The Crown Cork & Seal building in Greektown is one of Baltimore’s hidden gems. With its high ceilings and industrial elevators, the 1.1 million square foot space maintains the feel of the original industrial interior, but is now used by artists, woodworkers, craftsmen, and coffee brewers.

The Clifton Mansion, which has anchored Baltimore’s Clifton Park communities for over 200 years, has an eighty-foot tower, grand black walnut staircase, marble floors and intricate woodwork.

Visitors will have a rare opportunity to visit both up close – as well as 49 other buildings whose architecture has shaped Baltimore’s built environment – at Doors Open Baltimore, a walking tour sponsored by AIA Baltimore and the Baltimore Architecture Foundation on October 24.

With “Undiscovered Baltimore” the theme, this year’s tour showcases little-known buildings around the city along with heretofore hidden features, as well as spaces within some well-known landmarks not regularly open to the public.

The one-day, free and family-friendly tour offers participants the opportunity to walk through and learn about dozens of historic and modern structures around Baltimore City, from Locust Point to Mount Washington.

Arch Social Club, Model Engineers Club

The event will offer visitors glimpses of local architectural gems, including views of the Tiffany glass displays in Brown Memorial Church in Bolton Hill, and an exclusive preview of the Lillie Carroll Jackson Museum set to open later this fall (the first privately owned museum in Baltimore named in honor of an African-American woman).

Also on the tour: a peek inside the Baltimore Society of Model Engineers’ meeting house, featuring the mid-Atlantic’s largest collection of model trains, and a visit to the 1781 Quaker Meeting House, Baltimore’s oldest surviving house of worship.

Baltimore’s Polish Home Club, Arch Social Club, the Creative Alliance (the former Patterson Theater), and Lithuanian Hall are among the other unique structures opening their doors to the public as part of Doors Open.

In addition to opening their doors, many sites will offer special programs for visitors, such as trained guides who will share insights and point out special features of the exteriors and interiors of the buildings.

Details about each building on the tour and special presentations can be found at http://doorsopenbaltimore.org/.

The 2015 Doors Open Baltimore Information Hub will be at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, at 1415 Key Hwy, which will be distributing a print guide for the event. Additional buildings and special tours continue to be added.

“Doors Open” events take place in cities around the world to promote heritage and enhance public appreciation of architecture and its place in history.