In 1844 , the Egyptian Saloon was the largest meeting room in Baltimore and as such it was chosen to be the venue of that year 's Democratic national convention . The room was a poor choice for the convention , as it was too small to comfortably fit all of the delegates , politicians , and spectators . As a result , the crowd spilled out onto the street . Furthermore , its acoustics were poor and the spectator gallery was described as being " as black as the hole of Calcutta " . During the convention , one delegate moved that the convention to be moved to a larger room in Baltimore , however , the organizing committee responded that there was not a larger room in the city
that year 's Democratic national convention
1844 Democratic National Convention
Odd Fellows Hall (Baltimore, 1831)