My condolences to folsom....

Design team picked to revamp downtown's Pratt Street corridor
Baltimore Business Journal - 11:06 AM EST Thursday, March 1, 2007by Daniel J. SernovitzStaff
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Baltimore-based Ayers Saint Gross has been selected to help the city develop a new look for the 16-block-stretch of Pratt Street along downtown Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

The Tide Point firm, which has teamed with the Olin Partnership of Philadelphia, was one of four teams picked to present conceptual plans for the roadway's redesign last week. It will now work with city agencies to put its plans, which include a Pratt Street trolley system and new Civic Plaza to replace McKeldin Plaza, into action.


"The Ayers Saint Gross/Olin Partnership had the best overall presentation, taking ideas from other great cities and tailoring them to the unique characteristics of Pratt Street," Downtown Partnership President Kirby Fowler said in a statement.

A handful of city agencies, including Downtown Partnership, the Baltimore Development Corp., and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation and Department of Planning began exploring ways to make Pratt Street more pedestrian-friendly last March.

"As Baltimore's Inner Harbor experience has evolved over time, Pratt Street has continued to play a key role as one of the city's vital public spaces for pedestrians and vehicles," BDC President M. J. "Jay" Brodie said in a statement. "This design competition produced a variety of new ideas for refreshing and improving this significant urban area."

The Ayers Saint Gross plan includes establishing a trolley system to run from President Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, bicycle lanes, new fountains at the start and finish of the 16-block stretch of Pratt Street, and a new Civic Plaza to replace what is know McKeldin Plaza which will feature a central "video wall," according to a press release issued by the BDC.

They'll have to rip McKeldin, et al, up when we build the Yellow (CAC Red) Line.....or wait until after we build it. Which is more important I ask?

Silly trolleys, money better spent on rapid transit matching funds.

Nate

My condolences to folsom....

Design team picked to revamp downtown's Pratt Street corridor
Baltimore Business Journal - 11:06 AM EST Thursday, March 1, 2007by Daniel J. SernovitzStaff
Print this Article Email this Article Reprints RSS Feeds Most Viewed Most Emailed
Baltimore-based Ayers Saint Gross has been selected to help the city develop a new look for the 16-block-stretch of Pratt Street along downtown Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

The Tide Point firm, which has teamed with the Olin Partnership of Philadelphia, was one of four teams picked to present conceptual plans for the roadway's redesign last week. It will now work with city agencies to put its plans, which include a Pratt Street trolley system and new Civic Plaza to replace McKeldin Plaza, into action.


"The Ayers Saint Gross/Olin Partnership had the best overall presentation, taking ideas from other great cities and tailoring them to the unique characteristics of Pratt Street," Downtown Partnership President Kirby Fowler said in a statement.

A handful of city agencies, including Downtown Partnership, the Baltimore Development Corp., and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation and Department of Planning began exploring ways to make Pratt Street more pedestrian-friendly last March.

"As Baltimore's Inner Harbor experience has evolved over time, Pratt Street has continued to play a key role as one of the city's vital public spaces for pedestrians and vehicles," BDC President M. J. "Jay" Brodie said in a statement. "This design competition produced a variety of new ideas for refreshing and improving this significant urban area."

The Ayers Saint Gross plan includes establishing a trolley system to run from President Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, bicycle lanes, new fountains at the start and finish of the 16-block stretch of Pratt Street, and a new Civic Plaza to replace what is know McKeldin Plaza which will feature a central "video wall," according to a press release issued by the BDC.

Are these real trolleys or just buses that look like trolleys? If it's a real trolley, it seems like a waste of money and much too kitschy for my tastes. Either build a real transit system or stop wasting money. Downtown isn't just for tourists.

Does anyone know what plans The Ayers Saint Gross team has to make the legg building better connect with pratt st?

Here is a copy of waj's recap of the Ayers Saint Gross Plan:

Ayers St. Grove/Olin Partnership

These guys did a great job and if I had a vote (with a few changes) I'd pick this group's proposal. Pratt would become two-way with a median that would house trees and flowers and flags. They suggested that the facades of exisiting structures be wrapped in glass (I think they referenced glass structures) which would allow for new ground level retail opportunites. Their suggestion for the eastern gateway (MLK and Pratt) was interesting....though I liked the 3rd groupd circles better. They suggested a traditional T intersection, but trees and flowers and fountains would surround this intersection in an oval shape. They mentioned that horrible blank wall along the convention center and suggested that a glass facade and walkway connect the old and new parts of the convention center. They proposed a resturant pavilion made of glass at Legg Mason Plaza. Then it got fun. McKeldin would be completely transformed. They walkway connecting the Inner Harbor to the Convention Center would stay (all other skywalks would go). Stay with me b/c this can be a bit hard to imagine...partially b/c Im tired and not explaining things very well. A serpintine shaped LED video wall would be the highlight of McKeldin Plaza. It would be attached to the skywalk which is above the Under Armour headquarters store. They also mentioned creating a gideau (sp?) or jets of water on either side of the Jones Falls (the actual waterbody , not the interstate).

haha...i just searched for 5 mins through old posts to remember what each group proposed.

No offense to the poster who could have contributed to the man hours that go into submitting a proposal, but this concept was clearly the best. The McKeldin Plaza thing was pretty damn cool and Im assuming they didnt just pull Under Armour out of thin air. There must have at least been some interest in creating a headquarters store.

I still stand by my initial assessment of their proposal. I really liked it. The convention center looked great, the resturant pavilion looked great. The city can front the bill for some of the more cosmetic streetscape stuff. Those slight changes should help immediately.

didn't see any mention of taking the berms on the sidewalks away. That is one of the major impediments to walking along Pratt St. They mention doing some treatment along the Convention Center, I hope they put something along the Pratt Street side of the Courthouse as well.

Making Pratt one-way and putting in a center island seems tough. Wouldn't they have to widen it quite a bit? What about traffic wanting to make left turns from the eastbound lanes? Wouldn't that create a logistical problem? You would need turn lanes.

Whatever they do will vastly improve they present condition. Walking west of Harbor Place can be quite daunting, the berms and blank concrete walls is a perfect combination for beggers to lurk and accost people. Try walking through there after dark. Hopefully, creating wider open walkways and street level retail will create a safe ambience.

here's Ayers Saint Gross's renderings.........
http://bp2.blogger.com/_9FpPsebMAiY/ReClML40sHI/AAAAAAAAADI/M7t4bS7LOGk/s1600/am_ASG.jpg

http://bp3.blogger.com/_9FpPsebMAiY/ReClMb40sII/AAAAAAAAADQ/wBNG0CYpLTc/s1600/sm_ASG2.jpg

^^^^my first choice would've been the EDSA rendering, but this one looks fine too.

Very interesting. I like this proposal a lot, especially the big screen. Glad to see that in there. It looks like from the article that their idea of a two-way Pratt won't be done though. I think things are fine the way they are. It would be cool with the big, Washington monument type traffic circles but I like the stuff this team could do. Let's see them get to work on it.

Apologies if I missed it in all the pandemonium of proposals, but where is the site that lays out the Ayers/St. Gross whole proposal? (If it exists)

Regards,
Nate

Very interesting. I like this proposal a lot, especially the big screen. Glad to see that in there. It looks like from the article that their idea of a two-way Pratt won't be done though. I think things are fine the way they are. It would be cool with the big, Washington monument type traffic circles but I like the stuff this team could do. Let's see them get to work on it.
yep, i'm getting that impression as well. if anything, they'll just add more lanes to the 4 lanes that already exist on pratt street (going ONE way).

Apologies if I missed it in all the pandemonium of proposals, but where is the site that lays out the Ayers/St. Gross whole proposal? (If it exists)

Regards,
Nate
Ayers Saint Gross Plan:
http://folsomfanatic.blogspot.com/20...post_1984.html

The trolley idea seems really out of place. If Pratt is to be two ways, how do they plan to fit trolley tracks and lanes for two-way traffic on Pratt? If Pratt is one way, will the trolley travel against traffic? Will it be grade separated?

Road to future
City officials select local architects to redesign Pratt Street as inviting gateway to downtown

By Kelly Brewington
Sun reporter
Originally published March 2, 2007

Adam Gross imagines the gateway to downtown with all the grandeur of an Italian piazza: sparkling fountains, brilliantly designed restaurants and landscaped walkways that beckon visitors with a sense that the street itself is a destination. Yesterday, Baltimore development officials endorsed that vision for the city's Pratt Street as they named Gross' firm, Baltimore-based Ayers Saint Gross, and Olin Partnership, of Philadelphia, the winners of a contest to redesign the main artery along Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

"We want to create a much more beautiful and stronger sense of the public realm along the length of Pratt Street," said Gross, design principal at Ayers Saint Gross, who with a 10-member team found inspiration in some of the world's classiest boulevards - New York's Fifth Avenue, the Champs-Elysees in Paris, and Chicago's Michigan Avenue. "We wanted to create a great series of public spaces," he said, "a great public corridor for the activities of the city."

But how to make it a reality is still in the works. Officials would not specify cost estimates, other than to say a complete makeover of Pratt Street would require a public-private partnership and take many years. The Baltimore Development Corp., Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the city departments of planning and transportation began soliciting design ideas for Pratt Street last year. In December, they narrowed a field of 10 to four finalists and awarded each a $25,000 grant to pursue proposals for remaking the 16-block stretch from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard east to President Street.

Last week, the finalists unveiled their proposals publicly at the Baltimore Convention Center, suggesting such dramatic changes as building boathouses along the harbor and demolishing the Pratt Street Pavilion of Harborplace. BDC President M.J. "Jay" Brodie called the winning selection "extremely thorough and creative."

While some elements of the proposal could happen right away, others - such as transforming both eastbound Pratt Street and westbound Lombard Street into two-way thoroughfares - would need more consideration, said Brodie. "It doesn't mean that each of these suggestions will turn out to be possible," he said. "But hopefully, as many of the ideas as possible can be retained."

