1.) Water Street
2.) Spinnaker Bay
3.) Aquarium Expansion
4.) UM Dental School (btw they are showing the old dental school as a shadow because it is going to be torn down when the new school is done)
5.) ?
6.) ?
7.) Inside atrium of the new H&J Weinberg building at Univ. of MD Hospital (btw the pharmacy I did my last internship is in the bottom right of that pic)
8.) Parking garage across from Mercy Hosp. (not sure the address)
9.) ?
10.) ?
11.) Ritz Carlton residences (looks really nice with Federal Hill behind it)
12.) Extended Stay hotel on Light St.
13.) Harbor East (Spinnaker/ Marriot/ Four Seasons)
14.) ?
15.) MICA building
16.) Market Center at Howard and Lombard
17.) Science Center





5 I BELIEVE IS THE OLD UFG BUILDING ON CALVERT ST AND THEY BUILT A PARKING STRUCTURE NEXT DOOR TO LOOK LIKE THE OFFICES.
6 I THINK IS THE CAMDEN YARDS HOTEL ON GREEN AND PRATT STS. TO BE CONSTRUCTED THIS YEAR
9 I BELIEVE IS THE OLD BGE BUILDING WHICH IS SLATED FOR APARTMENTS

6. A black and white scketch of the facade of the Saratoga Court apartment building on Saratoga St. 1 block over from N. Calvert St.

10. A water colour rendering of one of those buildings on the west side of Howard St. south of Franklin St. that sometime ago where slated to be converted into artists lofts or condos.

13. A small rectangular rendering of the new Four Seasons development and directly below it the facade of the old Masonic temple on N.Charles St. that is being renovated for use as a catering facility by the Tremont Hotel which is directly to the east of it and also that new parking structure, which by my count is number 8 on the list.

Hi, Hugh.
How about these? :D
http://www.mraintl.com/images/Finalv4%20copy.jpg

http://www.amiaga.com/images/Public006.jpg

http://www.3d-fusion.com/casestudies/study1a2b-b.jpg

GREAT NEWS!

"N.Y. developer gets prime west side project"

Heather Harlan
Staff
The Baltimore Development Corp. named three development teams on Tuesday to transform a large swath of the city's west side.


The largest part of the site, which is bounded by West Clay, West Fayette, Howard and Liberty streets, will be redeveloped by the Chera Feil Goldman Group of New York.

That team is planning a 225-unit residential complex with about 65,000 square feet of retail space. Although the original cost of the project was estimated at $60 million, the New York developers said at a press conference Tuesday that the number will likely double.

M.J. "Jay'' Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., said the negotiations with the development groups have just started, and land acquisition costs as well as the possibility of public funding have not been determined.

Also selected were Carmel Realty Associates of Philadelphia and the French Development Co. of Baltimore. Carmel Realty will renovate their properties at 117-121 N. Howard St. with ground-floor retail that can be accessed by West Lexington Street.

The French Development Co. will redevelop the southern portion of the block between Park Avenue, Fayette, Marion and Liberty streets into a 25,000-square-foot office building with ground-level retail. Marks, Thomas & Associates Inc. of Baltimore is serving as the architect on that particular project.

The Baltimore Development Corp. decided not to award the final piece of the project to a Washington, D.C., outfit called Federal Development LLC, which responded to original requests for proposals.

"Ourselves and some others questioned whether they were the right people for it,'' Brodie said. Federal Development had proposed a residential and retail combination.

The Baltimore Business Journal first reported in October 2004 (See: http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2004/10/25/story1.html) that the WestSide Renaissance, an organization backed by Orioles owner Peter Angelos, wanted the Baltimore Development Corp. to scrap the original proposals and solicit new plans.

Lloyd Goldman, president of BLDG Management Inc. in New York City, said his west side proposal is not his first investment in Baltimore. Several years back, the developer said, he and his father had invested in some Crown gas stations.

He was drawn to downtown Baltimore because of its increasing number of residents and the harbor. "All of that works,'' he said. "I'm a city dweller in New York. Just mixing the culture and diversity. There's nothing like it.''

Goldman is one of the largest real estate owners in New York, investing in properties such as the World Trade Center redevelopment with Larry Silverstein, the Four Seasons and Peninsula hotels as well as more than 150 residential and commercial buildings.

His partner, Isaac Chera, also has extensive experience. He is president of Next Generation Chera LLC, the owner and developer of inner city and suburban retail projects in cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia and Toronto. In New York, the firm is recognized for redeveloping large portions of Brooklyn.

The development group said it has many relationships with national retailers, and hopes to bring them to Baltimore.



© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

Speaking of Mt. Vernon, I found this little gem through the City Paper, that I had no idea existed. That area is so historic but has barely begun to realize its true potential as a really livable historic area with some magnifisent architecutre. I mean how many places in North America can boast of outstanding buildings like the Basilica and the Washington Monument in close proximity to name only a few!

http://www.madisonflats.com

As for the name that project. The first one is an early rendering of the area where Victor's cafe is and where the new Four Seasons is going in, the second is the Metro West S.S. complex and the third that looks so awful that it looks down right suburban I haven't a clue but hopefully that will NEVER come to be realized!

Speaking of Mt. Vernon, I found this little gem through the City Paper, that I had no idea existed. That area is so historic but has barely begun to realize its true potential as a really livable historic area with some magnifisent architecutre. I mean how many places in North America can boast of outstanding buildings like the Basilica and the Washington Monument in close proximity to name only a few!

http://www.madisonflats.com

Sometimes I get aggravated. I walk through Mt Vernon on most weekdays on the way to or from lunch and I can't believe that it isn't widely known as one of the great urban spaces in the US. Such an amazing confluence of gilded age buildings should be the Venice of the US. It's walkable, civilized, human in scale with diverse architecture, culture, retail, restaurants. I'd love to see people finally realize just what a gem it is and give the area its due.

As for the name that project. The first one is an early rendering of the area where Victor's cafe is and where the new Four Seasons is going in, the second is the Metro West S.S. complex and the third that looks so awful that it looks down right suburban I haven't a clue but hopefully that will NEVER come to be realized!

The third one is a mystery. I've never seen anything like that proposed in Baltimore. It appears to be sitting in a big field with mountains in the distance. Maybe it's the part of Baltimore that borders Colorado.

LOL!!! :D :D :laugh:

The third one...is that possibly an early proposal for the Memorial Stadium site?

City enhances west-side revival plan
3 development teams picked for 'superblock'
By Jill Rosen
Sun Staff
Originally published February 2, 2005

City development officials unveiled a more expansive plan yesterday for the linchpin of Baltimore's west-side redevelopment efforts, the cluster of key streets known as the "superblock."

Though west-side revitalization efforts have stalled at times, developers charged with overhauling the superblock showed they're confident enough about the area's prospects to bump up the scale of their original plan for bringing stores and apartments to the once-vibrant commercial arteries of Lexington and Fayette streets.

The Baltimore Development Corp. has assigned to three development teams, led by a group from New York, the renovation project of more than $100 million, which officials hope will bring life back to the largely bypassed area, helping to link Charles Center and the city's downtown core with the University of Maryland.

Since rough plans for the superblock were released last fall, the New York development team said that its investment commitment has doubled, and that the number of apartments it wants to bring to the area could nearly triple, to as many as 700 units.

"When we looked at how the city circled this blighted area, I said this is the core, and nobody's touching it," said developer Stanley Chera. "We have grand plans for great retail, restaurants, residences and a cultural area."

Proponents of the city's west-side renewal - while acknowledging that efforts have plodded - cite the reopening last year of the Hippodrome Theater and to Centerpoint, a residential and retail development not far from the superblock, as proof of progress.

But the magnitude of the superblock, in both investment dollars and what it could mean for west-side momentum, surpasses that of the other landmarks, officials say.

The 3.6-acre superblock territory, within Howard, Fayette, Clay, Park and Liberty streets, includes 51 properties. Most, but not all, of that area will be redeveloped under the proposal.

"This is the block that links everything," said Ron Kreitner, executive director of WestSide Renaissance. "The superblock is one of the most significant development opportunities in the area."


Historic scope

The city's sweeping plans to rejuvenate the west side is easily the most significant project it has undertaken since the Inner Harbor, said M.J. "Jay" Brodie, the BDC's president.

But, to succeed, development officials must determine how to lure people to the area to live and then give them reason to stay.

While the city has made progress with residential development, retail has been much more elusive.

"We can't get [the retail] without people living and working around it," Brodie said, adding that the interest in the superblock demonstrates that the balance might be tilting the city's way. "We think we now are in sight of that critical mass of a customer base."

The vast majority of the superblock will be developed by the New York team consisting of the Chera, Feil and Goldman families of New York. Two other developers will join them - Carmel Realty Associates of Philadelphia will renovate properties that Carmel owns on Howard and Lexington streets, and Baltimore's French Development Co. will build a five-story office building with street-level retail on a small parcel at Fayette and Liberty streets.

