standard Oil of Indiana, which held almost 80% of Pan American's shares, and it
944-686: A fleet of 31 tankers. The company paid $ 1.1 million in dividends in 1917 and $ 3.1 million in dividends on its common stock in 1918. 1918 revenues were $ 17 million and net profits were almost $ 7 million. In 1918 the Carib Syndicate , a concern owned by Americans, bought the Barco oil concession in Colombia. They sold 75% of their interest to the Colombian Petroleum Company the next year, a subsidiary of Pan American. Doheny
1062-564: A minority. The Baltimore Council passed the ordinance, and it became law on December 20, 1910, with Democratic Mayor J. Barry Mahool 's signature. The Baltimore segregation ordinance was the first of its kind in the United States. Many other southern cities followed with their own segregation ordinances, though the US Supreme Court ruled against them in Buchanan v. Warley (1917). The city grew in area by annexing new suburbs from
1180-479: A new way to process crued oil, called thermal cracking , which allowed the industry to produce more oil. The company licensed the process to 14 companies between 1914-1919, including former parent company Standard Oil of New Jersey. The company opened its Casper refinery in 1914. In 1918, Indiana Standard named Colonel Robert W. Stewart as its first chairman. Under Stewart, it began investing in other oil companies outside its Standard marketing territory, beginning with
1298-579: A part in the American Revolution . City leaders such as Jonathan Plowman Jr. led many residents to resist British taxes , and merchants signed agreements refusing to trade with Britain. The Second Continental Congress met in the Henry Fite House from December 1776 to February 1777, effectively making the city the capital of the United States during this period. Baltimore, Jonestown , and Fells Point were incorporated as
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#17327945037111416-757: A period of dormancy in Baltimore City archaeological findings which had persisted since the 1980s. During the Late Woodland period, the archaeological culture known as the Potomac Creek complex resided in the area from Baltimore south to the Rappahannock River in present-day Virginia . The city is named after Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore , an English peer, member of the Irish House of Lords and founding proprietor of
1534-411: A torch in the center. By the mid-twentieth century it was ranked the largest oil company in the United States. In 1985, it changed its corporate name to Amoco. The firm's innovations included two essential parts of the modern industry, the gasoline tanker truck and the drive-through filling station . Its "Amoco Super-Premium" lead-free gasoline was marketed decades before environmental concerns led to
1652-474: A unique skyline peppered with churches and monuments developed. Baltimore acquired its moniker "The Monumental City" after an 1827 visit to Baltimore by President John Quincy Adams . At an evening function, Adams gave the following toast: "Baltimore: the Monumental City—May the days of her safety be as prosperous and happy, as the days of her dangers have been trying and triumphant." Baltimore pioneered
1770-483: Is Baltimore's nonprofit historic and architectural preservation organization, which works to preserve and promote Baltimore's historic buildings and neighborhoods. Baltimore is officially divided into nine geographical regions: North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, Northwest, and Central, with each district patrolled by a respective Baltimore Police Department . Interstate 83 and Charles Street down to Hanover Street and Ritchie Highway serve as
1888-602: Is a neoclassical design by Benjamin Latrobe, and one of the oldest Catholic cathedrals in the United States. In 1813, Robert Cary Long Sr. built for Rembrandt Peale the first substantial structure in the United States designed expressly as a museum. Restored, it is now the Municipal Museum of Baltimore, or popularly the Peale Museum . The McKim Free School was founded and endowed by John McKim. The building
2006-400: Is bordered by Anne Arundel County to the south. Baltimore exhibits examples from each period of architecture over more than two centuries, and work from architects such as Benjamin Latrobe , George A. Frederick , John Russell Pope , Mies van der Rohe , and I. M. Pei . Baltimore is rich in architecturally significant buildings in a variety of styles. The Baltimore Basilica (1806–1821)
2124-558: Is home to some of the earliest National Register Historic Districts in the nation, including Fell's Point , Federal Hill , and Mount Vernon . Baltimore has more public statues and monuments per capita than any other city in the country. Nearly one third of the buildings (over 65,000) are designated as historic in the National Register , more than any other US city. Baltimore has 66 National Register Historic Districts and 33 local historic districts. The historical records of
2242-443: Is one of few remaining structures of its kind. It was constructed without the use of exterior scaffolding. The Sun Iron Building, designed by R.C. Hatfield in 1851, was the city's first iron-front building and was a model for a whole generation of downtown buildings. Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church , built in 1870 in memory of financier George Brown , has stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany and has been called "one of
2360-485: Is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland . With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census , it is the 30th-most populous US city . Baltimore was designated as an independent city by the Constitution of Maryland in 1851, and is the most populous independent city in the nation. As of 2020 , the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was 2,838,327, the 20th-largest metropolitan area in
2478-444: Is the tallest equilateral pentagonal building in the world at 405 feet (123 m) tall. The Harbor East area has seen the addition of two new towers which have completed construction: a 24-floor tower that is the new world headquarters of Legg Mason , and a 21-floor Four Seasons Hotel complex. The streets of Baltimore are organized in a grid and spoke pattern, lined with tens of thousands of rowhouses . The mix of materials on