In conceptualizing the design, architects aimed for stylish, inviting and environmentally friendly. Among the highlights are an east-west trolley system between President Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard, bicycle lanes and a two-story, free-standing glass pavilion in front of the Legg Mason building at Light Street to house a top-notch restaurant.

McKeldin Plaza, at Light and Pratt streets, would receive a high-tech overhaul, with a giant "video wall" that would project scenes celebrating Baltimore's diverse cultural events or even a sold-out Ravens game. "It's sort of a Times Square idea that is done in a more elegant, sophisticated way," said Gross.

The architects' overarching goal was to help Pratt Street feel more unified through a seamless design of lighting, landscaping and an intrinsic connection of water and land. "We want to reinforce the connection of Baltimore to the harbor," said Betsy Boykin, landscape architect with Ayers Saint Gross. "So that wherever you are along the length of the street, you understand the connection of Pratt Street, and Baltimore itself, with water."

Large fountains would mark the gateways of Pratt at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and President Street, while smaller ones would run along the blocks in between, the water from which would be used to irrigate the surrounding landscape, said Boykin. Other green elements include solar-powered street lamps. The proposal is the culmination of several years of discussions among city officials who have long agreed that Pratt Street deserved a face-lift. Chief on their priority list was doing away with the grassy mounds, or berms, on the sidewalks, which they said disrupt its urban character.

Designed in the 1970s, the grassy knolls were intended to create a buffer between pedestrians and vehicle exhaust, but they only ended up confusing people, said Kirby Fowler, president of the nonprofit Downtown Partnership. In addition, Fowler said, some people feel unsafe walking along the street, with some berms as tall as 5 feet preventing pedestrians from seeing their surroundings clearly.

Fowler said removing the mounds would be among the first redesigns to take place. "You see people walking down and they look disoriented and kind of scared," said Gross. "We don't need that space. Let's put the trees closer to the street, make a nice wide sidewalk and take the facades, pull them out further and make room for some new retail."

Gross noted that cities nationwide admire the planning behind Baltimore's Harborplace and that architects want to capitalize on an already good thing. In addition, Gross said he hopes the design inspires areas well beyond Pratt Street. "Lombard is like the back of a refrigerator right now," he said. "But it should become more like Pratt Street. ... This should happen not just for the core of the city, but these same kinds of competitions and debates should happen citywide - in areas both poor and affluent."

City leaders envision Pratt Street as the connection between east and west revitalization efforts. "The redesign of Pratt Street is extremely important to the future of downtown," said Fowler. "It's our welcome mat, basically. And, if anything, it should have the best qualities of the city reflected on it."

I'm all for the trolley if it puts an end to that hideous gondola system that was proposed. God, I hate that thing.

I'm all for the trolley if it puts an end to that hideous gondola system that was proposed. God, I hate that thing.
yep, i agree. that gondola system looks hideous.

^Given a forced dilemma between a trolley and gondola...the gondola's got to go!

Nate

From the Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2007-03/28198579.jpg

And another one:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/graphic/2007-03/28195892.jpg

That is a huge building! What is it going to be? :? ^^

^^ I didn't think that was a building, Steven. I thought it was the "snaking video wall."

Really like the designs I'm seeing. Some of that needs to be implement immediately.

From the Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2007-03/28198579.jpg
^^^^is that building with the video wall in the spot where that verizon building currently sits?

^^ I believe that is McKeldin Plaza. It looks like they've connected it to the inner harbor by eliminating the 2 lanes that merge from light st to pratt st. It appears the plan is make a traditional intersection at the corner of light and pratt instead with the current verizon building being on the other west side of that intersection, just outside of the rendering shown. So if I'm not mistaken, that building with the big screen actually sits on the spot where 2 lanes of street traffic currently merges light with pratt.

That structure surrounds the fountains doesn't it?

I think Mason is right. If they do decide to close off that intersection, I hope they do more than just put that big screen there. I'd rather see them maybe throw up a taller building and attach the screen to the building. Too much space to waste. I also hope they look into ways to keep traffic flowing just as smoothly as it did before.

so much potential with the Cordish Tower, Community College likely moving, Baha Beach Club maybe closing, News American lot and the Citiscape site next to the Brookshire Hotel.


Here is a copy of waj's recap of the Ayers Saint Gross Plan:

Ayers St. Grove/Olin Partnership

These guys did a great job and if I had a vote (with a few changes) I'd pick this group's proposal. Pratt would become two-way with a median that would house trees and flowers and flags. They suggested that the facades of exisiting structures be wrapped in glass (I think they referenced glass structures) which would allow for new ground level retail opportunites. Their suggestion for the eastern gateway (MLK and Pratt) was interesting....though I liked the 3rd groupd circles better. They suggested a traditional T intersection, but trees and flowers and fountains would surround this intersection in an oval shape. They mentioned that horrible blank wall along the convention center and suggested that a glass facade and walkway connect the old and new parts of the convention center. They proposed a resturant pavilion made of glass at Legg Mason Plaza. Then it got fun. McKeldin would be completely transformed. They walkway connecting the Inner Harbor to the Convention Center would stay (all other skywalks would go). Stay with me b/c this can be a bit hard to imagine...partially b/c Im tired and not explaining things very well. A serpintine shaped LED video wall would be the highlight of McKeldin Plaza. It would be attached to the skywalk which is above the Under Armour headquarters store. They also mentioned creating a gideau (sp?) or jets of water on either side of the Jones Falls (the actual waterbody , not the interstate).

We must coordinate anything with McKeldin Area with the Yellow Line, otherwise we're wasting time and money. It's already in the 2002 plan, so this isn't a "TRAC" thing. A surface LRT Yellow Line is not feasible at all, so anything that goes there must be in tunnel, and turning radius as well as cut-and-cover issues will likely confict with the new plans. They'd conflict with what's there now, too. But that wouldn't be too big of a deal.

Nate

^^ Does the 2002 Plan call for an underground station at McKeldin or does it leave that up to "future study?" My guess is that if it is the latter, we'll be dealing with these issues again in a decade or two.:ohno:

The latter--
An Inner Harbor station really isn't appropriate or needed. One doesn't need too many downtown stations; it raises costs and slows down trains unnecessarily. A Yellow Line transfer station under Light could have its horizontal plaform extending mostly south of the current Charles Center platform. A station access would likely be built just north of Lombard St--close to the Inner Harbor.

Nate

^^^^is that building with the video wall in the spot where that verizon building currently sits?


I think it is the plaza. I'm just going to say it, I don't like it.

1. I may be the only person, but I like the fountain.
2. Closing off those lanes to Calvert and as a turning lane to Pratt is a traffic nightmare.
3. What is the point? To block the water and distract you from it? Dosn't that seem to go against the last 20 years worth of development?

4. Maybe that video thing would work as part of a pavilion surrounding the Leg Mason building as in some of the other proposals. It would take care of that windswept plaza and look cooler in a a more densly urban setting. Unlikely Mckledin which is more open and parklike.

I think it is the plaza. I'm just going to say it, I don't like it.

1. I may be the only person, but I like the fountain.
2. Closing off those lanes to Calvert and as a turning lane to Pratt is a traffic nightmare.
3. What is the point? To block the water and distract you from it? Dosn't that seem to go against the last 20 years worth of development?

4. Maybe that video thing would work as part of a pavilion surrounding the Leg Mason building as in some of the other proposals. It would take care of that windswept plaza and look cooler in a a more densly urban setting. Unlikely Mckledin which is more open and parklike.

Since Maudibjr has spoken up against, I will too.

I like a lot of what the Pratt Street charrette proposed, in particular the "fresh" and "new" ideas, even if for no less than for the sake of discussion. However two ideas I do not agree with are: 1) the development of McKeldin Plaza, and 2) wrapping retail around the base of the Legg Mason building.

McKeldin Plaza
Connecting McKeldin Plaza with the harbor provides little benefit. What do we gain? If anything, it would decentralize the public space between the two pavilions. Furthermore, by eliminating the Calvert Street curve (as it currently exists between the Light Street Pavilion and McKeldin Plaza) creates new design problems not addressed by the Pratt Street proposals: how do we provide service areas to the Light Street Pavilion, and how do we address the flow of traffic along Light Street? Plus, what do we do with the existing road bed? Create more green space to the west of the Light Street Pavilion? Think about it...

New Retail
Retail along Pratt Street is a great idea if the market can support it. I hope the city doesn't go too crazy with encouraging new retail without proper controls in place. The last thing we need, or can afford, is to find several years later that we overbuilt retail, and then find stores closing down. Nothing would project a worse image than empty store fronts.

But as far as the Legg Mason site: I hope they leave it as it is. Constructing anything around its base would be a major mistake. That block is what it is: a major landmark building. Windswept plaza and all; it represents a corporate monument.

Design-wise, as built, like a monument, it provides a symbolic statement: it was the first structure constructed in the Inner Harbor and acts as a "hinge" between Charles Center to the northwest, and the harbor to the southeast. The architectural vernacular at Charles and Lombard clearly addresses this. Compare the Legg tower with 36 S. Charles Street, and the Legg tower with the old Equitable Tower (BoA building) to the immediate west. The buildings definitely pay homage to the Legg tower, and they enable the tower to make a powerful statement on the skyline.

Wrapping the base in retail will diminish the building; trivialize what it is. Likewise, McKeldin Plaza flows forward from the Legg tower towards the Inner Harbor. The space as it exists works well. Again I ask, what do we gain by altering it?

As for a two way Pratt Street: I remember when it flowed in both directions, loved it then...and hope it does so again soon. I have never really been for or against the green berms along Pratt. While I never felt "threatened" by them being there (i.e. the homeless people, or years ago, when they were still covered in ivy, the rats that lived inside them) I did enjoy the shade they provided in the summer, and the daffodils that are popping out to bloom...right now.