The New York builders have a history handling urban retail developments, with projects including malls and strip shopping centers in Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Though its plans aren't firm, Goldman said that the price tag for his group's share of the project, earlier thought to be $60 million, might now be "twice that." And though the developers were initially shooting for about 300 rental units, they now would like to have as many as 700 scattered through the superblock site, including efficiencies or studios to appeal to young and single people.

For the retail element of the plan, the youthful and fashion-forward bargain retailer H&M is a likely prospect, they said. "It's a pretty good match between what they look for and what this location has to offer," Goldman said.

A grocery store is also a possibility, the developers added.

Not everyone applauds the plan.

Attorney John C. Murphy, who represents nine of the store owners who might lose their businesses to make room for redevelopment, said he worries that new will trample old.

The city has the right of eminent domain to seize properties for the redevelopment zone.

"I feel so badly for them, they've been under the condemnation gun since 1999," Murphy said of the businesses.

Brodie and the developers said that they plan to keep some of the older stores to create a dynamic mix of national and local retail, but that not every current retailer can stay.

Murphy is leading those businesses in a suit against the BDC, challenging its closed-door decision making and specifically its decision in a private meeting last fall to choose the superblock developers. As a quasi-public agency, the BDC contends it is not subject to open-meeting laws.

Murphy and the shop owners are asking the court to invalidate the BDC's superblock decisions. The matter is scheduled to be heard Feb. 18 in Baltimore Circuit Court.

Brodie said he does not believe that the dispute will affect the superblock's progress. "We don't see it inhibiting in any way the city's ability to move forward," he said.


Old buildings' fate

Meanwhile, preservationists worry that historic buildings will fall to make way for the new apartments and stores.

Though a city ordinance protects certain historic west-side properties - including many in the superblock zone - other buildings there deserve protection, historians say.

Officials with the Maryland Historic Trust, Preservation Maryland and Baltimore Heritage have written to the BDC, urging it to preserve more than the bare minimum of buildings dictated in the ordinance.

"This isn't historic restoration. This is adaptive reuse," Brodie said. "Some buildings are adaptable, and some are not. One shouldn't imagine that every last building will be kept."

City enhances west-side revival plan
3 development teams picked for 'superblock'
By Jill Rosen
Sun Staff
Originally published February 2, 2005

City development officials unveiled a more expansive plan yesterday for the linchpin of Baltimore's west-side redevelopment efforts, the cluster of key streets known as the "superblock."

Though west-side revitalization efforts have stalled at times, developers charged with overhauling the superblock showed they're confident enough about the area's prospects to bump up the scale of their original plan for bringing stores and apartments to the once-vibrant commercial arteries of Lexington and Fayette streets.

The Baltimore Development Corp. has assigned to three development teams, led by a group from New York, the renovation project of more than $100 million, which officials hope will bring life back to the largely bypassed area, helping to link Charles Center and the city's downtown core with the University of Maryland.

Since rough plans for the superblock were released last fall, the New York development team said that its investment commitment has doubled, and that the number of apartments it wants to bring to the area could nearly triple, to as many as 700 units.

"When we looked at how the city circled this blighted area, I said this is the core, and nobody's touching it," said developer Stanley Chera. "We have grand plans for great retail, restaurants, residences and a cultural area."

Proponents of the city's west-side renewal - while acknowledging that efforts have plodded - cite the reopening last year of the Hippodrome Theater and to Centerpoint, a residential and retail development not far from the superblock, as proof of progress.

But the magnitude of the superblock, in both investment dollars and what it could mean for west-side momentum, surpasses that of the other landmarks, officials say.

The 3.6-acre superblock territory, within Howard, Fayette, Clay, Park and Liberty streets, includes 51 properties. Most, but not all, of that area will be redeveloped under the proposal.

"This is the block that links everything," said Ron Kreitner, executive director of WestSide Renaissance. "The superblock is one of the most significant development opportunities in the area."


Historic scope

The city's sweeping plans to rejuvenate the west side is easily the most significant project it has undertaken since the Inner Harbor, said M.J. "Jay" Brodie, the BDC's president.

But, to succeed, development officials must determine how to lure people to the area to live and then give them reason to stay.

While the city has made progress with residential development, retail has been much more elusive.

"We can't get [the retail] without people living and working around it," Brodie said, adding that the interest in the superblock demonstrates that the balance might be tilting the city's way. "We think we now are in sight of that critical mass of a customer base."

The vast majority of the superblock will be developed by the New York team consisting of the Chera, Feil and Goldman families of New York. Two other developers will join them - Carmel Realty Associates of Philadelphia will renovate properties that Carmel owns on Howard and Lexington streets, and Baltimore's French Development Co. will build a five-story office building with street-level retail on a small parcel at Fayette and Liberty streets.