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#17327945037112596-754: The Baltimore Convention Center (1979). Harborplace , an urban retail and restaurant complex, opened on the waterfront in 1980, followed by the National Aquarium , Maryland's largest tourist destination, and the Baltimore Museum of Industry in 1981. In 1995, the city opened the American Visionary Art Museum on Federal Hill. During the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in the United States , Baltimore City Health Department official Robert Mehl persuaded
2714-465: The Baltimore Ravens football team moved into M&T Bank Stadium next to Camden Yards. Baltimore has had a high homicide rate for several decades, peaking in 1993, and again in 2015. These deaths have taken an especially severe toll within the black community. Following the death of Freddie Gray in April 2015, the city experienced major protests and international media attention, as well as
2832-477: The EPA to cut down on the usage of lead in gasoline, Amoco became the first major oil company to say it would quit all retail sales of leaded gasoline. In its place, Amoco began selling a mid-grade 89 octane unleaded gasoline (the same number as its leaded regular gasoline), along with its unleaded regular and unleaded premium offerings. World War II followed this period of exploration; Indiana Standard participated in
2950-482: The Midwest . By 1820 its population had reached 60,000, and its economy had shifted from its base in tobacco plantations to sawmilling , shipbuilding , and textile production. These industries benefited from war but successfully shifted into infrastructure development during peacetime. Baltimore had one of the worst riots of the antebellum South in 1835, when bad investments led to the Baltimore bank riot . It
3068-517: The National Aquarium , Maryland Science Center , Pier Six Pavilion , and Power Plant Live . Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company The Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company (PAT) was an oil company founded in 1916 by the American oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny after he had made a huge oil strike in Mexico. Pan American profited from fuel demand during World War I , and from
3186-772: The National Guard , leaving 10 dead and 25 wounded. The beginnings of settlement movement work in Baltimore were made early in 1893, when Rev. Edward A. Lawrence took up lodgings with his friend Frank Thompson, in one of the Winans tenements, the Lawrence House being established shortly thereafter at 814-816 West Lombard Street. On February 7, 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours, leaving more than 70 blocks of
3304-1530: The Near East Development Corporation , the Anglo-Persian Oil Company , Royal Dutch Shell , and the Compagnie Française des Pétroles each 23.75% of any oil that was produced by the Turkish Petroleum Company. The Near East Development Corporation (NEDC) represented American interests and included Jersey Standard Oil, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Gulf Oil, the Pan-American Petroleum and Transport Company, and Atlantic Refining. The remaining 5% share went to an Armenian businessman, Calouste Gulbenkian , who had previously owned shares within TPC. Pan American sold out its shares in NEDC to Jersey Standard and Socony (later Mobil ) in 1930. In 1932 Pan American sold its foreign properties to Standard Oil of New Jersey for about $ 100 million. With this acquisition, Standard Oil of New Jersey became Mexico's largest oil producer. The deal also included large oil concessions in Venezuela and Pan-American's UK subsidiary Cleveland Petroleum Products. However,
3422-608: The Province of Maryland . The Calverts took the title Barons Baltimore from Baltimore Manor , an English Plantation estate they were granted in County Longford , Ireland . Baltimore is an anglicization of the Irish name Baile an Tí Mhóir , meaning "town of the big house". In the early 1600s, the immediate Baltimore vicinity was sparsely populated, if at all, by Native Americans. The Baltimore County area northward
3540-1169: The Texaco brand. In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, there were reports in the press that BP was reconsidering rebranding itself as Amoco in the US. Some independently owned BP stations, including former Amoco stations, switched to a different brand due to the public relations fallout as a result of the oil spill. William P. Cowan, 1911–1918 Lauren J. Drake, 1918 William M. Burton, 1919–1927 Edward G. Seubert, 1927–1945 Alonzo W. Peake, 1945–1955 Frank O. Prior, 1955–1958 John E. Swearingen, 1958–1965 Dr Robert C. Gunness, 1965–1974 George V. Myers, 1974–1978 Richard M. Morrow, 1978–1983 H. Laurence Fuller, 1983–1995 William G. Lowrie, 1996–1998 Colonel Robert W. Stewart, 1918–1929 Robert E. Wilson, 1945–1958 Frank O. Prior, 1958–1960 John E. Swearingen, 1965–1983 Richard M. Morrow, 1983–1991 H. Laurence Fuller, 1991–1998 The first Indiana Standard logo
3658-720: The Union during the American Civil War , following the 55–12 vote by the Maryland General Assembly against secession. Later, the Union's strategic occupation of the city in 1861 ensured Maryland would not further consider secession. The Union's capital of Washington, D.C. was well-situated to impede Baltimore and Maryland's communication or commerce with the Confederacy . Baltimore experienced some of
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3776-689: The United Arab Emirates , and Michael Bloomberg . In September 2016, the Baltimore City Council approved a $ 660 million bond deal for the $ 5.5 billion Port Covington redevelopment project championed by Under Armour founder Kevin Plank and his real estate company Sagamore Development. Port Covington surpassed the Harbor Point development as the largest tax-increment financing deal in Baltimore's history and among
3894-633: The Whiting Refinery situated on Lake Michigan , and first operational in 1890. In 1910, with the increased usage of the automobile , Indiana Standard decided to specialize in providing gasoline to consumers. In 1911, the year it became independent from the Standard Oil trust, the company sold 88% of the gasoline and kerosene sold in the Midwest . In 1912, it opened its first gas service station in Minneapolis, Minnesota . When