I feel as though the Pratt Street redesign has totally exploded into an Inner Harbor redesign. Yes, there has been mission creep. I would prefer for them to concentrate on the street and the sidewalks and then let the free market do the rest.

1. Decide if the street will be 1 way or 2 ways.

2. Decide if there will be a median in the middle of the street.

3. Decide if a trolley will be part of the mix.

4. Select the building materials.

5. Build the damn thing and get it over with.

Once complete, if the fronting business want to tack on additions, fine, let there be a design and review process for each proposal when it happens.

This whole project has gotten to large and as a result it has strayed from it's original intent which was to simply eliminate the berms and make the street more retail friendly. How a street redesign becomes a proposal to build ice rinks, reflecting ponds, Times Square look-alike media centers, fountains, demolition of Harborplace, etc, is just beyond me. FIX THE STREET AND THE SIDEWALKS.

Maybe I missed it in the presentation pictures but where exactly would the trolley go?

^^ I'd like to see that too, gohorns. :yes:
I wonder if this winning proposal shoots down the whole gondala thing? :?

:D

^^ As said before, one great thing about the trolley is that it would make the idea for a gondola obsolete. A bigger question might be what impact the trolley might have on the Red Line. The trolley would only cover a small portion of the Red Line Corridor, but both are east-west lines nonetheless. Perhaps less downtown stations would be built, and the existing ones would be linked to the trolley. That might be cool. I'm also wondering how the trolley would interact with the Charles Street trolley if it ever gets off the ground. If both of those lines are developed, one could conceivably reach most major Baltimore destinations by trolley alone.

The lack of recognition of the Charles St trolley here seems a bit curious.

The endorsement of a Pratt St trolley may be the business community's recognition that and east-west Red Line is not likely to come to fruition.

Nate

I feel as though the Pratt Street redesign has totally exploded into an Inner Harbor redesign. Yes, there has been mission creep. I would prefer for them to concentrate on the street and the sidewalks and then let the free market do the rest.


I agree. When orginally mentioned, i thought it would be a much smaller proposal than it has turned out to be.

True, I agree with some others not to over-glitz the place and make it tacky.

The main thing was to fix the things that didn't work (the berms and the pededstrian unfriendly infrastructure); and overhaul somethings that have seen a bit of wear-and-tear and depreciation over the last 25-35 years.

I honestly haven't had a chance to looks at all the proposals from the designers POV, just the overviews of those here and news reviews; but adding too much more retail on Pratt might make it harder to generate retail farther north in downtown--where we desperately need it.

Pratt St is not the best place for mainstream (non-tourist) retail. It's cutoff by the water. More centralized locations toward the core or Westside serve the area better. It's flat out not convenient for the average person to walk to the harbor to do shopping when everything else is on one side of it!

End rant.

Nate

I agree. When orginally mentioned, i thought it would be a much smaller proposal than it has turned out to be.

I don't think this is a case of scope-creep. The original intention of the project was to phase in the development over SIX years. That never seemed like a small list of guidelines for development and elimination of the berms. My impression is that this was always designed to be a major overhaul of Pratt St and make it active and pedestrian friendly from end to end.
My real concern is that it becomes an inner-harbor centric project. We need a solid backbone to downtown to make it more functional for people who want to live and visit here. The only suggestion I think would be considered scope-creep is to add lombard to the equation. Although Lombard definitely needs a similar project, that is for a later date and taking on too much at once will often lead to failure. In reference to Copenhagen becoming the gold standard for pedestrian friendly cities, one of their main take-home messages for success was using baby-steps approach and phasing in projects after each small success. It took them over 30 years to revamp their entire downtown area and its not a stretch to suggest that if they tried to do it much quicker, they would not have been as successful.

Here are images from the EDSA Team's Pratt Street Proposal. An outline of the plans is below (from a ways back):

From last night, all teams looked at traffic. EDSA and Hargreaves both kept Pratt running eastbound. EEK and ASG proposed Two way. IMHO, 2 way doesn't fit on pratt or the side streets (which our traffic engineer).

Here is a breakdown of our plan. sorry we couldn't share sooner. i'll see if we can show graphics later:

EDSA broke Pratt Street into 4 districts:

University Gateway District (MLK to PACA)
Ballpark/Hotel District (PACA to HOWARD)
Civic/Convention District (HOWARD to CHARLES)
Retail/Entertainment District (CHARLES to PRESIDENT)


University Gateway District Highlights:
1. simple neighborhood scale gateway treatment at MLK and Pratt
2. exapnsion of UMD streetscape to all blocks
3. strategic neighborhood scale infill on vacant lots with restaurants/retail on first floor and residential above
4. expansion of babe ruth museum with new park along pratt highlighting the museum and ridgley's delight

Ballpark/Hotel District Highlights:
1. expand upon influence of CC hotel
2. new retail expansion off of the marriott's blank facade
3. infill building at eutaw and pratt (NE corner)
4. expanded outdoor cafes and plaza for ballgame/summertime use
5. START of the proposed HARBOR TRANSIT/BIKE LANE---a 15-19' lane to be used by local busses using Pratt Street nad bicyclists. sperated by a 14' landscape median. this feature will run all the way to the Columbus Center (13+ Blocks)

Civic/Convention District Highlights:
1. use additional ROW for raingardens and stormwater treatments. make pratt street a leading design for envirtonmental quality practices world wide
2. use green area to protect garmatz courthouse and remove the pyramidal bollards
3. create a signage and exhibit program to be used by the national aquarium to expand their pratt street presence (displays similar to those outside of the aquarium will be located throughout this district)
4. greenscreen treatment of the sloped walls at the convention center. create a new landsape around the CC to allow it to recede into the urban fabric
5. CONTINUE of the proposed HARBOR TRANSIT/BIKE LANE. convention center busses will have a drop lane off of this amenity
6. infill building at the B of A tower with a green roof. this building would be a "bookend" to the new lockwood place building further down Pratt


Retail/Entertainment District Highlights:
1. the EDSA team proposed a winter garden with two story retail wrapping the base of the legg mason tower. this would create year round "outdoor" space for residents, while allowing the tower to reconnect with Pratt and St. Paul Streets. This idea is REALLY cool.
2. KEEP the light street spur to Pratt. this connection cannot be "t'd" into Pratt. TOO MUCH traffic comes from conway to pratt and will only get worse with IHE expanding. we proposed to have 3 lans going east to pratt, with 3 north to calvert. we made that swing ramp a blvd. so that there is a pedestrian refuge for people crossing from the IH to Mckeldin plaza
3. Mckeldin Common- our team felt that this space needed to be an "oasis". there is too much paving there with little animation. a grand sweeping lawnspace focuses on a new art focal point (we're thinking a massive reflective sculpture similar to Milennium PArk in Chicago. the fountain would remain, but would be softened. vendor kiosks, a reading room, weather station and other fun amenities would animate this space year round. shade trees and lawn areas are provided for residents and CBD workers as an oasis to escape the heat and bustle of the city. the grand lawn also preserves and enhances the view and pedestrian connection that runs diagonally from the LM tower and the inner harbor,
4. Harbor Tranist Lane Continues
5. Pratt Place- the Team proposed a two lane local street running parallel to Pratt. this street would run between Charles and Gay Street and has the potential for WESTBOUND flow. this street would allow us to create off street parking for new retail opportunities, while pulling service, drop offs, taxi ques and more off of the main floe of pratt street traffic. this is a very DC approach (aka k Street). the new roadway would be seperated by a 14' landscape median. Pratt street in this section would be a grand boulevard with TWO landscape medians within it!
6. Retail infill along all buildings on the north side of the street. a 20' expansion would be accomodated to allow for new tennants to expand on the bottom floor of existing buildings.
7. a new bookend pvailion would be located on the greenspace east of the WTC. this 2/3 story building would frame a new plaza in front of the WTC building, the pavilion would compliment the pratt street pavilion with restaurants, retail and maybe residential uses?
8. sondheim plaza- this new plaza would reconnect the WTC with Pratt Street. a large fountain with sailboats and other amenities would be the space's focal pitn, with outdoor cafes and a tensile kiosk animating it. this space would be converted to an ice rink in the winter months. sondheim plaza is envisioned as baltimore's rockefeller center.
9. Jones Falls/Fallswalk- the team proposed terracing down to the jones falls, opening it up to the street and making it an interactie experiece similar to the riverfrot in providence. this would celebrate the jones falls' role in the city's history and would create a new space/oasis to be used by new downtown residents (michael graves tower, etc.)



Overall, all of the solutions were incredible, but here are my biggest concerns:

1. the swin ramps from Light to Pratt/Calvert is HUGE. removing it is a disaster for downtown traffic.
2. the two way blvd schemes shown yesterday do not fit in the existing street section. the road is pinched at the Wharf Rat and at PowerPlant/Lockwood. it was unclear how those solutions addressed thos issues
3. the City does not have billions to spend on these proposals. converting all roads to two way is expensive for resignaling and study. many streets are also too narrow!

We feel that the EDSA Team Plan created a viable and practical solution for the Pratt Street that enhanced the pedestrian experiece, created new and dynamic spaces, broke down the ovverpowering character of Pratt street into a grand boulevard, provided a transit and bike lane that would be a tremendous amenity for the downtown, and most importantly created a vision plan that isfeasiible, implementable immediately, exciting and frsh and most importantly, grounded in study with a well balanced team of local expertise.


THANKS for reading!!!!! no matter what, baltimore is going to be a BIG winner at the end of the day. all of the proposals had their strengths and weaknesses and it will be interesting to see how the BDC decides!!!!! Thanks to those that also came last night, it was a great turnout!


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My main “beef” with all the proposals is the call to establish a “grand boulevard.” Considering trained architects submitted all or most of the entries, I can’t understand how so many (since their formal education and training) have forgotten what a “grand boulevard” looks like?

