The Art of Steel
Family-Owned Baltimore Foundry Preserves Traditional Styles

 Listen to the Weekend All Things Considered story on G. Krug & Son.

View a video of Paul and Alexandra Krug working metal at their family's Baltimore foundry.

A 19th-century diagram for an ornate gate, created at the G. Krug & Son foundry. Courtesy G. Krug & Son Watch the video

Dec. 15, 2001 -- On Saratoga Street in downtown Baltimore, amid dozens of wig shops and nail salons -- right around the corner from the huge Lexington food market -- stands an old brick building. A tiny sign above the door reads "G. Krug & Son."

Inside this nondescript structure is a genuine piece of Baltimore history. For nearly 200 years, it's been the site of an iron forge and foundry, established in 1810 by German immigrant Augustus Schwatke.

Over the years, Schwatke's fellow immigrants Andrew Merker and Gustav Krug joined the business, until Krug took over entirely. His descendants run the ironworks to this day, specializing in ornamental ironwork.

Vintage design for an ornate key guard. Courtesy G. Krug & Son

The skills required are fast in decline in many parts of the industrial United States, but they're still much alive here, judging by the noise, heat and controlled chaos of the work floor.

Three brothers now run the shop -- Paul, Steve, and Pete Krug. Paul says demand for ornamental ironwork was highest in the Victorian age, when ornate fire screens, balconies and fences were crafted into works of art.

The Krug family labors today to preserve the original designs from that era. As a result, the brothers have created something of a niche market for themselves: artfully crafted security gates and screens.

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Other Resources

• The official Web site for the City of Baltimore.

• History of the City of Baltimore from the official Baltimore County Web site.