4012-486: The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Public order was not restored until April 12, 1968. The Baltimore uprising cost the city an estimated $ 10 million (US$ 88 million in 2024). A total of 12,000 Maryland National Guard and federal troops were ordered into the city. The city experienced challenges again in 1974 when teachers, municipal workers , and police officers conducted strikes. By
4130-402: The deep South and by white suburbanization , the relative size of the city's black population grew from 23.8% in 1950 to 46.4% in 1970. Encouraged by real estate blockbusting techniques, recently settled white areas rapidly became all-black neighborhoods, in a rapid process which was nearly total by 1970. The Baltimore riot of 1968 , coinciding with uprisings in other cities , followed
4248-514: The 1920s and 1930s, Indiana Standard opened up dozens more refining and oil-drilling facilities. Combined with a new oil-refining process, Indiana Standard created its exploration and production business, Stanolind, in 1931. In the following years, a period of intense exploration and search for oil-rich fields ensued; the company drilled over 1,000 wells in 1937 alone. After working for Standard Oil, Blaustein eventually saved enough capital to found his own oil company with his son in 1910. They called it
4366-539: The Amaco Credit Card). The final Amoco logo of the company simply changed the name on the logo to "Amoco". The logo featured the familiar torch and divided ellipse. A horizontal logo was also used, with the italicized word "Amoco" featuring trailing red, white, and blue horizontal stripes, taken from the divided ellipse of the Amoco logo. This logo was used primarily on pumps and service station canopies. After
4484-722: The American Oil Company (AMOCO). Blaustein incorporated his business in 1922. In 1923, the Blausteins sold a half interest in American Oil to the Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company in exchange for a guaranteed supply of oil. Before this deal, Amoco was forced to depend on Standard Oil of New Jersey , a competitor, for its supplies. Standard Oil of Indiana acquired Pan American in 1925, beginning John D. Rockefeller 's association with
4602-424: The Amoco name. In the wake of the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal , it was discovered that Harry Sinclair , Robert Stewart, and others, had been laundering money through a shell company called Continental Trading Company and using the funds to buy Liberty Bonds during World War I . Though Stewart was never charged with a crime, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. demanded his resignation. After a lengthy proxy fight between
4720-523: The BP brand in the US resulting in a rethinking of US branding. In October 2017, BP announced reintroduction of the Amoco branded stations to select US markets. As of 2023, there were over 600 new Amoco stations in the eastern and midwestern United States. Standard Oil of Indiana was formed in 1889 by John D. Rockefeller as part of the Standard Oil Trust . The company's operations centered around
4838-540: The Baltimore area and inhabited primarily the north bank of the Potomac River in what are now Charles and southern Prince George's counties in the coastal areas south of the Fall Line . European colonization of Maryland began in earnest with the arrival of the merchant ship The Ark carrying 140 colonists at St. Clement's Island in the Potomac River on March 25, 1634. Europeans then began to settle
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4956-729: The California assets of Pan American Petroleum and Transport were transferred to a new holding company, the Pan American Western Petroleum Company, in which Doheny retained control. He sold a majority of shares in the remainder of the Venezuelan facilities of the Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company and his Mexican Petroleum Company to Pan American Eastern Petroleum, a new subsidiary of Standard Oil of Indiana . This included
5074-637: The City of Baltimore in 1796–1797. The city remained a part of surrounding Baltimore County and continued to serve as its county seat from 1768 to 1851, after which it became an independent city . The Battle of Baltimore against the British in 1814 inspired the U.S. national anthem, " The Star-Spangled Banner ", and the construction of the Battle Monument , which became the city's official emblem. A distinctive local culture started to take shape, and
5192-724: The Europeans. In 1661 David Jones claimed the area known today as Jonestown on the east bank of the Jones Falls stream. The colonial General Assembly of Maryland created the Port of Baltimore at old Whetstone Point, now Locust Point , in 1706 for the tobacco trade . The Town of Baltimore, on the west side of the Jones Falls, was founded on August 8, 1729, when the Governor of Maryland signed an act allowing "the building of
5310-402: The Mexican holdings, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts holdings in the United States, refineries, pipelines and 31 tankers. At the end of 1925 Pan American Western gained control of Lago Petroleum Corporation from C. Ledyard Blair 's Blair & Co.. The transaction was to be the subject of a stockholder action in 1933, alleging that there had been a conspiracy by the bankers, who were represented on
5428-416: The National Aquarium, Camden Yards have helped revive the Inner Harbor area from what once was an exclusively industrial district full of dilapidated warehouses into a bustling commercial district full of bars, restaurants, and retail establishments. After an international competition, the University of Baltimore School of Law awarded the German firm Behnisch Architekten 1st prize for its design, which
5546-441: The Pan American board, to make excessive profits. In 1926 Venezuelan Eastern Petroleum Corporation was organized as a subsidiary of Pan American Eastern with the purpose of buying and developing Venezuelan oil properties. The Turkish Petroleum Company discovered a large oil field in Iraq in 1928. France, the United Kingdom, and the United States were each worried about being edged out by the other two. The Red Line Agreement gave
5664-471: The Philcade building in Tulsa, Oklahoma . In 1950, all of the corporation's pipeline activities were merged into a single entity, which was named Service Pipeline Company. By 1964, the company operated 14,500 miles of pipelines located in the central part of the country. It gathered crude oil from 34,300 wells and carried it to 59 refineries, delivering 900,000 to 950,000 barrels a day. While most oil companies were switching to leaded gasolines en masse during