Certainly, the renderings have been done well: they are very attractive to look at, but programmatically, with the exception of about five blocks along the northern edge of the Inner Harbor, what significant changes have been proposed? None, really! The only element that seems to tie any or all of the pieces together is more tree planting to define the street.

Where does the term “grand boulevard” come into play here? As I recall, just about all of the proposals call for two-way traffic, but that’s only within a four and one-half block stretch. A length that short is hardly “grand.”

As for street level retail, my primary concern is it is done pragmatically. Certainly it would be wonderful to have retail on every block of Pratt Street, but there is an economic reality at play here too: can so much retail be sustained?

Sondheim Plaza. I do not see how by introducing a summertime fountain that can be used for ice skating in the winter, can in any way become a Rockefeller Center for Baltimore.

Jones Falls. I’ve said this before, but the water flowing down the Jones Falls does not smell nice. Even new EPA standards for wastewater management aren’t going to somehow transform the Falls turn into a pleasant mountain stream. Next time you’re at the harbor, I suggest standing downwind from the Falls: you’re in for a shock. (Ask any resident at Scarlet Place condominiums why they never sit on their balconies.)

Overall, my concern is that somehow the exercise wandered from the original intent. It blew up in scale and scope. The ideas presented are needed, but exist within a vacuum, and to some extent are very idealistic and unreasonable proposals.

Like I posted earlier, I think this street redesign has balooned into an IH redesign. They should just concentrate on the street, sidewalks, and fixtures.

:banana: A first! I usually don't have many positive things to say about DC, but I will compliment them on their lighting fixtures downtown. They look nice there and would look nice on Pratt Street. As an aside, you would think that Baltimore and Washington would standardize some things, such as trash cans, lighting fixtures, etc. If they did they would be able to procure them cheaper because they could buy in bulk. This would benifit both jurisdictions.

BTW, the water that comes down the Jones Falls smells fine. I have walked beside it almost every week now for two years while going to the Marriott to take my pictures of 414 Water Street, and I have never detected the faintest of odors. Never. Still, I wouldn't want to drink it or swim in it! :ohno:

Overall, my concern is that somehow the exercise wandered from the original intent. It blew up in scale and scope. The ideas presented are needed, but exist within a vacuum, and to some extent are very idealistic and unreasonable proposals.

I'd have to disagree with you on this. All of the teams had a variety of experts working together on the concepts.

The grand boulevard scheme is limited because it has to relate to existing site conditions. in some areas it simply can't fir in the existing right-of way---i.e. at the Candler Building and Lockwood Place or at the Wharf Rat.

I do beleive that the Ayers Saint Gross plan is very idealistic in that creating two way traffic along Pratt will be a nightmare. Removing the swing ramp from Light Street will also be a disaster.

The EDSA team listened to our engineers and traffic planners to create a flexible plan that could be implemented today. The ASG plan will require years of study and i highly doubt much of it will be implemented as shown, instead the ideas of all four teams will be meshed together to create a new pratt street plan.

you have to remember, the teams were asked to show big picture ideas to win the competition. some things may be unreasonable, but without doing bold things you don't get noticed. It's all anattempt to spark dialouge and conversation.

I can attest that EDSA (and likely all of the other teams), made a MAJOR financial investment into producing the plans because we felt this was such an important project. the 25,000 dollars given to each team was gone the instant the project started. the city made out like bandits, likely getting a half million dollars worth of design work for $100,000!

I'd have to disagree with you on this. All of the teams had a variety of experts working together on the concepts.

The grand boulevard scheme is limited because it has to relate to existing site conditions. in some areas it simply can't fir in the existing right-of way---i.e. at the Candler Building and Lockwood Place or at the Wharf Rat.

I do beleive that the Ayers Saint Gross plan is very idealistic in that creating two way traffic along Pratt will be a nightmare. Removing the swing ramp from Light Street will also be a disaster.

The EDSA team listened to our engineers and traffic planners to create a flexible plan that could be implemented today. The ASG plan will require years of study and i highly doubt much of it will be implemented as shown, instead the ideas of all four teams will be meshed together to create a new pratt street plan.

you have to remember, the teams were asked to show big picture ideas to win the competition. some things may be unreasonable, but without doing bold things you don't get noticed. It's all anattempt to spark dialouge and conversation.

I can attest that EDSA (and likely all of the other teams), made a MAJOR financial investment into producing the plans because we felt this was such an important project. the 25,000 dollars given to each team was gone the instant the project started. the city made out like bandits, likely getting a half million dollars worth of design work for $100,000!

My comments weren't meant to be taken as "personal" criticism. Simply, I think the final product went beyond the original scope. But that is normal when architects get together. (I know: my first major was architecture.)

There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, and I agree Baltimore probably gained new ideas and perspectives for the money spent. Likewise I know the investment of time and energy by the charette/competition participants was significant.

Now don't take the following to be directed at you or your firm, but in general, what great new ideas came out of this charette?

In the end, to me, the only major idea for Pratt Street was the idea to make it flow two ways again. Some minor ideas like creating parks, adding retail and altering existing buildings really aren't that earth shattering. So I guess, when I heard "Grand Boulevard" my attention was caught since I expected to see just that...

I realize Pratt Street does change in width between MLK and President Street, however how does Pratt differ today, from what the charettes proposed? When Pratt Street was first configured to be what we have today, at the time it was also termed as a "great boulevard." (Of course this was after it was converted from a two-way, to one way thoroughfare!) Besides making it two-way again, and adding retail to the street, what makes the proposals new and different? What I observe is a plan to significantly alter traffic patterns in the Central Business District...

What does everyone think of skywalks? They seem to be missing on some of these proposals. I think they give a more urban/multi-level/busy look to the area; help with pedestrian traffic and are excellent spots for picture-taking. I dont think any of the existing skywalk should be removed. Can't wait to see what that new one by Hilton will look like. Hopefully a more updated, futuristic look.

What does everyone think of skywalks?

If well used, they're fine. Used to be you could sky-walk from Charles and Saratoga to Harborplace. But the walk near the old Hamburgers building spanning Fayette--never heavily trafficked--became an outdoor commode and, long story short, was dismantled. Good riddance in that instance.

What does everyone think of skywalks? They seem to be missing on some of these proposals. I think they give a more urban/multi-level/busy look to the area; help with pedestrian traffic and are excellent spots for picture-taking. I dont think any of the existing skywalk should be removed. Can't wait to see what that new one by Hilton will look like. Hopefully a more updated, futuristic look.

skywalks are usually a big enemy to a vibrant pedestrian space and lively main street feel. you need to have everyone on ground level, otherise the street environment loses out when people are on a higher level. ped bridges are good when they connect big users together: convention center and the hilton, but usually it's prefered that you make people cross the street.

^^^ I hope you enjoy sitting in traffic while people take their sweet time crossing the road. I'd rather have them cross on a skywalk so I can get to work (almost) on time :)

skywalks are usually a big enemy to a vibrant pedestrian space and lively main street feel. you need to have everyone on ground level, otherise the street environment loses out when people are on a higher level. ped bridges are good when they connect big users together: convention center and the hilton, but usually it's prefered that you make people cross the street.

The few skywalks that are left seem to get some use, but they aren't the answer to street life. The connection between the Convention Center and Harborplace gets used when their is a CC event and the Gallery-Harborplace connector gets some use, but in the scheme of things it appears that most ped traffic uses the street and avoids the long stairways. I don't think any of them would be badly missed.

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Pratt Street vision

World's grand avenues shape visions of Pratt Street
Architecture: Edward Gunts

Originally published Jun 25, 2007
Will Baltimore's Pratt Street ever be the equivalent of Chicago's Michigan Avenue or New York's Fifth Avenue, or perhaps even the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris?

Or are they the wrong images to hold out?

Those questions came up during a recent presentation by architects from Ayers Saint Gross and others hired this year to come up with ideas for strengthening 16 blocks of Pratt Street as a destination for tourists and residents.

Adam Gross, one of the principals of Baltimore-based Ayers Saint Gross, suggested that city planners look at grand avenues in Chicago, New York, Paris and elsewhere as a way to determine what is possible downtown and what Baltimoreans might strive for.

His firm often prepares drawings and image boards that compare places it is studying with places that are considered highly successful, and those are what he showed members of Baltimore's Urban Design and Architectural Review Panel.

"There have to be some big moves" on Pratt Street, Gross said, "or else we're just tinkering."

After participating in a limited design competition, a team headed by Ayers Saint Gross and Olin Partnership was selected this year to recommend ways to enliven Pratt Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to President Street.

Their preliminary ideas included converting Pratt Street from one-way traffic to two-way traffic and adding buildings where the Legg Mason Tower plaza and the McKeldin Fountain are, among other locations. They dubbed Pratt Street the "Avenue of the Inner Harbor."

Most review panel members said they appreciated the overview and offered suggestions for what to explore next. But one influential public official who attends the panel's meetings (and served on the jury that selected the Ayers Saint Gross/Olin team), indicated that he was not entirely convinced by the comparisons with other cities.

"It's useful to look at historic stuff, but I think it's time to put it away," said M.J. "Jay" Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., which oversees downtown development.

"Those streets represent the best quality of shopping in America," Brodie said of Fifth and Michigan avenues. "I don't think that's where we are today."

Fifth and Michigan avenues are lined with shops and restaurants on two sides, whereas much of Pratt Street has retail activity on its north side but not the south, Brodie noted. In addition, Chicago and New York have larger populations that can support more commercial activity, he said.

"I think you have to focus much more on this situation," he told the designers, suggesting that they propose short-, medium- and long-term "interventions" for Pratt Street.

"We should think of it as: "What is a Baltimore response to a Baltimore situation?' ... I don't think it's even helpful to think of it in terms of these other situations. ... I don't think our reach should exceed our grasp. ... We should take it for what it is and not try to make it something that it is not."

Gross appeared stung by Brodie's response. He said Baltimoreans ought to set their sights high and that looking at precedents in other cities helps people see what is possible.

