Client, Year

Weller Development (formerly Sagamore Development), 2017

Services

Wayfinding
Architectural Signage
Illustration

Awards / Press

Photography

Sagamore Pendry Baltimore

Celebrating Baltimore in brass and steel

“An homage to yesterday, a nod to tomorrow”—that was the vision for the Sagamore Pendry, the luxury destination built on Baltimore’s famous Recreation Pier in Fells Point. The renovated building opened as a 128-room, world-class boutique hotel with the goal of attracting both international and local guests. To help it come to life, Ashton collaborated with Finndustry and Patrick Sutton to design all signage, dimensional graphics, and feature walls with a sense of rich history and global appeal. 

To best complement the incredible spaces, textures, and materials defined by the architect and interior designer, we aimed to create functional signs that felt like works of art. This duality mirrored our conceptual approach of marrying Baltimore’s gritty maritime history with Pendry’s forward-thinking approach to luxury.  

“Design ingenuity has tapped every asset this gorgeous 1914 structure held...a knockout amenity.”

The Baltimore Sun 

Upon entry, guests are greeted by a steel typographic installation of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” composed by Francis Scott Key just 1,000 feet from the hotel’s location during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. The backlit wall is laser-cut from three seven-gauge steel plates. A slight overlap in the letters provides structural integrity while remaining readable. 

The entry corridor to the hotel lobby features nine brass medallions on oak wall panels. Each represents an aspect of Baltimore’s cultural heritage: a horse, a marble stoop, the Baltimore flag, a maritime star, a raven, a baseball player, Edgar Allan Poe, a blue crab, and an anchor. We illustrated each icon in a geometric style for a distinct look that fits with the rest of the sign family.

The level of detail applied to each signage element goes beyond wayfinding into world-creating. For the wall directionals, each piece of solid brass was blackened, then only the letters were polished to create a high-contrast look. The effect not only helps guests navigate the space, it also reinforces that they are at a true destination.

“This hotel provides a level of sophistication and gives people a reason to dress up.”

The New York Times

Local craftsmen at Gutierrez Studios handmade the brass room identification signs. Their nautical design is an homage to the site’s former life as a commercial port.

Signage elements act like jewels throughout the hotel—stunning discoveries that complement the grit and meaning of the place. 

Today, Sagamore Pendry is one of the most visited spots in Baltimore. Upon opening in 2017, it won the Lyftie Award for Trending Destination. In the years since, numerous awards and honors have been bestowed upon the project, including being a Gold Key Award finalist for the Best Luxury Boutique Hotel by Boutique Design magazine.

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PO Box 50337, Balt., MD 21211

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