5782-572: The Silver and Ultimate brandings that Amoco used. By 2008, the "Amoco Fuels" name had been mostly discontinued in favor of "BP Gasoline with Invigorate." The Amoco name, however, lives on as BP continues to sell Silver and Ultimate under the BP name. In addition, a few BP stations continued operation under the Amoco name. Most were either converted to BP, demolished and replaced with BP-style stations, abandoned, or switched to competitor brands. On April 1, 2010, in Mississippi, Chevron purchased some BP gas stations, which had been Amoco, to convert them to
5900-413: The Standard Oil Trust was broken up in 1911, Indiana Standard was assigned marketing territory covering most of the Midwestern United States, including Indiana , Michigan , Illinois , Wisconsin , Minnesota , North Dakota , South Dakota , Iowa , Kansas , and Missouri . It had the exclusive rights to use the Standard name in the region. Soon after, Indiana Standard scientist William Burton pioneered
6018-422: The Standard name inside the Indiana Standard marketing area (Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) and under the American name outside that region. Both brands shared the same redesigned torch and oval logo for easy identification nationwide. The Utoco name used in Indiana Standard's southwestern region
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#17327945037116136-440: The Standard torch with the Amoco oval. The oval colors were, from top to bottom, red, white, and blue. The new logo was called the "Torch and Oval (T&O)". In parts of the country where the company could not use the name "Standard", the logo read "Utoco" or "Pan-Am". When the "Pan-Am" name was replaced by "Amoco", it marked the first time the torch and oval was used with the Amoco name. The red and black logo continued to be used in
6254-417: The US Navy's petroleum reserves. Neither lease was subject to competitive bidding. In 1924 rumors about corruption in the deals escalated into the Teapot Dome scandal . On 24 January 1924 Doheny testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, and admitted that he had loaned Fall $ 100,000 in cash with no security some months before the oilfield leasing arrangement was made. Doheny said
6372-401: The United States for use in paving. He formed the Mexican Petroleum Company and funded it with $ 6 million of his own money. In 1905 he bought properties near Tuxpan, Veracruz , and formed the Huasteca Petroleum company to hold them. In 1910 his wells in the Juan Casiano Basin in the Faja de Oro field started to produce good quality oil. The gusher at Casiano number 7 spewed out 60,000 barrels
6490-480: The United States today. Lexington Market was also a center of slave trading. Enslaved Black people were sold at numerous sites through the downtown area, with sales advertised in The Baltimore Sun . Both tobacco and sugar cane were labor-intensive crops. In 1774, Baltimore established the first post office system in what became the United States, and the first water company chartered in the newly independent nation, Baltimore Water Company, 1792. Baltimore played
6608-492: The United States. Indiana Standard raised its stake in PAT to 81 percent by 1929. The two companies officially merged in 1954. In 1930, Stanolind completed its acquisition of Sinclair Pipeline and also acquired half of Sinclair Crude Oil Purchasing Company. All of the pipeline companies were consolidated into the newly formed Stanolind Pipeline Company. The crude oil purchasing operations became Stanolind Crude Oil Purchasing Company. The pipeline company headquarters were located in
6726-455: The acquisition of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) for $ 26.8 billion in April 1999. However, it wasn't until BP Amoco agreed to divest ARCO's Alaska holdings that the FTC approved the deal a year later. The company then cut 2,000 jobs. In August 1999, BP Amoco sold its western Canadian oil properties for $ 1.1 billion. In September 2001, BP Amoco sold its refineries in Salt Lake City and Mandan, North Dakota to Tesoro Petroleum . Originally,
6844-513: The area further north, in what is now Baltimore County . Since Maryland was a colony, Baltimore's streets were named to show loyalty to the mother country, e.g. King, Queen, King George and Caroline streets. The original county seat , known today as Old Baltimore, was located on Bush River within the present-day Aberdeen Proving Ground . The colonists engaged in sporadic warfare with the Susquehannock, whose numbers dwindled primarily from new infectious diseases, such as smallpox , endemic among
6962-431: The beginning of the 1970s, Baltimore's downtown area, known as the Inner Harbor, had been neglected and was occupied by a collection of abandoned warehouses. The nickname "Charm City" came from a 1975 meeting of advertisers seeking to improve the city's reputation. Efforts to redevelop the area started with the construction of the Maryland Science Center , which opened in 1976, the Baltimore World Trade Center (1977), and
7080-400: The city in 1765 by Nicholas Hasselbach , whose equipment was later used in the printing of Baltimore's first newspapers, The Maryland Journal and The Baltimore Advertiser , first published by William Goddard in 1773. Baltimore grew swiftly in the 18th century, its plantations producing grain and tobacco for sugar-producing colonies in the Caribbean . The profit from sugar encouraged
7198-426: The city's 1.6-mile-long (2.6 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge , which constituted a southeast portion of the Baltimore Beltway , was struck by a container ship and completely collapsed . A major rescue operation was launched with US authorities attempting to rescue people in the water. Eight construction workers, who were working on the bridge at the time, fell into the Patapsco River . Two people were rescued from
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#17327945037117316-433: The city's mayor to form a committee to address food problems. The Baltimore-based charity Moveable Feast grew out of this initiative in 1990. In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team moved from Memorial Stadium to Oriole Park at Camden Yards , located downtown near the harbor. Pope John Paul II held an open-air mass at Camden Yards during his papal visit to the United States in October 1995. Three years later