The New York builders have a history handling urban retail developments, with projects including malls and strip shopping centers in Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Though its plans aren't firm, Goldman said that the price tag for his group's share of the project, earlier thought to be $60 million, might now be "twice that." And though the developers were initially shooting for about 300 rental units, they now would like to have as many as 700 scattered through the superblock site, including efficiencies or studios to appeal to young and single people.

For the retail element of the plan, the youthful and fashion-forward bargain retailer H&M is a likely prospect, they said. "It's a pretty good match between what they look for and what this location has to offer," Goldman said.

A grocery store is also a possibility, the developers added.

Not everyone applauds the plan.

Attorney John C. Murphy, who represents nine of the store owners who might lose their businesses to make room for redevelopment, said he worries that new will trample old.

The city has the right of eminent domain to seize properties for the redevelopment zone.

"I feel so badly for them, they've been under the condemnation gun since 1999," Murphy said of the businesses.

Brodie and the developers said that they plan to keep some of the older stores to create a dynamic mix of national and local retail, but that not every current retailer can stay.

Murphy is leading those businesses in a suit against the BDC, challenging its closed-door decision making and specifically its decision in a private meeting last fall to choose the superblock developers. As a quasi-public agency, the BDC contends it is not subject to open-meeting laws.

Murphy and the shop owners are asking the court to invalidate the BDC's superblock decisions. The matter is scheduled to be heard Feb. 18 in Baltimore Circuit Court.

Brodie said he does not believe that the dispute will affect the superblock's progress. "We don't see it inhibiting in any way the city's ability to move forward," he said.


Old buildings' fate

Meanwhile, preservationists worry that historic buildings will fall to make way for the new apartments and stores.

Though a city ordinance protects certain historic west-side properties - including many in the superblock zone - other buildings there deserve protection, historians say.

Officials with the Maryland Historic Trust, Preservation Maryland and Baltimore Heritage have written to the BDC, urging it to preserve more than the bare minimum of buildings dictated in the ordinance.

"This isn't historic restoration. This is adaptive reuse," Brodie said. "Some buildings are adaptable, and some are not. One shouldn't imagine that every last building will be kept."


This is great news. Now hopefully the typical Baltimore development problems (Historic preservationists and 'Ol Bawlmer' Folk) will not stand in the way of this project. Its great we are getting New York money into Baltimore. That is key to the redevelopment of the city. This area of the city is so grimey and needs a big facelift and should be brought to modern times. One day we will be able to hang out on the West Side.

I was reading through the Balt. Sun and the had this short "cute" little story


Pub almost honored

Developers who plan to build an eight-story, 126-room hotel at Washington Boulevard and Greene Street told city officials last week that they would name it The Inn at Camden Yards in honor of the nearby ballpark.

But Rob Meeks, a partner with Next Realty Mid-Atlantic of Alexandria, Va., told the Board of Estimates that the name could have reflected another local landmark that sits close by and is almost as well-known as the park.

"We thought about calling ourselves The Inn at Pickles Pub," he said.

- Laura Vozzella


Cute story, however, I had not even really heard much about this project..
does anyone know anything about this?

Never heard of that one. :D

The Inn at Camden Yards would be located right next to the proposed Zenith apartment building and has been in the planning for over two years.

The Inn is on a rather aggressive build-out schedule...while there is some hope they can begin construction in April, progress might be delayed until June...partly due to two development hurdles Next Realty Mid-Atlantic needs to overcome. It is crucial for their pro forma that timing be geared for a opening date during the peak tourist season rather than off-peak. Another issue has been hotel operator/name; uncertainty due to recent industry consolidation has been a thorn for most of the industry...

Neat. Thanks, Eerik. :)

Development update:
RETAIL AND RESIDENTIAL :)

DOWNTOWN RETAIL UPDATE

Here are the latest Downtown retail developments and announcements:

- 7-11 has opened at Centerpoint at 300 W. Baltimore Street.
- Adrienne Vittadini, an upscale women’s clothing store, has opened at The Gallery at 200 E. Pratt Street.
- Blimpie Subs & Salads and Subway will both open new stores in the 300 block of N. Charles Street.
- Blu Bambu, an Asian eatery, is a recent addition to the Power Plant complex at 621 E. Pratt Street.
- Gaines McHale is moving its antiques showroom from Federal Hill to the E.J. Codd Building in Harbor East.
- Gambrino's of Spain opened its Spanish delivery and carryout at 885 N. Howard Street.
- Five Guys Famous Burgers & Fries will be opening soon at 517 N. Charles.
- Office Depot began construction on its second Downtown location at 100 N. Charles Street.
- Pazo, serving Mediterranean tapas, opened recently in the E.J. Codd Building at 1425 Aliceanna Street in Harbor East.
- Ramshead Live!, an 1800-person concert venue, is now open at Power Plant Live! at 35 Market Place.
- The Twenty Third Degree Restaurant & Wine Bar at 1225 Cathedral Street is now open for lunch and dinner.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DOWNTOWN LIVING UPDATE
Mt. Vernon:
- Twelve new loft apartments in The McDowell Building at 339 N. Charles Street are now leasing. Call 410.539.6565.

- The Lofts at Copra, two apartments above the popular Downtown restaurant located at 313 N. Charles Street, are also now leasing. Click here for information.

- Reservations are now being taken for Symphony Center Apartments at 1020 Park Avenue, a 136-unit tower that is nearing completion. Call 410.783.7200.

- The Printer’s Square development was recently announced for 1312 Guilford Avenue. When complete in early 2006, 60 new loft apartments will occupy a former fire station and Waverly Press Building.

- The former Fair Lanes Bowling Center at 602 N. Howard Street was recently acquired with plans to convert the building to 50 loft apartments.

Westside:
Reservations are also being taken for Camden Court Apartments, a new 221-unit building at 300 W. Lombard Street that will be ready in late summer. Visit camdencourtapts.com.

Waterfront:
The first units in Spinnaker Bay at 801 Aliceanna Street in Harbor East will be ready this spring. Visit spinnakerbaycondo.com.

Development News:
The Baltimore Development Corporation has awarded two major development projects that will add hundreds of new residential units to Downtown over the next few years.

- CityScape Tower at Calvert and Lombard streets in City Center is a 300-unit, 35-story high-rise planned to open in 2007.

- The Westside Superblock was awarded to a team of developers that plan approximately 300 apartments or condominiums, with retail and parking, at Lexington and Howard streets.

Congratulations to Partnership members The Shelter Group and Mark Sapperstein Company, both of Baltimore, on CityScape and to New York-based Next Generation Chera, LLC on the Superblock award.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice above it said a "35 story" tower for CityScape. Is it a typo or fact? :?

camdencourtapts.com = the Market Ceter-West apts. I actually like Camden Court much better than Market Center West.

What is a "Spanish delivery and carryout? Do they sell tapas to go?

What is Gambino's of Spain, a Spanish Burger King or something? The name sounds more Italian than Spanish to me.

It's great to see those beautiful beauxs arts buildings on Charles Street finally coming back to life as residences.

camdencourtapts.com = the Market Ceter-West apts. I actually like Camden Court much better than Market Center West.

I did not know that. :)

Read Banana Republic Men and Womens's clothes will open in Spinaker Bay this summer.


I did not know that. :)

Mechanic Theater's role appears likely to change
City property was sold to developer considering renovations, replacement
By Jill Rosen and Lorraine Mirabella
Sun Staff
Originally published February 5, 2005

The Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, once the keystone of downtown redevelopment efforts, has been sold to a parking facilities developer and faces an uncertain future that ranges from conversion to a movie theater to becoming rubble.

One West Baltimore Street Associates, headed by Arrow Parking co-owners Benjamin and Melvin Greenwald, purchased the 38-year-old blocky edifice at Charles and Baltimore streets for $6 million last month from the estate of Morris A. Mechanic. The theater complex, which had stopped staging productions in summer, had been on the market since December.

The new owners are considering a gamut of possibilities for the site - everything from a first-run movie theater to a smaller-scale theatrical venue to tearing down the structure and starting from scratch.

"All options are open," Benjamin Greenwald said. "We like the piece of real estate and where it's situated. It's an exciting challenge, and an opportunity to take those vacant areas and find some good applications, which will enhance the city."

Dwarfed and outmoded by the freshly refurbished Hippodrome Theatre just a few blocks west, the 1,614-seat Mechanic closed in July when its contract with Clear Channel Entertainment expired. Clear Channel was concentrating its lineup of Broadway shows at the 2,286-seat Hippodrome, built to accommodate such large touring operations.

However, when it opened on Jan. 16, 1967, as the anchor onto which the city hung its hopes for the fledgling Charles Center renewal zone, the Mechanic was considered a cutting-edge showplace, and its house, designed by John Johansen, a bold demonstration of modern architecture.

