WITH 1995 near, naturally it's time to look back. But instead of just reviewing the past year, let's look at some key moments of the distant past for people, places and events that helped shape Baltimore.
* Forty-six years ago (March 25, 1949), the legendary Lexington Market burned down. The dilapidated stalls in the open-air market were replaced with two new, air-conditioned brick buildings in 1952. The market marks its 213th birthday in 1995.
* Forty-four years ago, the high-kicking chorus girls of the Club Charles performed in the last floor show in Baltimore's last New York-style nightclub. The club, which was located at Charles and Preston streets, took with it Baltimore's nightclub era. Comedian Dean Martin was among those who played at the premier downtown nightclub during its heyday.
* Thirty years ago the great Royal Theater, located in the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Ave., held its last major big stage show, which featured Count Basie and his orchestra on Jan. 6, 1965. The theater, which was open for more than 50 years, was part of a black circuit, including the Apollo in New York and the Howard in Washington. But many of the stars stopped traveling the circuit, and people were turning to television for entertainment. The list of stars who played the Royal included: Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway, Pearl Bailey, "Fats" Waller, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Nat "King" Cole, Ella Fitzgerald. In 1975, the theater was razed as part of the Upton renewal project.
* Twenty-six years ago, the last show at the Gayety Theater, a burlesque house known as "the Queen of the Block," had its successful run end. It was destroyed in an early morning fire, marking the end of burlesque theater in Baltimore and the beginning (some say) of the end of the Block's innocence. The Gayety, which opened in 1906 with a burlesque show -- just two years after the Great Baltimore Fire destroyed businesses in the area -- was the first of its kind. Soon after, penny arcades and vaudeville and movie theaters moved in, creating an entertainment district.
* Forty-three years ago, the last stage show was performed at the Hippodrome, located on Eutaw Street between Baltimore and Fayette streets. Pee Wee King and the Cowboys helped bring Baltimore's vaudeville era to an end. But we may get a chance to relive some of the grandeur of the Hippodrome. Mayor Schmoke wants to renovate it as part of his effort to create an "Avenue of the Arts," stretching from Oriole Park at Camden Yards to the Mount Royal cultural center.
* Forty-three years ago, the Bay Bridge (the first one) opened on July 30, 1952. The second Bay Bridge opened on June 28, 1973.
* Twenty-two years ago, Bickford's Restaurant at 3 N. Calvert St. closed. Bickford's was the indisputable headquarters -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- of Baltimore and Maryland's political establishment. While it was unimpressive on the outside, inside, kings were made and toppled, dynasties created and dissolved.
* Thirty-two years ago, the Civic Center, after a wild and stormy planning and development stage, finally opened. The city fathers had different ideas about where to build it. Among the locations seriously debated: Druid Hill Park, Lake Clifton and a span over the Jones Falls Expressway.
* Thirty-nine years ago, the gas street light era in Baltimore, which began in 1878, ended.
* Thirty-two years ago, the last streetcars disappeared from Baltimore's streets. The last line was the old No. 8, Towson to Catonsville.
* Twenty-seven years ago, then assistant state's attorney Joseph C. Howard broke the color barrier and ran for a position as a judge on the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City (now called the Circuit Court of Baltimore City). He was the first black person to run for that office and to put together a campaign strong enough to win it. Judge Howard served on the Supreme Bench until 1979, when he was named by President Carter to the U.S. District Court. In 1992, he took senior status.
* Twenty-four years ago, Abe Sherman left his famous newsstand location, at the south side of the Battle Monument downtown. He'd been a visible and vocal landmark since 1919. Some people date the beginning of the city's decline with the late Sherman's move.
* Twenty-two years ago, (Oct. 10, 1973) Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned as Richard Nixon's vice president after pleading no contest at the old federal court building, located at Fayette and Calvert streets. From there, he went to Sabatino's for dinner where he asked part-owner Joe Canzani, "Can you use a partner." He was forced from office over a federal income-tax charge.
So Saturday night, when you toast the old year out and the new one in, think of all the anniversaries coming up in 1995.