7434-625: The company also acquired a division of Tenneco Oil Company and Dome Petroleum Limited , becoming one of the world's largest oil companies. In April 1981, reorganized Amoco Production, Amoco Oil, Amoco Chemicals, and Amoco Minerals—its four main units into worldwide operating concerns—into worldwide operating concerns. The Amoco International Oil Company was also merged into Amoco Production, with its refining and marketing operations transferred to Amoco Oil and its marine transportation operations made part of Indiana Standard's supply and technology department. In July 1988, Amoco acquired Dome Petroleum ,
7552-411: The completion of one of the United States' largest medical complexes – the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore – which features the Sheikh Zayed Cardiovascular and Critical Care Tower and The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center. The event, held at the entrance to the $ 1.1 billion 1.6 million-square-foot-facility, honored the many donors including Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan , first president of
7670-409: The country. When combined the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area (CSA) had a 2020 population of 9,973,383, the third-largest in the country. Though the city is not located within or under the administrative jurisdiction of any county in the state, it is part of the Central Maryland region, together with the surrounding county that shares its name . The land that is present-day Baltimore
7788-414: The cultivation of cane in the Caribbean and the importation of food by planters there. Since Baltimore was the county seat, a courthouse was built in 1768 to serve both the city and county. Its square was a center of community meetings and discussions. Baltimore established its public market system in 1763. Lexington Market , founded in 1782, is one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in
7906-569: The downtown area burned to the ground. Damages were estimated at $ 150 million in 1904 dollars. As the city rebuilt during the next two years, lessons learned from the fire led to improvements in firefighting equipment standards. Baltimore lawyer Milton Dashiell advocated for an ordinance to bar African-Americans from moving into the Eutaw Place neighborhood in northwest Baltimore. He proposed to recognize majority white residential blocks and majority black residential blocks and to prevent people from moving into housing on such blocks where they would be
8024-402: The downtown population grew 130 percent as old commercial properties have been replaced by residential property. Still the city's main commercial area and business district, it includes Baltimore's sports complexes: Oriole Park at Camden Yards , M&T Bank Stadium , and the Royal Farms Arena ; and the shops and attractions in the Inner Harbor: Harborplace , the Baltimore Convention Center ,
8142-412: The earliest violence associated with the American Civil War . The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the nation's oldest, was built in 1830 and cemented Baltimore's status as a transportation hub, giving producers in the Midwest and Appalachia access to the city's port . Baltimore's Inner Harbor was the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the US and a major manufacturing center. After
8260-505: The early 1950s, Standard Oil of Indiana was ranked as the second-largest American oil company with annual gross sales of $ 1.5 billion. It had 12 refineries in the United States, marketed its products in 41 states, owned 12,000 miles (19,000 km) of crude oil pipelines, 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of trunk lines, and 1,700 miles (2,700 km) of product pipelines. In October 1954, Standard Indiana opened its Mandan refinery in North Dakota under its American Oil Company subsidiary. In
8378-453: The east–west dividing line and Eastern Avenue to Route 40 as the north–south dividing line; however, Baltimore Street is north–south dividing line for the U.S. Postal Service . Central Baltimore, originally called the Middle District, stretches north of the Inner Harbor up to the edge of Druid Hill Park . Downtown Baltimore has mainly served as a commercial district with limited residential opportunities; however, between 2000 and 2010,
8496-785: The eventual phase out of leaded gasoline throughout the United States. Amoco's headquarters were located in the Amoco Building (also called the Standard Oil Building, and nicknamed "Big Stan", now the Aon Center ) in Chicago , Illinois . Amoco merged with British Petroleum in December 1998 to form BP Amoco, which was renamed BP in 2001. The Amoco name was branded at the gas pump for the highest 93 octane blends. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 tarnished
8614-407: The face of these rowhouses also give Baltimore its distinct look. The rowhouses are a mix of brick and formstone facings, the latter a technology patented in 1937 by Albert Knight. John Waters characterized formstone as "the polyester of brick" in a 30-minute documentary film, Little Castles: A Formstone Phenomenon . In The Baltimore Rowhouse , Mary Ellen Hayward and Charles Belfoure considered
8732-608: The first casualties of Civil War on April 19, 1861, when Union Army soldiers en route from President Street Station to Camden Yards clashed with a secessionist mob in the Pratt Street riot . In the midst of the Long Depression that followed the Panic of 1873 , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad company attempted to lower its workers' wages, leading to strikes and riots in the city and beyond . Strikers clashed with
8850-787: The government of Baltimore are located at the Baltimore City Archives . The Baltimore area had been inhabited by Native Americans since at least the 10th millennium BC , when Paleo-Indians first settled in the region. One Paleo-Indian site and several Archaic period and Woodland period archaeological sites have been identified in Baltimore, including four from the Late Woodland period . In December 2021, several Woodland period Native American artifacts were found in Herring Run Park in northeast Baltimore, dating 5,000 to 9,000 years ago. The finding followed
8968-400: The harbor to 480 feet (150 m) in the northwest corner near Pimlico . In the 2010 census, Baltimore has a total area of 92.1 square miles (239 km ), of which 80.9 sq mi (210 km ) is land and 11.1 sq mi (29 km ) is water. The total area is 12.1 percent water. Baltimore is almost surrounded by Baltimore County, but is politically independent of it. It