"I know you don't mean to suggest that we shouldn't have aspirations," he said to Brodie. "We need to look at other models."

"It's not in any way to denigrate the way Baltimore is. We should allow ourselves to stretch," Brodie said. But "we should add in increments and allow ourselves to be successful in increments."

The exchange of ideas, during a two-hour meeting attended by several dozen people, underscored two extremes of looking at ways to rejuvenate urban areas.

One is to think big and see what ideas have worked elsewhere and how they could be applied to Baltimore. The other is to take a more pragmatic approach, see what conditions exist here that may be obstacles for builders, and either decide what can be achieved despite those obstacles or how to overcome them.

The architects say they plan to meet with property owners along Pratt Street and other "stakeholders" throughout the summer and aim to have a final "concept plan" by September.

Among the issues to be decided are whether Pratt Street should have one-way traffic or two-way traffic and what parcels are ripe for redevelopment. The improvements will be carried out in phases over the next six to 10 years.

Political forum

Candidates for citywide office in Baltimore will share their views about historic preservation and historic neighborhoods during a free public forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Baltimore Student Center, 21 W. Mount Royal Ave.

Baltimore Heritage Inc. and the Baltimore City Historical Society have organized the event to give candidates for mayor, City Council president and comptroller a chance to share their ideas and take questions from the audience about Baltimore history, preservation and other history-related topics.

[snip]

"It's useful to look at historic stuff, but I think it's time to put it away," said M.J. "Jay" Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., which oversees downtown development.

"Those streets represent the best quality of shopping in America," Brodie said of Fifth and Michigan avenues. "I don't think that's where we are today."

Fifth and Michigan avenues are lined with shops and restaurants on two sides, whereas much of Pratt Street has retail activity on its north side but not the south, Brodie noted. In addition, Chicago and New York have larger populations that can support more commercial activity, he said.

"I think you have to focus much more on this situation," he told the designers, suggesting that they propose short-, medium- and long-term "interventions" for Pratt Street.

"We should think of it as: "What is a Baltimore response to a Baltimore situation?' ... I don't think it's even helpful to think of it in terms of these other situations. ... I don't think our reach should exceed our grasp. ... We should take it for what it is and not try to make it something that it is not."

[snip]

Brodie makes some good points, though Boylston Street in Boston -- which has the Hines Convention Center and the previously-moribund-now-very-lively Prudential Center -- may offer some interesting ideas. Boylston's also one-way, coupled with Newbury.

Sounds a bit pessimistic...conservative...defeatist..........typical of Baltimore's leadership.
Nobody is suggesting paving the street with gold here. We just want a grand avenue for the millions of visitors and local shoppers we have to be able to enjoy for a few decades to come. I agree with the suggestion that we not oversaturate the street with retail space that may sit empty, but this really is Baltimore's "front porch", and what is planned now will have an impact for many years.

^^ I couldn't agree more. As someone who spends considerable time walking on Pratt Street, it is absolutely crying out for wide sidewalks next to the street where you can see and be seen. There is a large amount of foot traffic on this street most of the time. It gets even heaver when there are events at the stadiums and the Convention Center.

Any one who knows cities realizes that foot traffic = dollar signs to retailers. In short, Pratt Street has tremendous potential. I wish the city would simply get the ball rolling by doing the street and sidewalks. The market place will take care of the rest. As soon as the building owners see the people on a great streetscape, they will respond.

I foresee concentrated retail from the Bank of America/Verizon block all the way to Little Italy. The Bank of America building (the old Equitable Center) was built to house a two level shopping mall. It had a department store (Hutzlers) in it at one time. The problem is that it looks like a fort from the outside. Bank of America needs to take a clue from the Verizon Building across the street and replace the concrete with glass. I'm convinced that poor architectural design is what killed that mall.

I predict that the Verizon makeover will be very successful and that eventually the Bank of America owners will copy it.

I wish the city would simply get the ball rolling by doing the street and sidewalks. The market place will take care of the rest. As soon as the building owners see the people on a great streetscape, they will respond.

At the risk of sounding like a water-carrier for Jay Brodie, I think that's what he was getting at in discussing short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Talk of two-way streets, video screens on McKeldin Plaza, and creating retail outparcels on the Legg Mason block is fun and interesting but, to your point, creating a scheme for de-berming and reconfiguring the sidewalks so that one can walk comfortably is the most critical element right now.

Proposal for Constellation rocks the boat
Architecture: Edward Gunts

Originally published Jul 16, 2007

What would Baltimore's Inner Harbor be without the Constellation?

Area residents and visitors may get to find out if a designer's vision becomes reality.

Architects hired to recommend ideas for improving the Pratt Street corridor have floated the idea of moving the historic vessel from Constellation Pier, near the Harborplace shopping pavilions.

Matthew Poe, an architect with Ayers Saint Gross, said during a recent working session with Baltimore's Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel that moving the vessel would enable people to see more of the water's surface from the shoreline.

His firm has prepared a rendering that shows the Inner Harbor without the Constellation, but with its 16-year-old visitor center still in place.

Moving the ship is one of many ideas for the harbor that have surfaced recently, such as a more elaborate Santa Claus House between the Harborplace pavilions in the winter.

The design team, led by Ayers Saint Gross and Olin Partnership, has been throwing out ideas to get reactions from property owners and other "stakeholders" along Pratt Street. Designers say they aim to come up with a final set of recommendations by the end of summer.

The Constellation, an 1854 Navy warship that has been restored to its Civil War appearance, has been berthed at the Inner Harbor on and off for nearly 40 years.

It was moved there in 1969, replacing the old Port Welcome tour boat, which moved to the harbor's west shore. The Constellation was moved away in 1971, while the city built a pier for it, and returned in 1972. It was moved out of the harbor in 1996 for an $8 million restoration and returned in 1999.

The idea of moving it again was not well received by groups that operate the vessel as a public museum, which draws nearly 100,000 visitors a year.

"It's the centerpiece of the Inner Harbor," said Bill Cunningham, vice president of the Living Classrooms Foundation, the nonprofit organization with a subsidiary that operates the Constellation and uses visitor fees to maintain the vessel.

"It's good to think out of the box for Pratt Street," Cunningham said. But "the Constellation is Baltimore, just like the aquarium is. I don't see it moving. That's been our history, and I think it will continue to be."

The Constellation's attendance is largely dependent on its prominent location near Harborplace and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, said Christopher Rowsom, executive director of the USS Constellation Museum. Moving it away from Pratt and Light streets "could affect our visibility," he said.

The location of the Constellation was determined in a 1964 master plan for the Inner Harbor by Wallace, McHarg, Roberts and Todd. The master plan showed a new pier in place of the city's old Pier One, with the Constellation beside it, said Martin Millspaugh, former chief executive of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management Inc., the agency that starting managing development around the harbor in 1965.

Millspaugh said he was astonished to see a rendering in the newspaper that showed the Inner Harbor without the Constellation.

"From the very beginning, the Constellation has been the sculptural focal point of the urban design of the entire Inner Harbor development," Millspaugh said.

M. Jay Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., a quasi-public agency that oversees downtown development, attended the meeting at which Poe suggested moving the Constellation.

Brodie said he didn't say anything about the idea during the meeting because he "was being polite." At some time, he said, he plans to have a discussion with the architects about the vessel's historical significance and key role in terms of the urban design of the harbor.

He said the designers would have to present "a compelling reason" for moving the Constellation before the city would seriously consider the idea, and so far he has not heard one.

Proposal for Constellation rocks the boat
Architecture: Edward Gunts

Originally published Jul 16, 2007

What would Baltimore's Inner Harbor be without the Constellation?

Area residents and visitors may get to find out if a designer's vision becomes reality.



Props to Gunts for calling out the most stupid ideas before they get traction.

Matthew Poe, an architect with Ayers Saint Gross, said during a recent working session with Baltimore's Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel that moving the vessel would enable people to see more of the water's surface from the shoreline.




??


Has anyone on the shoreline not been able to see the water? Thats a pretty weak argument.

Proposal for Constellation rocks the boat
Architecture: Edward Gunts

Originally published Jul 16, 2007

What would Baltimore's Inner Harbor be without the Constellation?

Area residents and visitors may get to find out if a designer's vision becomes reality.

Architects hired to recommend ideas for improving the Pratt Street corridor have floated the idea of moving the historic vessel from Constellation Pier, near the Harborplace shopping pavilions......

This gets my vote for the "Not All Architects Are Smart" award of the day. As one of Baltimore's few iconic structures, that would be like removing the Tower of London because its detention facilities are not up to current standards. The article mentions that Jay Brodie listened "to be polite". I think he should have been a little more impolite. A "what are you thinking?" doesn't seem too far out of order.

What I find most interesting is that if you try to picture the Constellation at the center of the rendering they have provided, it probably would look great there.

they need to move the constellation, because with the proposed addition to the light street pavilion and video wall, they've effectively blocked the historic waterview of the inner harbor.

under their scheme currently, one wouldn't be able to see much of the harbor because the constellation and new buildings would close up the view almost completely.

i don't think moving the constellation is a smart idea. what a great landmark for people coming downtown!

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See this above?

Well I talked with some high-up folks within a City based agency this week regarding Pratt Street. Though this isn't the Ayers Saint Gross Plan, it appears that this is actually pretty close to what Pratt Street will end up looking like.

Here are the highlights:


Construction for the project is NOT funded at this time
Traffic on Pratt Street will remain ONE WAY (it was too expensive to switch it to two way (I believe the number was $160 million)
there will be a bus and bike only lane
one or two lanes of the road will be removed
all buildings along pratt will be allowed to have a bump out for a retail expansion


The sad part is that the project isn't funded. The source thought 10 to 15 years for completion. The other sad part is that it sounds like the plan ASG came up with was a bunch of smoke....just never was going to work! Looks like the plan they will be going up with was designed over a year ago!

