Bloede Facts

1. Victor Gustav Bloede
   
   1. Bloede was a remarkable entrepreneur who not only made a significant contribution to Catonsville and Maryland, but the nation as well.
      
   2. He was born in Dresden, Germany in 1849 an emigrated to Brooklyn, New York as an infant.
      
   3. His father, Gustav, was a surgeon during the Civil War.
      
   4. Bloede worked days while attending the Cooper Institute, a unique educational and charitable institution "for the advancement of science and art" in New York City, where he studied chemistry and pharmaceutical preparations.
      
   5. In 1867, at the age of 17, he applied for his first patent in dextrin processes.
      
   6. By 1877 he moved to Baltimore and started the Bloede Company on Caton Ave.
      
2. The Glue
   
   1. Bloede is the inventor of the gum adhesive on US postage stamps – the source of his first fortune.
      
   2. By 1916 the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing contracted with Bloede for all the dextrin used for the gumming of stamps which lasted until 1987.
      
3. The Dye
   
   1. In 1888 he received international fame for his discovery of the process for dyeing textile fabrics in Sunfast colors. This was the first of its kind.
      
   2. Thanks to Bloede, the clothes you are wearing resist fading and maintain their color.
      
4. Family Man
   
   1. In 1883 he married Elise Schon of Toledo, OH, daughter of renowned architect, Carl Schon, Sr.
      
   2. They had five children: Marie, Carl, Ilse, Victor, Jr., and Vida.
      
5. Eden Terrace
   
1. Although Catonsville's origins begin with Charles Carroll of Carrollton and his son-in-law Richard Caton in 1810, Bloede played a significant role in establishing Catonsville as a thriving suburban community.
   
   1. Up until the 1850s Catonsville was a popular stopping place for wagons and stagecoaches traveling the Frederick Toll Road to Ellicott City and points beyond.
      
   2. From the 1850s to the 1880s Catonsville became a summer community for the wealthy and affluent of Baltimore City escaping the heat.
      
2. It wasn't until 1892 when Bloede established the Eden Construction Company, and began development of the community of Eden Terrace, did Catonsville begun to look like the homey suburb we know today.
   
   1. Eden Terrace consisted of over 50 plots with the intention of the homes to be year-round residences. Some would be palatial homes; others would be more modest cottages.
      
   2. His father-in-law Carl Schon, Sr., designed the community and at least six homes.
      
   3. Renowned Philadelphian architect William Lightfoot Price designed at three cottages in Eden Terrace.
      
3. The residents of Eden Terrace would have all of the modern conveniences, provided by Bloede, of course.
   
   1. Bloede brought electricity to not only Eden Terrace but Catonsville as well with the establishment of the Patapsco Light Co.
   2. In 1906 the Bloede Dam was built in Ellicott City to generate the power needed.
   3. It was one of the first concrete enforced dams in the country.
      
   4. The Eden Terrace Water Company, via an artesian well, provided water.
      
   5. Bloede had the foresight in 1899 to bring develop Catonsville & Ellicott City Electric Railway.
      
      1. Not only did this guarantee Eden Terrace residents convenient travel to and from Baltimore, it assured the continual growth of Catonsville as a suburb of Baltimore City.
         
4. Arden
   
   1. One of the first homes to be built in Eden Terrace was Bloede's home known as Arden.
      
      1. Designed by Carl Schon, Sr.
         
      2. Construction completed in 1893.
         
      3. Made of stone, five-story tower, an observation deck with views of Baltimore as well as Annapolis.
         
      4. It was often referred to as a masterpiece of Queen Anne Architecture while others argue it was of a baroque Saxon style.
         
   2. In December 1922 the Bloede family would be struck by two tragedies in as many days.
      
      1. On December 22 of that year Victor Bloede Jr. died of pneumonia.
         
      2. The next day Arden caught fire and burned to the ground.
         
      3. Bloede was devastated.
         
5. Arden II
   
1. In 1924 a new Arden was built, much different from its baronial predecessor.
   
   1. The new Arden is believed to have been built to be fire proof with its 18 inch walls and copper roof.
      
2. The property stayed in the family until the 1960s.