Legacy, Reimagined: The Browns, The Ivy, and a Mansion Full of Stories
Some stories begin with a spark of invention. Others with a vision of what could be.
The Ivy Hotel is rooted in both. Once the home of William Painter, Baltimore's inventor of the crown cork—the humble yet world-changing bottle cap—the Calvert Street mansion has long been a place where ideas took shape. And today, under the care of owners Eddie and Sylvia Brown, that legacy of vision continues.
The Browns are no strangers to making things possible. Eddie Brown, founder of Brown Capital Management, is one of the country’s most respected Black financiers. Together with Sylvia, the Browns have long used their success to uplift others, especially in their beloved Baltimore. The Ivy was never meant to be just a hotel. It was a love letter, a way to show that luxury could exist here, in the heart of the city, with beauty, soul, and intention.
When they acquired the mansion in the early 2000s, the Browns saw beyond its faded grandeur. They imagined something new: a space that celebrated art and history, yes—but also warmth, quiet elegance, and profoundly personal hospitality. The kind of place where guests could truly exhale. Where they’d feel cared for, not just served. And where Black ownership in luxury hospitality wasn’t just present, but leading.
You can feel their influence in every corner. In the hand-painted walls. In the curated library. In the intimate, candlelit restaurant tucked just beyond the grand staircase. And perhaps most meaningfully, in The Ivy’s spirit of storytelling.
Just a short walk from the hotel, one of Baltimore’s most famous storytellers rests in the churchyard on Fayette Street. Edgar Allan Poe, who spent his final years in the city, wove tales of mystery and memory; two things The Ivy holds close. There’s something about the house itself that feels like a page turned slowly, as if each guest adds their line to the story. As if the past and present are always in quiet conversation.
For years, a mysterious visitor would leave a glass of cognac on Edgar Allan Poe’s grave, an anonymous tribute to a man whose stories still haunt Baltimore’s cobblestone corners. William Painter, the original owner of The Ivy’s mansion, was said to enjoy a good drink himself. Today, The Ivy continues the quiet tradition of reverence and ritual through its partnership with Uncle Nearest, a remarkable whiskey that honors the first known African American master distiller. It’s a fitting pour in a house built on legacy, craft, and stories worth savoring.
The Ivy Hotel isn’t just a beautiful place to stay. It’s a place with a purpose. A place where past meets present with grace. And a place where the Browns’ vision for a more vibrant, more generous Baltimore continues to unfold—one guest, one conversation, one quiet, luxurious moment at a time.