(wink wink...coming from a bitter guy from the losing (yet apparently "winning team")

^^so you're sayin' that this ENTIRE thing where they had 4or 5 developers compete for the pratt street revamp was a hoax?

^^so you're sayin' that this ENTIRE thing where they had 4or 5 developers compete for the pratt street revamp was a hoax?

not saying it was a hoax at all! i just think it's very interesting that the winning design isn't actually going to happen.

it's even more interesting that final the design for the street was actually in some of the proposals not selected!

To have a big ole contest, select a winner, and then not fund it sounds sort of hoax-ish to me.

To have a big ole contest, select a winner, and then not fund it sounds sort of hoax-ish to me.

The award went to the concept/firm judged to be the best design overall. The winner collected their money. It was a charrette; no one ever guaranteed the winning design would actually be implemented in its entirety. Such competitions are created to help spur new ideas, to prevent otherwise missed opportunities.

In the long run, bits and pieces of all the competitive entries will probably be implemented in one way or another. While it appears Pratt will remain one-way for now, the notion of breaking down its monotonous scale with bus and bike-only lanes seems to pay homage to a two-way plan: to break-up the monopoly east-bound vehicular traffic now enjoys...

And consider the implementation of retail at Pratt and Light: definitely a huge step design-wise. Other similar changes will follow, although not as one large orchestrated project...

The award went to the concept/firm judged to be the best design overall. The winner collected their money. It was a charrette; no one ever guaranteed the winning design would actually be implemented in its entirety. Such competitions are created to help spur new ideas, to prevent otherwise missed opportunities.

In the long run, bits and pieces of all the competitive entries will probably be implemented in one way or another. While it appears Pratt will remain one-way for now, the notion of breaking down its monotonous scale with bus and bike-only lanes seems to pay homage to a two-way plan: to break-up the monopoly east-bound vehicular traffic now enjoys...

And consider the implementation of retail at Pratt and Light: definitely a huge step design-wise. Other similar changes will follow, although not as one large orchestrated project...


Why have a contest if you don't plan to actually do any redesign? Its not like its a science fair or something.

There was a lot of talk about the 'grand boulevard' and how it would move the CBD forward. The way it was talked about wasn't as if they were just looking for some ideas....

The Pratt and Light redevelopment has nothing to do with the City's plan for the rest of Pratt Street.

Why have a contest if you don't plan to actually do any redesign? Its not like its a science fair or something.

In some ways it is! It's cheaper to dole-out $25,000 for a bad idea than spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars for a bad one...

There was a lot of talk about the 'grand boulevard' and how it would move the CBD forward. The way it was talked about wasn't as if they were just looking for some ideas....

Even left as is, Pratt Street is still our 'grand boulevard.' But in hopes of dreaming big, it was a cheap way for the Downtown Partnership, the Baltimore Development Corporation, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, and the Department of Planning to garner new ideas, while providing an opportunity for all the young, fresh and anxious blood (with good/new ideas) at area design firms to dream, all the while help defray costs by providing a little infusion of cash via the award money. And why would a firm reallocate staff time in the first place for a measly $25,000? It's good press and marketing for the firm. In the end, once elements are implemented, the city will go straight to the trough for implementation.

The Pratt and Light redevelopment has nothing to do with the City's plan for the rest of Pratt Street.

Of course it does...it's one of the first projects to rip away the exterior escalator, open up the wall and change the streetscape. Plus, what would you classify the berm removal as...?

In some ways it is! It's cheaper to dole-out $25,000 for a bad idea than spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars for a bad one...



Even left as is, Pratt Street is still our 'grand boulevard.' But in hopes of dreaming big, it was a cheap way for the Downtown Partnership, the Baltimore Development Corporation, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, and the Department of Planning to garner new ideas, while providing an opportunity for all the young, fresh and anxious blood (with good/new ideas) at area design firms to dream, all the while help defray costs by providing a little infusion of cash via the award money. And why would a firm reallocate staff time in the first place for a measly $25,000? It's good press and marketing for the firm. In the end, once elements are implemented, the city will go straight to the trough for implementation.



Of course it does...it's one of the first projects to rip away the exterior escalator, open up the wall and change the streetscape. Plus, what would you classify the berm removal as...?

Eh, I hear your point. Just don't really like the whole thing.

As far as the berm in front of the Verizon building, that was going to get redone on its own. When the building was sold two years ago, ripping up the berm was part of the approved building facelift. Was going to happen with or without the City's 'contest.'

Excuse me for my ignorance, but what exactly is the berm in this situation? I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know that term. I looked it up on Wikipedia and it says "A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas". So in this context at the Verizon building, what exactly would the berm be? The strip of earth between the sidewalk closest to the building and the street?

^^ yeah the ugly hump of grass with the trees that line Pratt Street.

In terms of Pratt Street and Harborplace in general, I currently have some houseguests visiting from London, so we decided to spend the day in Baltimore. As part of the tour, we did the Inner Harbor, with a quick stop at Harborplace.

I haven’t been inside the pavilions for at least four years; maybe it didn’t help it was February, but I was shocked: the place was dead. Not only devoid of people, but I’d say at least 33-40% of the stores and food stalls stood vacant.

While there was barely action on the first floor of the Light Street pavilion, the second floor was completely dead. Many empty store shells, and several peripheral retail slots that were completely abandoned and converted into open seating areas.

Several former stall areas were filled with penny-arcade style machines where one could drop in a quarter and play their luck in winning a cheap stuffed teddy bear, or banks of gumball machines.

Extremely depressing.

We never even made it into the Pratt Street pavilion. Why bother? The Light Street pavilion was always the busy hubbub of activity. Why even hassle with the Pratt Street pavilion?

I just don’t understand what if any decorum is being employed by General Growth properties. Are they intentionally trying to destroy Harborplace? Is the property worth more than what it’s currently programmed for?

I spotted a couple of folks who appeared to be tourists, and like those with me, I was extremely ashamed by what they witnessed…

As someone asked here earlier, what are they going to eventually do with Harborplace?

I say either get on the ball, or get rid of it altogether! It really was depressing to see…

In terms of Pratt Street and Harborplace in general, I currently have some houseguests visiting from London, so we decided to spend the day in Baltimore. As part of the tour, we did the Inner Harbor, with a quick stop at Harborplace.

I haven’t been inside the pavilions for at least four years; maybe it didn’t help it was February, but I was shocked: the place was dead. Not only devoid of people, but I’d say at least 33-40% of the stores and food stalls stood vacant.

While there was barely action on the first floor of the Light Street pavilion, the second floor was completely dead. Many empty store shells, and several peripheral retail slots that were completely abandoned and converted into open seating areas.

Several former stall areas were filled with penny-arcade style machines where one could drop in a quarter and play their luck in winning a cheap stuffed teddy bear, or banks of gumball machines.

Extremely depressing.

We never even made it into the Pratt Street pavilion. Why bother? The Light Street pavilion was always the busy hubbub of activity. Why even hassle with the Pratt Street pavilion?

I just don’t understand what if any decorum is being employed by General Growth properties. Are they intentionally trying to destroy Harborplace? Is the property worth more than what it’s currently programmed for?

I spotted a couple of folks who appeared to be tourists, and like those with me, I was extremely ashamed by what they witnessed…

As someone asked here earlier, what are they going to eventually do with Harborplace?

I say either get on the ball, or get rid of it altogether! It really was depressing to see…

As a regular luncher, two things - one is February, which has always been dead. Things get better when the weather improves. The other thing, however, is that General Growth seems to not get it at all. Blocking the windows and view with those stupid kid rides was their first great move. The work they did on getting the Urban Outfitter store in there really sucks. They blocked in areas with blank drywall, created dead-end areas and the store itself just doesn't look very good. I don't know what's happening to the kiosks and trinket stores, that business seems to be in a freefall. Nothing has gone well on Pratt since they took over. The Light St building is mainly restaurants now and at lunch many of them don't seem very busy.

My guess is that the big problem is that the festival marketplace concept just isn't the draw it once was. There are so many things to do and places to be downtown compared to 1985 that Harborplace just isn't the only thing to do. With retail and food spreading out toward Harbor East, a lot of the lunch business seems to have migrated over there. I don't know what the answer IS, but I know that is NOT General Growth.

Talk about charrettes. Now that's one charrette I'd like to see. Hold one for a totally different concept of what could replace the two pavilions. IMHO, the pavilions are a dead concept. Something, (I don't know what), needs to replace them.

But what?..................................................... :? :? :? :? :? :? :?

Anyone?

Entertaiment?
Shopping?
Office?
Residential?
Hospitality?
Recreational?
Exibitional?
Educational?

I agree, the “festival marketplace” concept is passé. But while a novel idea, Harborplace provided what Baltimore lacked: a special place for all walks of life to gather. It was and to some extent still is our “public square”…our “agora” for discourse.

While people will probably still walk along the promenade with or without Harborplace, it still provides (provided) a vital layer to the “streetscape” and water’s edge. The people strolling with an ice cream in hand, the vibrant colors (think of Kite Loft), the soft light emanating from the pavilions on a dark evening, the sound of music emanating from the patio dining areas, and the scale of the pavilions stepping up and back away from the water…

Deaden the activity within the pavilions, and you guarantee to deaden the activity along the promenade.

While the “festival marketplace” is no longer stylish, the model is still relevant and in the case of Baltimore, stills a great concept. It is our Times Square, and if we are being challenged in sustaining it, then I think we have bigger underlying problems…

Talk about charrettes. Now that's one charrette I'd like to see. Hold one for a totally different concept of what could replace the two pavilions. IMHO, the pavilions are a dead concept. Something, (I don't know what), needs to replace them.

But what?..................................................... :? :? :? :? :? :? :?

Anyone?

