The Crown, the Cork, and the Ivy: A Very Baltimore Anniversary Toast

Next time you pry off the cap of a cold craft beer, raise a quiet toast to William Painter—Baltimore’s own bottling genius and one-time owner of the Calvert Street mansion that is now The Ivy Hotel. Painter, a prolific inventor with more than 85 patents to his name, changed the beverage world forever with his most famous creation: the “crown cork,” the world’s first disposable bottle cap.

This month, as The Ivy Hotel celebrates its 10th anniversary, Painter’s legacy lives on in a uniquely Baltimore way: Guilford Hall Brewery—located in the original Crown Cork & Seal factory at Guilford and Oliver Streets—is giving away two six-packs and a t-shirt to one lucky winner in honor of the hotel’s milestone and the man who once called it home.

Painter was nearly 50 when he patented the crown cork in the 1890s, revolutionizing bottling at a time when corks and plugs were messy, unsanitary, and slow. His invention didn’t just improve bottling—it helped fuel Baltimore’s rise as a brewing and manufacturing powerhouse. Crown Cork & Seal became an international juggernaut and a major local employer for much of the 20th century.

The factory where it all began? It’s now Guilford Hall Brewery, a European-style taproom where fresh local beers are brewed under the very rafters that witnessed the birth of modern bottling. With every pour, it honors Painter’s legacy—and, fittingly, still pays homage to the humble bottle cap that started it all.

Painter’s insight into the power of the disposable product even inspired a young traveling salesman named King Camp Gillette. “Why don’t you think of something like the crown cork,” Painter once suggested, “which, when once used, is thrown away?” Gillette took the advice to heart—and the rest is shaving history.

But William Painter wasn’t just shaping industries—he was shaping society, too. In the early 1900s, he purchased the Calvert Street mansion as a grand stage for his daughter Ethel’s debutante coming out. It was a social event that marked her entrance into society, and the home’s elegance matched the moment. Ethel’s presence is still felt at The Ivy today; her portrait hangs on the second floor, watching over a place that was once her home and is now a refined retreat for guests from all over the world.

While Crown Cork & Seal eventually outgrew its Baltimore facilities, the original factory stands proud, reincarnated as a place where you can sip small-batch brews surrounded by the ghosts of industrial genius. If these walls could talk, they’d probably offer you a lager and ask what you’ve patented lately.

So here’s to William Painter: inventor, gentleman, and accidental life coach to Gillette. Here’s to Guilford Hall Brewery, still capping off a good time. And here’s to ten years of The Ivy Hotel—where Baltimore history meets gracious hospitality and perfectly fluffed pillows.

Baltimore: the city that brought you cold beer, smooth chins, and The Ivy Hotel.