9086-578: The largest Amoco sign in the world , both before and after the company's demise, still stands. It stands at the intersection of Clayton Road, Skinker Boulevard, McCausland Avenue, and Interstate 64 (near the southwest corner of Forest Park , home of the St. Louis Zoo , the Saint Louis Art Museum and other prominent attractions). It is visible up to two miles away on the interstate. Most surviving Amoco stations are kept so BP can continue holding
9204-399: The largest urban redevelopment projects in the country. The waterfront development that includes the new headquarters for Under Armour, as well as shops, housing, offices, and manufacturing spaces is projected to create 26,500 permanent jobs with a $ 4.3 billion annual economic impact. Goldman Sachs invested $ 233 million into the redevelopment project. In the early hours of March 26, 2024,
9322-523: The late 1940s, after World War II, Indiana Standard returned to focusing on domestic oil refinement and advancement. In 1947, Indiana Standard was the first company to drill off-shore, in the Gulf of Mexico , and in 1948, Stanolind Oil invented Hydrafrac , a hydraulic well fracturing process that increased oil production worldwide. Initially the Hydrafrac process was licensed exclusively to Halliburton . By
9440-534: The late 1950s and early 1960s, Indiana Standard began to diversify its assets. It again led the way with scientific and technological discoveries. Indiana Standard discovered PTA , a chemical for polyester fiber production. In 1968, following that discovery, Indiana Standard acquired the Avisun Corporation and Patchogue-Plymouth, forming the Amoco Fabrics and Fibers Company. By 1992, the company
9558-419: The loan was a personal one. Pan American had been the lowest bidder for a contract to build and fill crude oil storage facilities at Pearl Harbor , and had offered to undertake this contract in exchange for the oilfield lease, being paid in oil and then paying royalties to the government for oil extracted in excess of costs. Eventually the Supreme Court nullified both leases. It was not until 1930 that Doheny
9676-449: The mid-to-late 1920s, American Oil chose to continue marketing its premium-grade "Amoco-Gas" (later Amoco Super-Premium) as a lead-free gasoline by using aromatics rather than tetraethyllead to increase octane levels. This was decades before the environmental movement of the early 1970s that led to more stringent auto-emission controls, which ultimately mandated the universal phase out of leaded gasoline . The "Amoco" lead-free gasoline
9794-430: The most significant buildings in this city, a treasure of art and architecture" by Baltimore magazine. The 1845 Greek Revival -style Lloyd Street Synagogue is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States . The Johns Hopkins Hospital , designed by Lt. Col. John S. Billings in 1876, was a considerable achievement for its day in functional arrangement and fireproofing. I.M. Pei's World Trade Center (1977)
9912-582: The nation's capital , before it returned to Philadelphia in March 1777. The Battle of Baltimore was pivotal during the War of 1812 , culminating in the failed British bombardment of Fort McHenry , during which Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that would become " The Star-Spangled Banner ", designated as the national anthem in 1931. During the Pratt Street Riot of 1861 , the city was the site of some of
10030-499: The new branding. Phillips Petroleum 's assets in the General American Oil Company, acquired in 1983, were later taken over by Amoco. Carlin's Amoco Station was built at Roanoke, Virginia , around 1947; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Standard of Indiana established operations in Venezuela during the 1920s under dictator Juan Vicente Gomez . However, by 1932, during
10148-692: The next fourteen years the well produced over 57 million barrels. The Mexican Petroleum Company eventually acquired ownership or leasehold rights to 1,500,000 acres (610,000 ha) of land. The Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company was incorporated by Doheny in Delaware in 1916 as the holding company for his Mexican Petroleum Company , Huasteca Petroleum Company and California oil properties. World War I drove up demand for oil-fueled transport, and Doheny responded by expanding pumps, tanks and loading sites in Tampico. By July 1917 Pan American had
10266-480: The northeast and maps distributed by Amoco in the late 1950s through 1960 showed both logos. In 1961, the torch and oval was redesigned with a flatter oval and a more contemporary torch design with the logo bearing the Standard or American name in the U.S. and the Amoco name outside the U.S. The next updated logo, in 1971, enhanced the previous one. It featured a blue bottom and a sleeker-looking torch. In addition,
10384-428: The plan was for all US BP service stations to be converted to Amoco while all overseas Amoco service stations were to be converted to BP. But by 2004, BP announced that all Amoco service stations would either be closed or renamed to BP service stations, including the remaining stations still bearing the "Standard" name. BP also chose to rename its gasolines with the Amoco name, changing its midgrade and premium offerings to
10502-467: The post-war boom. By 1971, all the divisions of Indiana Standard bore the Amoco name including American Oil which was renamed Amoco Oil with American stations renamed Amoco stations. By 1975, Amoco began phasing in the Amoco name in the old Indiana Standard sales territory. Standard Oil Company (Indiana) was officially renamed Amoco Corporation in 1985. Facilities, like the one in Casper, were renamed using
10620-728: The purchase of the Dixie Oil Company of Louisiana in 1919 and a one-third interest in Midwest Refining in 1920. By June 1921, Standard Oil owned 85% of Midwest’s stock. By 1922, the company also had facilities in Sugar Creek, Missouri; Wood River , Illinois; and Greybull, and Laramie in Wyoming. The Casper facility was the largest volume gasoline refinery in the world by this time, turning 1.35 million barrels of crude oil per month into 615,000 barrels of gasoline. In