I think that the indoor pavilion idea is dead, but keeping shopping and restaurants there is probably a good idea. People like store-lined streets because it seems open and welcoming, whereas an indoor pavilion (especially one with multiple floors) seems daunting and old-fashioned now. Something like the Collection at Chevy Chase (minus the high, high, high-end fashion, but plus some moderately-priced stores like Banana and a large selection of small businesses and boutiques), would look fantastic there if restaurants with patio seating were included.

Build a shopping/restaurant destination like this, with multiple wide openings to the harbor to keep it visible from most vantage points on Pratt. Make sure that the stores have entrances on Pratt Street and on the harbor side.

http://www.thecollectionatchevychase.com/images/ChevyChaseCenter906011_000.JPG

http://www.thecollectionatchevychase.com/ChevyChaseCenter906003.JPG.JPG

http://www.thecollectionatchevychase.com/images/ChevyChaseCenter906032.JPG

This past Saturday I saw a comedy show downtown and afterwards went up to the Harborplace for a bite to eat at about 9 pm or so. I went through both pavilions and can attest that even though they were far from packed, both were very much alive, especially the restaurants. Plenty of seated customers and more wondering around. Most shops were empty though. All this in February's freezing cold. Was also surprised that most fast-food type places actually close at 9pm. Seemed a bit early to me. Maybe the hours are different in the summer.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_9FpPsebMAiY/RdyUeL40r8I/AAAAAAAAABI/AAlVhyCefho/s320/sm_Street_2.jpg

See this above?

Well I talked with some high-up folks within a City based agency this week regarding Pratt Street. Though this isn't the Ayers Saint Gross Plan, it appears that this is actually pretty close to what Pratt Street will end up looking like.

Here are the highlights:


Construction for the project is NOT funded at this time
Traffic on Pratt Street will remain ONE WAY (it was too expensive to switch it to two way (I believe the number was $160 million)
there will be a bus and bike only lane
one or two lanes of the road will be removed
all buildings along pratt will be allowed to have a bump out for a retail expansion


The sad part is that the project isn't funded. The source thought 10 to 15 years for completion. The other sad part is that it sounds like the plan ASG came up with was a bunch of smoke....just never was going to work! Looks like the plan they will be going up with was designed over a year ago!

(wink wink...coming from a bitter guy from the losing (yet apparently "winning team")


Did anyone mention the red line during your discussions? I would guess that light rail would run along the bus/bike lane, unless there was a separate lane installed. And maybe they plan on some funding coming for Pratt Street landscaping/streetscaping along with the redline budget.

Did anyone mention the red line during your discussions? I would guess that light rail would run along the bus/bike lane, unless there was a separate lane installed. And maybe they plan on some funding coming for Pratt Street landscaping/streetscaping along with the redline budget.

from what we were told by the transporation planners was that running mass transit down pratt street would be a disaster if it was above grade. below grade wasn't an option because of the high watrer table and all of the utilities running underneath pratt.

the transit lane we proposed would have allowerd for a surface line seperate from traffic, so technically i think it could work if the city wanted to do it...even if it was a rubber wheeled system....

Would a multi-entertainment venue along Pratt and Light be a good idea?
A carnival atmosphere? Have indoor and outdoor attractions. A world-class indoor/outdoor skate-park? :? Bowling? State-of-the-art gaming including virtual reality type games? Actual amusement rides maybe? "Carnival Baltimore!"
Rides, games, shows and shopping and food. Spectator-type entertainment here and there. Exhibits up and down the street every day and even sometimes at night. Night time exhibits. Fireworks and various local and national competitions on display.
Make it something that would compliment the existing attractions and restaurants and retail.

.... I don't know.....

Just throwing out some ideas.

Would a multi-entertainment venue along Pratt and Light be a good idea?
A carnival atmosphere? Have indoor and outdoor attractions. A world-class indoor/outdoor skate-park? :? Bowling? State-of-the-art gaming including virtual reality type games? Actual amusement rides maybe? "Carnival Baltimore!"
Rides, games, shows and shopping and food. Spectator-type entertainment here and there. Exhibits up and down the street every day and even sometimes at night. Night time exhibits. Fireworks and various local and national competitions on display.
Make it something that would compliment the existing attractions and restaurants and retail.

.... I don't know.....

Just throwing out some ideas.


Yikes, Amusement rides? I don't know about that. I think it would become TOO touristy with all that. Keep in mind, its still the heart of our business district, I don't think the business people want to dodge a roller coaster and ferris wheel on the way to work.

(Although, I do think a giant ferris wheel could work somewhere else along the harbor)

^^ Well, yeah. I mean you wouldn't have to go too far with the idea where it would impede on businesses or their people. Just something that could offer some escape for locals and tourists alike. Not a full blown theme park or anything. Something that would appeal to a wide demographic.

^^ Well, yeah. I mean you wouldn't have to go too far with the idea where it would impede on businesses or their people. Just something that could offer some escape for locals and tourists alike. Not a full blown theme park or anything. Something that would appeal to a wide demographic.

It worked for Navy Pier in Chicago, so who knows. I'm not sure there's enough room to do the same type of thing in the Inner Harbor (although a large Ferris Wheel might fit in well somewhere along Light Street).

Would a multi-entertainment venue along Pratt and Light be a good idea?
A carnival atmosphere? Have indoor and outdoor attractions. A world-class indoor/outdoor skate-park? :? Bowling? State-of-the-art gaming including virtual reality type games? Actual amusement rides maybe? "Carnival Baltimore!"
Rides, games, shows and shopping and food. Spectator-type entertainment here and there. Exhibits up and down the street every day and even sometimes at night. Night time exhibits. Fireworks and various local and national competitions on display.
Make it something that would compliment the existing attractions and restaurants and retail.

.... I don't know.....

Just throwing out some ideas.

I like the concept behind the idea. Not a Ferris wheel per say but please, something besides eating, movies and buying clothes!!!

I like the concept behind the idea. Not a Ferris wheel per say but please, something besides eating, movies and buying clothes!!!

We already have the draw to Inner Harbor--the aquarium, science center, the WATER, etc. What will fail is a cheesy entertainment "draw" that would hinder Pratt Street's ability to grow into a world-class boulevard.

^^Great point, Pennster. I would actually welcome the idea of a mini-amusement park in the harbor, but further down past inner harbor east. The only way I could see Pratt street growing into a world-class boulevard in making it two-way.

A new Pratt
$100 million makeover for the boulevard
By Edward Gunts
September 10, 2008

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.pratt10sep10,0,572909.story

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2008-09/42259137-10030510.jpg

New shops and restaurants would rise along more than a dozen blocks of Baltimore's most heavily traveled downtown boulevard, Pratt Street, and the corridor itself would get a $100 million makeover in one of the city's most ambitious urban renewal initiatives since the redevelopment of Charles Center and the Inner Harbor.

Mayor Sheila Dixon is scheduled today to unveil final plans to revitalize a 16-block stretch of Pratt Street during the annual meeting of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, a civic organization that has led the drive to transform the corridor into a more inviting and pedestrian-friendly gateway to Baltimore's waterfront and business districts.

The designers decided against an earlier proposal to open Pratt to two-way traffic, but the plan would entail some major changes to downtown traffic patterns, including a significant reworking of the intersections of Pratt and Light streets and Pratt and Calvert streets.

Dixon said yesterday that she supports the project conceptually and will urge that private property owners support it as well.

"It is an excellent plan that presents a compelling vision for the heart of Baltimore," Dixon said after a 90-minute briefing on the project, noting that the designers' plans dovetail with her vision for making Baltimore a more livable city.

"This is a huge undertaking," she said. "It's going to require a lot, but I think we have the ability to do it."

The final plan includes changes designed to enhance some of the most prominent and valuable real estate in Baltimore, including the Harborplace pavilions, the Gallery at Harborplace, the World Trade Center, the 250 West Pratt Street tower and the Legg Mason tower at 100 Light St.

It calls for a large new public square in the heart of the city - adding more than an acre of public parkland near the water's edge - and a new public sculpture garden along the Lower Jones Falls.

It recommends altering traffic patterns along portions of Pratt and Light streets, removing a half-dozen pedestrian skybridges, demolishing the 25-year-old McKeldin Fountain at Pratt and Light streets and adding more than 650,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and other commercial space.

Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership, said Dixon's show of support is a signal to property owners and other stakeholders that the effort is moving from the planning stage, where it has been for more than a year, to the implementation stage.

"We have a plan," he said. "We are ready to move ahead."

Adam Gross, design principal for Ayers Saint Gross, one of the lead designers of the Pratt Street plan, said he believes it will have the same "transformative quality" as earlier master plans for Charles Center and the Inner Harbor.

The goal was to create "a truly great urban street," Gross said. "We want it to be a street that people from all over the world are going to want to come to."

The Pratt Street plan grew out of a design competition launched in 2006 to find ways to enliven Pratt Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the west to President Street on the east.

Public officials said the improvements were needed to make Baltimore more attractive as it competes with other jurisdictions for office workers, business travelers, tourists, conventioneers and residents. More than 32,000 cars travel on Pratt Street every weekday, and more than 12 million visitors come to Pratt Street every year.

The competition winners, Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore and the Olin Partnership of Philadelphia, were hired in mid-2007 to meet with property owners up and down Pratt Street and turn their initial ideas into a comprehensive plan that can be carried out in phases over the next decade.

Highlights of the plan include:

• Keeping one-way traffic on Pratt Street but adding a median strip to create a separate lane for buses and bicycles. Planners also recommended transforming Light Street to a two-way thoroughfare from Pratt Street to Baltimore Street.

• Razing the multilevel McKeldin Fountain, named after former mayor and governor Theodore McKeldin, to open views of the city skyline for those headed north on Light Street, and replacing the fountain with a street-level plaza and park that would provide a new gateway to the harbor, possibly with jets of water and an ice rink in the winter.

