EXHIBIT 99.1

                 [ROSEMORE, INC. LETTERHEAD]



                                    March 6, 2000


STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Board of Directors of
Crown Central Petroleum Corporation
One North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Attention: Mr. Michael F. Dacey

Ladies and Gentlemen:

          As you are aware, on February 25, 1999, Crown Central Petroleum
Corporation (the "Company") announced that it had engaged Credit Suisse First
Boston Corporation ("CSFB") to act as its financial advisor and to provide the
Company with financial advice and assistance in evaluating strategic
alternatives.  Since that time, the Company with the assistance of CSFB has
been exploring strategic alternatives through a process in which we have not
been involved.  In light of our position as a significant shareholder of the
Company, and in anticipation of our need to review and respond in a timely
manner to any significant strategic alternative which might be proposed by the
Board of Directors of the Company, in December we formed a special committee of
our Board of Directors and charged that committee with the task of evaluating
our investment in the Company.  On January 18, 2000, representatives of CSFB,
after discussion with the independent members of the Company's Board of
Directors, invited us to make a proposal concerning the Company and offered to
make available to us information concerning the Company which previously had
been made available to other interested parties.  Following our execution of a
confidentiality agreement with you on January 26, 2000, we have been working
together with our legal and financial advisors to complete our preliminary due
diligence and determine whether we wished to make a proposal to you.  We have
devoted significant operating, financial, legal and accounting resources toward
this end.  Now that our preliminary work is concluded, the Board of Directors
of Rosemore, Inc. ("Rosemore") at a special meeting has determined that
Rosemore should submit this proposal to acquire (the "Acquisition") the Company
at a price of $8.35 for each share of Class A and Class B Common Stock of the
Company not owned by us (the "Per Share Purchase Price"), on the terms and
conditions set forth in this letter.



          In considering our proposal please be assured that our financial
advisors have met with senior management of the Company to identify certain
potential costs savings, and these have been taken into consideration and are
fully reflected in the Per Share Purchase Price.  In addition, the Per Share
Purchase Price assumes that in connection with the Acquisition there are, or
following the Acquisition there will be, no obligations of the Company with
respect to any outstanding options to purchase the Company's stock under the
Company's employee benefit plans.

          Our proposal is subject to (i) the negotiation of a mutually
acceptable merger agreement between us and the approval of the agreement by our
Board of Directors, (ii) the unanimous approval of the independent directors of
the Company, (iii) the approval of the transaction by the Company's
shareholders, and (iv) the receipt of all necessary governmental approvals.  We
do not foresee governmental approvals causing a delay in the timing of the
proposed transaction.  The merger would not be conditioned upon financing.

          We are prepared to move quickly to negotiate the definitive merger
agreement and to consummate the Acquisition.  As part of that process, we would
need to complete any required further due diligence, including our review of
certain important information which we have not previously had the opportunity
to review. While we have no reason to believe that any significant new issues
will be raised, we would like the opportunity to complete our review and, if
necessary, discuss their contents, with senior management of the Company.  We
have prepared a form of merger agreement that we are prepared to execute with
the Company, assuming that the disclosure schedule that you prepare in response
to the merger agreement does not disclose any material information which you
did not share with us during our due diligence investigation of the Company to
date.  If you wish to pursue our proposal, we will be pleased to provide you
with a copy of the form of merger agreement.

          Our proposal will expire at 5:00 p.m., Maryland time, on Friday,
March 10, 2000 or at such time as our proposal is rejected by or on behalf of
the Company.

          We reiterate that we are submitting this proposal because we have
been requested to do so by the Company.  We have not suggested, and by
submitting this proposal do not mean to suggest, that we would not give
favorable consideration to any alternative proposal made by a third party which
our Board of Directors believes meets our strategic and tax objectives and
considers fair to and in the best interests of Rosemore and its shareholders.

          This letter constitutes a non-binding proposal by us with respect to
the Acquisition, and accordingly we shall not have any obligation to you (other
than as provided in the confidentiality agreement previously executed by us)
with respect to our proposal or the Acquisition prior to the execution of a
definitive agreement.




          Please call Mr. Edward L. Rosenberg at Rosemore (410-347-7090), Mr.
Garfield L. Miller III at Aegis Muse Associates (212-245-2552), or Mr. John A.
Marzulli, Jr. at Shearman & Sterling (212-848-8590) if you would like to
discuss any aspect of our proposal.

                            Sincerely,

                            ROSEMORE, INC.


                            By:/s/ Edward L. Rosenberg
                               -----------------------
                            Name:  Edward L. Rosenberg
                            Title: President and Chief
                                   Executive Officer