The intent of the dramatic package? Bring people back to a sagging city center.

Walter Sondheim, who served on the team that developed both Charles Center and the Inner Harbor, said, at the time, people were deserting downtown and the Mechanic was critical to turning that around.

"It was an important architectural statement in the city," Sondheim said. "This was a key factor in the redevelopment of downtown."

With downtown Baltimore fighting similar battles today, Sondheim hopes the Mechanic has a continuing role to play there, perhaps as a smaller venue to complement the Hippodrome.

"It would be wonderful if we could keep two theaters alive," he said.

At the peak of the Mechanic's popularity in 1984, the theater's subscription base surged to more than 22,000. By the 2002-2003 theater season - the last before the Hippodrome opened - subscribers had dropped to 3,731.

In addition to the theater, the 230,000-square-foot complex at 25 Hopkins Plaza includes a block of street-level shops along Baltimore Street, a vacant food court that opens onto Hopkins Plaza, and an underground parking garage with just over 200 spaces.

Though the parking component was the investment draw for Arrow, which has leased and managed the garage for 20 years, Greenwald said the whole of the Mechanic facility offers the firm a chance to expand in new directions.

"We really have to ... see what the market will bear and what makes sense," Greenwald said.

Terri Harrington, who has been leasing the site for the Mechanic estate for six years and will continue to do so for Arrow, said there is already interest in both the food court and the theater. Harrington, who works for The Shapiro Co., said she has had no trouble leasing the storefronts along Baltimore Street.

Topping the list of possibilities for the theater, she said, are a movie theater or a concert hall.

Because of the expense involved in modernizing and maintaining the aging Mechanic, a smaller theatrical player - such as a community or collegiate theater group - would appear to have little chance of making ends meet there. Furthermore, it would be nearly impossible to use the windowless building for a non-entertainment use.

"It's a complicated property," Harrington said.

Some retail development experts doubt the viability of either a movie theater or a concert venue. If the developers of Harbor East, just east of the Inner Harbor, construct a movie theater as planned, it might be difficult for another downtown theater to compete.

"All the other movie theaters downtown are gone," said Thomas H. Maddux IV, president of a Baltimore commercial real estate brokerage firm. "Is it time for another? Maybe. I don't know. It's a very well-located, valuable piece of real estate, but I don't know what it wants to be."

Business and development officials say that design challenges aside, the site has potential.

M.J. "Jay" Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., would like to see restaurants brought back to the food court and the theater somehow retrofitted into a 700 or 800-seat auditorium for local or regional theater and music groups.

Rebecca Gagalis, executive director of Charles Street Development Corp., a group charged with revitalizing Charles Street, said that after a "facelift," the building could make a great movie theater, a theater and pub combination or even a House of Blues music outlet.

"It's a very important site for downtown," she said. "It's almost ground zero."

Though the Mechanic's modern, spare architecture was once lauded, some see the sale as an opportunity to rid downtown of an eyesore.

"The building is a landmark," said Ron Kreitner, executive director of WestSide Renaissance, Inc., "one that some people love and some people loathe."

City Planning Director Otis Rolley III said he'd be "very much open" to razing the building and "introducing a new element to that very important corner."

He appreciates the nostalgia for the Mechanic, where Baltimoreans enjoyed everything from Hello Dolly to Hairspray, but he said that from both an economic standpoint and one of urban design, it's time for a change.

"It meant a lot, but we're at a different point in our city and it's time for something else to be done there," Rolley said.

Though infused with memories, the building is not technically historically significant, said Tyler Gearhart, executive director of Preservation Maryland.

"Personally," he said, "I'm not sure it does meet that threshold of being a significant structure that we'd want to preserve."

Since the Mechanic went dark last year, homeless people have set up camp in the desolate plaza. Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership, is relieved that a buyer with ambitions for the site has purchased the property.

"Their goal is to return life to the whole site," Fowler said. "There's a lot of potential there."

What do you guys think? :D

Read Banana Republic Men and Womens's clothes will open in Spinaker Bay this summer.

Where did you hear that

This weeks issue.

Where did you hear that

I've e-mailed the BDC about CityScape and 300 East Pratt Street for some info. Maybe they will e-mail me back this coming week. :D

Cityscape, 300 pratt, Water Tower, 1 Light St and Zenith are key projects for Baltimore's transformation to a 24 hour city. Let hope they happen soon.



I've e-mailed the BDC about CityScape and 300 East Pratt Street for some info. Maybe they will e-mail me back this coming week. :D

- CityScape Tower at Calvert and Lombard streets in City Center is a 300-unit, 35-story high-rise planned to open in 2007.