10738-423: The rebrand, for a time the Amoco brand was retained as a sub-brand to the main BP helios logo, mainly in the form of the horizontal logo (used on signage as a smaller element beneath the price displays); the black background was replaced with green, to symbolize the new parent company. Although a few Amoco stations still use their former logo, most have since been converted to the BP livery. In St. Louis, Missouri ,
10856-479: The rowhouse as the architectural form defining Baltimore as "perhaps no other American city". In the mid-1790s, developers began building entire neighborhoods of the British-style rowhouses, which became the dominant house type of the city early in the 19th century. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball park, which opened in 1992 and was built as a retro style baseball park. Along with
10974-520: The subsequent growth in use of automobiles. For several years Pan American was the largest American oil company, with holdings in the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. In 1924 Pan American was involved in the Teapot Dome scandal over irregularities in the award of a U.S. government oil concession. Standard Oil of Indiana obtained a majority stake in 1925. The company sold its foreign properties to Standard Oil of New Jersey in 1932. What
11092-492: The surrounding counties through 1918, when the city acquired portions of Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County . A state constitutional amendment, approved in 1948, required a special vote of the citizens in any proposed annexation area, effectively preventing any future expansion of the city's boundaries. Streetcars enabled the development of distant neighborhoods areas such as Edmonson Village whose residents could easily commute to work downtown. Driven by migration from
11210-490: The trademarks for Amoco and Standard. In May 2008, United States BP stations mostly discontinued use of the "Amoco Fuels" logo as BP introduced its new brand of fuel, "BP Gasoline with Invigorate". BP still uses the Silver and Amoco Ultimate brands for its midgrade and premium gasolines. For the 2017 revival (see below), the Amoco logo got a new, modernized refresh to its "torch and oval" image. Baltimore Baltimore
11328-494: The two, Stewart was eventually ousted in March 1929. In 1921, Indiana Standard bought a half interest in the Sinclair Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of Sinclair Oil Corporation , which owned a network of crude oil pipelines in the midwestern United States. The stake in the Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company gave the company interest in the American Oil Company, which marketed half of PAT's oil in
11446-415: The use of gas lighting in 1816, and its population grew rapidly in the following decades, with concomitant development of culture and infrastructure. The construction of the federally funded National Road , which later became part of U.S. Route 40 , and the private Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B. & O.) made Baltimore a major shipping and manufacturing center by linking the city with major markets in
11564-615: The war effort, discovering new means of refinement and even a way of producing TNT more quickly and easily. In addition, Indiana Standard significantly contributed to the aviation and land gasoline needed for the Allied armies. Also, during the war Indiana Standard created its chemical division, formed from the merger of the Pan American Chemicals Company and the Indoil Chemical Company. In
11682-816: The water, and the bodies of the remaining six were all found by May 7. Replacement of the bridge was estimated in May 2024 at a cost approaching $ 2 billion for a fall 2028 completion. Baltimore is in north-central Maryland on the Patapsco River , close to where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay . Baltimore is located on the fall line between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic coastal plain , which divides Baltimore into "lower city" and "upper city". Baltimore's elevation ranges from sea level at
11800-463: The word "Standard" became italicized and thicker. This was used by Midwestern station owners who had the option of using the Amoco name (more familiar in the East and South ) or using the more familiar Standard name. Owners used it until they were converted to BP or another franchise. In the 1970s, both the Standard and Amoco brand icons were used on products (such as Amoco Roadmaps, Amoco Motorclub, and
11918-518: The world's largest industrial merger. Though billed as a merger of equals, BP held control of the new entity. Shareholder control was split 60/40 in favor of BP shareholders. The new company was also based on London, where BP was based, with BP chief executive Sir John Browne running the company. BP chairman Peter Sutherland and Amoco chairman Larry Fuller served as co-chairs. The consolidated company would also cut 6,000 jobs worldwide. The new company made efforts to further consolidate by announcing
12036-698: The worst of the Great Depression, the company sold its interests to Standard Oil of New Jersey . In 1958, Indiana again went overseas by signing a deal with Iran to develop oil interests in the Middle Eastern country. In the following decades, Amoco expanded globally, creating plants, oil wells , or markets in over 30 countries, including Italy , Australia (acquired by BP in 1984), Britain , Belgium , Brazil , Argentina , Mexico , South Korea , Taiwan , Norway , Venezuela , Russia , China , Trinidad and Tobago , and Egypt . In addition,
12154-453: Was a blue rectangle saying "STANDARD SERVICE" in white block letters. Concurrently, American Oil introduced in 1932, a logo which was the first to bear the name "Amoco". It featured an ellipse divided into three sections horizontally; the top and bottom were red, and the middle had a black background with white lettering. This logo was used in the northeastern U.S. A new logo was developed by Indiana Standard and introduced in 1946. It combined
12272-486: Was also interested in plans to develop the oil industry in Venezuela, and in building a pipeline from Colombia to Venezuela to make it more economical to export the Barco oil production from the west coast of Lake Maracaibo . In 1921 Pan American was the largest oil company in the United States, ahead of Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corporation and the Standard Oil Company of Indiana . Automobile production
