Sonneborn Building, also known as Paca-Pratt Building, a historic loft building in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
The Sonneborn Building is a nine-story factory structure built in 1905 on South Paca Street in Baltimore, designed in Neoclassical Revival style with reinforced concrete and buff-colored brick. Inside, the building features large open spaces with high ceilings and wide windows that were built to provide light and ventilation for manufacturing work.
The building was erected in 1905 as a factory for Henry Sonneborn and became the tallest and largest garment manufacturing facility in Baltimore at that time. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, acknowledging its importance in Baltimore's industrial history and architectural development.
The building served as a major workplace for Jewish immigrants arriving in Baltimore and gave many families their first opportunity to work. It reflects how labor relations evolved, as it introduced an early system where workers and managers could discuss concerns together.
The building is located in the Loft Historic District South, an area with several restored industrial buildings now serving different purposes. It sits in an accessible location within Baltimore's street grid and can be viewed from the sidewalk.
The factory produced up to 3,000 suits daily, a huge volume for that era, making it one of the country's leading garment manufacturers. Henry Sonneborn also pioneered an early labor board where workers and management could meet to discuss workplace issues together.
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