- The Westside Superblock was awarded to a team of developers that plan approximately 300 apartments or condominiums, with retail and parking, at Lexington and Howard streets.

Congratulations to Partnership members The Shelter Group and Mark Sapperstein Company, both of Baltimore, on CityScape and to New York-based Next Generation Chera, LLC on the Superblock award.

Did you catch that? 35 STORIES!!! Talking about CityScape. Is that correct, you think? I thought it was only supposed to be 25 stories.

http://www.hdphoto.com/pics/adv_batimore_cityscape.jpg

Can you just imagine CityScape Tower added in there? :D :D :D

Okay, I give up! How do you upload pictures from your digital camera to this site? I appreciate ANY help at all.

Did you catch that? 35 STORIES!!! Talking about CityScape. Is that correct, you think? I thought it was only supposed to be 25 stories.

I think I remember reading about a 10 floor garage component. Perhaps the actual residental portion is 25 floors and the garage is 10 stories.

Mechanic Theater's role appears likely to change
City property was sold to developer considering renovations, replacement
By Jill Rosen and Lorraine Mirabella
Sun Staff
Originally published February 5, 2005

The Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, once the keystone of downtown redevelopment efforts, has been sold to a parking facilities developer and faces an uncertain future that ranges from conversion to a movie theater to becoming rubble.

The new owners are considering a gamut of possibilities for the site - everything from a first-run movie theater to a smaller-scale theatrical venue to tearing down the structure and starting from scratch.

"All options are open," Benjamin Greenwald said. "We like the piece of real estate and where it's situated. It's an exciting challenge, and an opportunity to take those vacant areas and find some good applications, which will enhance the city."

Dwarfed and outmoded by the freshly refurbished Hippodrome Theatre just a few blocks west, the 1,614-seat Mechanic closed in July when its contract with Clear Channel Entertainment expired. Clear Channel was concentrating its lineup of Broadway shows at the 2,286-seat Hippodrome, built to accommodate such large touring operations.

I'm real curious to see how this turns out. The Mechanic is an icon of Charles Center and the 60's but really a pretty bad theater. It's a weird brutalist structure on the outside. On the inside, it has bad sightlines and accoustics and a small, cramped, broken-up lobby space for t-shirts and intermission drinks and cakes. To cap it off, the building was designed in the bad-old-days before ADA and requires theater goers to climb an unbelievably long and steep stairway just to get to the lobby. That's before you start climbing to the balconies. Heaven forbid that they ever had to evacuate the building in a hurry.

Personally I'd like to see it stay as a theater, perhaps as an off-Broadway alternative since the Hipp has the big shows sewed up. A music venue might have been a good choice except that the Ram's Head Live just opened in a much better location and classical music is already well served by the Meyerhoff and the Lyric.

With its weird blocky brutalist formed and textured concrete structure, I don't think much could be done in the way of creative adaptation. Stay tuned and hope that the new owner doesn't decide to expand their inventory of parking lots.

Okay, I give up! How do you upload pictures from your digital camera to this site? I appreciate ANY help at all.

You have to upload them to another web site (like a personal site hosted by your ISP) and link from this site (the little link icon on the editor toolbar). They don't store the images here.

- CityScape Tower at Calvert and Lombard streets in City Center is a 300-unit, 35-story high-rise planned to open in 2007.

- The Westside Superblock was awarded to a team of developers that plan approximately 300 apartments or condominiums, with retail and parking, at Lexington and Howard streets.

Congratulations to Partnership members The Shelter Group and Mark Sapperstein Company, both of Baltimore, on CityScape and to New York-based Next Generation Chera, LLC on the Superblock award.

Did you catch that? 35 STORIES!!! Talking about CityScape. Is that correct, you think? I thought it was only supposed to be 25 stories.

Where did you find the info on the 35 storey tower? I'd be interested to read on.

I'm real curious to see how this turns out. The Mechanic is an icon of Charles Center and the 60's but really a pretty bad theater. It's a weird brutalist structure on the outside. On the inside, it has bad sightlines and accoustics and a small, cramped, broken-up lobby space for t-shirts and intermission drinks and cakes. To cap it off, the building was designed in the bad-old-days before ADA and requires theater goers to climb an unbelievably long and steep stairway just to get to the lobby. That's before you start climbing to the balconies. Heaven forbid that they ever had to evacuate the building in a hurry.

Personally I'd like to see it stay as a theater, perhaps as an off-Broadway alternative since the Hipp has the big shows sewed up. A music venue might have been a good choice except that the Ram's Head Live just opened in a much better location and classical music is already well served by the Meyerhoff and the Lyric.