12390-629: Was booming and oil prices were high. The Mexican Petroleum Company was the largest in Mexico, and Mexico was the largest oil producer in the world. In 1922 Albert B. Fall , U.S. Secretary of the Interior, leased the oil field at Elk Hills, California, to the Pan American Petroleum & Transport Company. Around the same time, the Teapot Dome Field in Wyoming was leased to Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corporation. Both oilfields were part of
12508-465: Was charged that they had deprived Pan American of profitable opportunities to drill and refine oil. The majority finding, setting an important precedent, was that it should be assumed that they had acted in good faith and without personal gains to themselves. In 1954 Pan American merged with Standard of Indiana to form the American Oil Company, Amoco . Amoco was in turn acquired by BP in 1998. The novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair published in 1927
12626-499: Was cleared of all charges. In 1923 Louis Blaustein and his son Jacob Blaustein sold a half interest in their American Oil Company to Pan American in exchange for a guaranteed supply of oil. Before this deal, American Oil had depended on Standard Oil of New Jersey , a competitor, for its supplies. At the end of 1923 Pan American had a net worth of $ 173 million, with net earnings that year of over $ 20 million. The company paid dividends of $ 20.4 million that year. On 1 April 1925
12744-525: Was erected by his son Isaac in 1822 after a design by William Howard and William Small. It reflects the popular interest in Greece when the nation was securing its independence and a scholarly interest in recently published drawings of Athenian antiquities. The Phoenix Shot Tower (1828), at 234.25 feet (71.40 m) tall, was the tallest building in the United States until the time of the Civil War, and
12862-652: Was left of Pan American was merged with Standard Oil of Indiana in 1954 to form Amoco . Edward L. Doheny was a prospector who became wealthy in the 1880s from silver mines in the Black Range of New Mexico. In 1892 he moved with his family to Los Angeles , where he sank a mine and found oil at the corner of Patton Street and West State Street. This began an oil boom in Los Angeles. Doheny overextended himself and his company went bankrupt in August 1896. The setback
12980-454: Was replaced by the American name. The Amoco name continued to be used outside the U.S. and as a brand on certain American Oil products. Soon after, the company began to expand. With an exploration office in Canada , Indiana Standard was now an international gas company. Indiana Standard created several new plants and claimed various new oil fields in this time period, as the company prospered in
13098-601: Was selected for the school's new home. After the building's opening in 2013, the design won additional honors including an ENR National "Best of the Best" Award. Baltimore's newly rehabilitated Everyman Theatre was honored by the Baltimore Heritage at the 2013 Preservation Awards Celebration in 2013. Everyman Theatre will receive an Adaptive Reuse and Compatible Design Award as part of Baltimore Heritage's 2013 historic preservation awards ceremony. Baltimore Heritage
13216-641: Was sold at American's stations in the eastern and southern U.S. alongside American Regular gasoline, which was a leaded fuel. By 1970, lead-free Amoco was introduced in the Indiana Standard marketing area in 1970. The Red Crown Regular and White Crown Premium (later Gold Crown Super Premium) gasolines marketed by parent company Standard Oil (Indiana) in its prime marketing area in the Midwest before 1961, also contained lead. By 1978, Amoco had phased out premium lead gas. In November 1986, amid pressures from
13334-621: Was temporary, and a long-term contract with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway gave him the opportunity to develop and expand a growing number of oil properties. In 1900 he visited Mexico with his associate Charles A. Canfield and Almon Porter Maginnis of the Santa Fe railroad, saw the oil potential of the country near Tampico, Tamaulipas and began acquiring property. Doheny found heavy oil in El Ebano in 1901, which he exported to
13452-494: Was these riots that led to the city being nicknamed "Mobtown". Soon after the city created the world's first dental college, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery , in 1840, and shared in the world's first telegraph line , between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. , in 1844. Maryland, a slave state with limited popular support for secession , especially in the three counties of Southern Maryland, remained part of
13570-623: Was trying to sell off its yarn factories in Alabama and Georgia. The company's Amoco Foam Products subsidiary made polystyrene cups, plates, carrying trays and other products. The division was sold to Tenneco in June 1996. In 1956, the Pan-Am stations in the southeastern U.S. were rebranded as Amoco stations. In 1961, Indiana Standard reorganized its marketing giving its American Oil Company unit responsibility for its retail operations nationwide under
13688-441: Was unveiled in 1926, after a competition. The logo featured a circle, representing strength, stability, and dependability, with the words "Standard Oil Company (Indiana)" in red. The inner circle represents the cycle of service to customers. The word Service was written in the inside of the circles. In addition, the logo also had a torch with a flame, symbolizing progress. This logo appeared on gas station buildings. The roadside sign
13806-844: Was used as hunting ground by Paleo-Indians . In the early 1600s, the Susquehannock began to hunt there. People from the Province of Maryland established the Port of Baltimore in 1706 to support the tobacco trade with Europe, and established the Town of Baltimore in 1729. During the American Revolutionary War , the Second Continental Congress , fleeing Philadelphia prior to its fall to British troops , moved their deliberations to Henry Fite House on West Baltimore Street from December 1776, to February 1777, permitting Baltimore to serve briefly as
13924-635: Was used as hunting grounds by the Susquehannock living in the lower Susquehanna River valley. This Iroquoian-speaking people "controlled all of the upper tributaries of the Chesapeake" but "refrained from much contact with Powhatan in the Potomac region " and south into Virginia. Pressured by the Susquehannock, the Piscataway tribe , an Algonquian-speaking people , stayed well south of
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