With its weird blocky brutalist formed and textured concrete structure, I don't think much could be done in the way of creative adaptation. Stay tuned and hope that the new owner doesn't decide to expand their inventory of parking lots.
Personally, I'd like to see a NICE movie theater complex downtown. Its been a few years since that horrible Harbor Park theater was closed and I honestly think with the residential boom, downtown needs one or two nice movie theaters. The article in the Sun said some people doubted downtown's ability to sustain two or more theaters. I think thats flat-out wrong. Look at Washington DC. Successful theater/resturants combos exist at Union Station, Mazza Galleria, Lowes on Wisconsin Ave., Lowes in Dupont Circle and other smaller ones.

Despite living in the city, I'd have to go to Towson or White Marsh or BWI if I wanted to catch a movie and dinner. If there was a comparable option in the city (it doesnt even have to be downtown) people would come. Its not like people dont want to spend time in the city, they just dont have anything to do while they're there. I love all the residential work thats being done, but we need more recreational options like movie theaters, bowling facilities, sports complexes (perhaps something akin to Chelsea Piers in NYC), etc. People are no longer fleeing the city and they actually want to live in it, but of we dont get more things for people to do, they'll start returning to Towson, White Marsh, Owings Mills, Columbia and Blen Burnie to be closer to the action.

Other good downtown theater locations could include:
- Lockwood Place (walking distance to Inner Harbor, CBD, Harbor East, Power Plant and Power Plant Live)
- Harbor East (only drawback is that the community seems a bit exclusive for a typical Lowes or whatever.)
- Power Plant Live (actually...I wouldnt mind a newer, better planned Harbor Park opening...a theater would be a great addition to the mix of resturants and night clubs in this area)
- Superblock ( a nice theater would help bring life back into this neighborhood....seems as if this concept, along with the retail and residential, would be condusive to what the city is trying to do in that area.)
- Fells Point could also work (perhaps this could replace one of the "adult theaters" on Broadway.

Two articles:

1. http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/02/07/newscolumn1.html

2. http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/02/07/story1.html

The article about the 35 story tower came from www.godowntownbaltimore.com in a e-mailed newsletter update. :)

While I agree that there could be more theaters downtown, I would argue that the Charles five-plex just north of the train station is a terrific in-town movie theater and an example of how good things can happen as a result of the right kind of development. The Charles, since its renovation/expansion about five years ago, has attracted several new restaurants to its immediate environs and creates quite a lot of foot traffic as well.

While I wouldn't be thrilled to see a generic Loew's or AMC elsewhere downtown, I wouldn't be opposed, either. It really depends on the look and feel and management of the place. I lived 2-3 blocks from Harbor Park before it closed -- it was awful.

I'm almost positive that Inner Harbor East Parcel B(800 Allicienna) will contain a 7 to 9 screen foreign film theater. They have broken ground on this 1 million sq foot complex and the theater should open in 18 to 24 months. I imagine that you may see a couple non foreign films mixed in.



While I agree that there could be more theaters downtown, I would argue that the Charles five-plex just north of the train station is a terrific in-town movie theater and an example of how good things can happen as a result of the right kind of development. The Charles, since its renovation/expansion about five years ago, has attracted several new restaurants to its immediate environs and creates quite a lot of foot traffic as well.

While I wouldn't be thrilled to see a generic Loew's or AMC elsewhere downtown, I wouldn't be opposed, either. It really depends on the look and feel and management of the place. I lived 2-3 blocks from Harbor Park before it closed -- it was awful.

I'm almost positive that Inner Harbor East Parcel B(800 Allicienna) will contain a 7 to 9 screen foreign film theater. They have broken ground on this 1 million sq foot complex and the theater should open in 18 to 24 months. I imagine that you may see a couple non foreign films mixed in.

I'm pulling for some non-foreign action there with you.. Foreign Films are perceived as classy and artsy, I suppose, but I still think of Baltimore as a blue collar type of town that for the most part wouldn't go to that sort of place. I worry that a cinema with that selective of a rotation of films would have a hard time doing enough business.
What do you guys think?

Yeah, the McCormick site would be a very nice place for a tall building. The only thing about that site is that if a tall building is to be built there, the tallest portion of the building has to be built at the back of the site. I think there is a "suggested" height limit of 500 ft. tall.
But, I think a tall building at the Mechanic site would be good because it could be the future "centerpoint" of the city's CBD and Westside of the city. It would be the "TRUE" centerpoint tower! ;) :D