• Along with razing the fountain, planners recommend that the city eliminate several lanes of northbound traffic that hug the west edge of the Light Street pavilion of Harborplace and enable people headed north along Light Street to turn onto Calvert and Pratt streets. The former bed of the curved roadway would be turned over to pedestrians and made part of a new public square called McKeldin Plaza, adding nearly 1 1/3 acres of public parkland to the 30 acres of parkland around the harbor's edge.

• Eliminating skybridges that span Pratt and Light streets to encourage people to walk at street level and patronize shops and restaurants there.

• One of the most radical elements of the plan involves the reconfiguration and eventual sale of land on nine blocks of Pratt Street, mostly on the north side of the street, to allow private entities to build shops, restaurants and other commercial space.

The plan envisions the creation of more than 650,000 square feet of retail space - five times the amount contained in the two Harborplace pavilions.

Planners have calculated that the rezoning and sale of the 10 parcels could result in the creation of up to 654,601 square feet of commercial space, mostly in the form of shops and restaurants.

Because it has so many components, Fowler said, the Pratt Street plan can be seen as a series of more than a dozen distinct projects that can be carried out in phases. Funding is expected to come from a variety of public and private sources, with at least 35 percent coming from the private sector.

Fowler added that the plan does not require the city to purchase any privately held land and does not change the width of Pratt or Light streets.

He said he believes the project can be completed in seven to 10 years, depending on the availability of funds.

"It's a plan that has to be implemented," he said. "We have 30- to 40-year-old infrastructure on Pratt Street. It's looking dated. We have to continue to create a fresh and inviting experience in order to keep attracting employees and tourists and residents. If we allow Pratt Street to stagnate in certain blocks, it's going to have repercussions for the rest of the city center."

Ah, I forgot we had this thread going. It looks like a really good plan. I'm anxious to hear what folsom thinks of it.

Ah, I forgot we had this thread going. It looks like a really good plan. I'm anxious to hear what folsom thinks of it.

It was a few pages deep! :)

[B]

• Razing the multilevel McKeldin Fountain, named after former mayor and governor Theodore McKeldin, to open views of the city skyline for those headed north on Light Street, and replacing the fountain with a street-level plaza and park that would provide a new gateway to the harbor, possibly with jets of water and an ice rink in the winter.

I like the fountain. Especially since they never built the fountain in the nerew westpark. I think a nice fountain is a nice civic asset and gathering space.

Also, its blocking views? Really? Are these people one foot tall?

I have concerns that traffic could overwhelm the redesigned smaller light and Pratt intersection.

The rest of the plan seems nice.

I like the fountain. Especially since they never built the fountain in the nerew westpark. I think a nice fountain is a nice civic asset and gathering space.

Also, its blocking views? Really? Are these people one foot tall?

I have concerns that traffic could overwhelm the redesigned smaller light and Pratt intersection.

The rest of the plan seems nice.

I agree. Losing McKeldin Fountain is a big mistake. They'd still be able to get the open space and a view to the Harbor while leaving it in place.

I'm going to like the new plaza a lot more than the current plaza. The current one seems so out of the way and inaccessible, but the new one seems like it will be right there next to the harbor and easy to get to.

It doesnt look that big to me, and I saw a good amount of photo's on the Bmore thread. it look's like it maybe 200,000 sq ft, but beside's that this is good.

Absolutely horrible. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…

I agree with Wada_Guy: this scheme as implemented will be torn down within ten years (not thirty, as he predicts).

While it is true any tourist attraction must be kept fresh by reinvention, what we have before us is an equally destructive proposal: one which could undermine all the successes we’ve witnessed with Inner Harbor redevelopment.

The problem with architects is they are poor economists: dream big, yet they never justify cost…be it direct cost or lost opportunity cost.

Adding retail along Pratt Street is a good idea; these boxes, mini-malls, whatever you want to call it is not.

Instead of creating competition and possibly killing the goose that laid the golden egg, we ought to be looking at ways of reinforcing what makes the intersection of Pratt and Light Streets so successful.

Should that mean renovating (again) or completely demolishing Harborplace and staring anew, fine. But not what this proposal envisions. This plan is too broad, and looses focus on what makes the Inner Harbor unique among American cities.

It's high time Pratt Street gets a little love
Jean Marbella
September 11, 2008
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.marbella11sep11,0,5449925.column

Pity poor Pratt Street.

It is a big street but little loved, one that manages to be pedestrian, as in undistinguished, and yet not pedestrian-friendly, as in eminently stroll-able. No lyricists have been moved to immortalize it, as they have "State Street, that great street," or "the avenue, Fifth Avenue."

So I had one question yesterday when the city unveiled a huge, $100 million redevelopment plan to freshen up and enliven the street: Is $100 million enough?

No, seriously, Pratt in its current incarnation isn't all that bad. It's just neutral - the equivalent of flyover country. The revamping, if it is to succeed, needs to bring a there there.

But what is that elusive "there," what is it that will transform Pratt from serviceable crosstown street to great urban boulevard?

At first glance, there's much to like in the proposal, which The Baltimore Sun'sarchitecture critic, Edward Gunts, previewed on the paper's front page yesterday, in advance of Mayor Sheila Dixon's formal announcement of it during the annual meeting of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.

The first - and maybe second through fifth - good thing: the Constellation stays in the picture!

That was my first reaction to the rendering of the new and improved Pratt Street, which showed the stalwart sloop in its familiar Inner Harbor berth. In a rendering last year by those in charge of envisioning the street of the future, the Constellation had been erased from the picture, apparently because it blocked a broader view of the water. That test balloon mercifully sank in the intervening year.

I also like the reconfiguration of the intersections where Light and Calvert streets cross Pratt. Currently, northbound Light Street traffic is shifted over to Calvert; the plan would restore a grid pattern. That frees up a mostly useless triangle formed by the three streets, which for now mainly serves as a pedestrian holding pen for people trying to cross from one side of Pratt to the other.

From the rendering, it looks like the triangle, plus the traffic lanes of Light Street as it curves toward Calvert and Pratt, will be turned into a tree-shaded park called McKeldin Plaza. That would be a nice oasis in the heart of downtown and would continue a positive trend at Harborplace that started when West Shore Park opened (between the Science Center and the Visitors Center) and provided that rare commodity: a place to sit and otherwise hang out at the harbor that didn't involve buying a restaurant meal.

And, presumably, there wouldn't be any of those ticky-tacky souvenir kiosks allowed into the new park, as they have been on the Harborplace promenades.

That's always been the push-pull of Harborplace: It's largely for the tourists, but people like me who live in nearby neighborhoods take a proprietary interest in it and wish it offered more for us.

It's the same thing with Pratt Street and its proposed revamping. Will it be for the out-of-towners or for those who live in what is fast becoming a more residential area, drivers or walkers, conventioneers or Monday-to-Friday office workers?

It's a lot to ask of one street, but given its location, Pratt serves many masters.

The redevelopment plan calls for more retail on Pratt, which presumably we'll need if the economy ever turns around. But as someone who now mostly shops online, I'm not even sure what sort of retail works on a Pratt-type street. The components that make for a great downtown street have changed - gone are the days of the grand department stores, and the big-box rather than big-city stores like Best Buy that have taken their place, at least on Pratt Street, don't offer the same kind of pleasures.

Mostly, I guess, the perfect Pratt Street simply would be interesting, the kind of street that you can stroll and find shops and cafes that you wouldn't find out in the 'burbs - which, in a sort of circular logic, have recently tried to capture an urban sensibility with faux downtowns like The Avenue at White Marsh.

If nothing else, the plan does give a mostly neglected street some much needed attention. On its most important stretch, the one adjacent to the harbor, both sides of Pratt seem to turn their backs on it, with the Harborplace pavilions on the south facing the waterfront and, on the north, buildings that are set at quite a distance from the street.

The plan fixes that, calling for a reconfiguration that would fill in some of that frontage with restaurants, shops and such.

So who knows, maybe some day, we'll be singing under our collective breath, "On Pratt Street, that phat street ..."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2008-09/42259137-10030510.jpg


Well here are my thoughts on the project/design. I am not surprised that the design changed. The intial concept plan of a two way boulevard with natural areas for the migration of birds just didn't make sense.


one way traffic on pratt was inevitable. going two way impacts every intersection downtown and costs more than the entire project
glad that they got the tranist lane in there. that was a key element of our plan and will be a real win for the city
i like the realignment of light street at mckeldin, but the large open plaza is huge. do you want to go and hang out in 100 degree heat in a bunch of pavement? i liked our green oasis park better. perhaps a new mckeldin fountain can be designed to be interactive withing the pavement and that can help coo lthe space. my fear is that that plaza is HUGE. you could have a 1,000 people in there and it will steel feel empty
i like the retail along pratt street. we propsed extending the facades of the existing buildings toward the street. it looks like that is what they're doing, with green roofs and rooftop restaurants similar to what we had envisioned.
i DON'T like the treatment at the Legg Mason Building. the new building looks like it was tacked on to the plaza. i still think adding new buildings and connecting them with a glass canopy back to the LM tower, ultimately creating an interior winter garden, is a great solution. the architect on our team did a great job with that...would be another world-class destinagtion for baltimore and would add much needed interest to the LM tower


i think the plan overall is really great. i think the process to getting there was a little odd. now they need to find a way to fund the project and then get it built without creating a disaster zone downtown.

once those trees come out along pratt street, it's going to be HOT HOT HOT.

i predict that we might see pieces of the plan eventualyl implemented...but i think it's going to be in 10 years.

One of the renderings in The Sun showed the additions connected. One of the renderings showed the additions as separate buildings. The large picture on the front of my newspaper clearly showed unconnected buildings. The below quote is from the article in The Sun.

"One of the most radical elements of the plan involves the reconfiguration and eventual sale of land on nine blocks of Pratt Street, mostly on the north side of the street, to allow private entities to build shops, restaurants and other commercial space.

The plan envisions the creation of more than 650,000 square feet of retail space - five times the amount contained in the two Harborplace pavilions.

Planners have calculated that the rezoning and sale of the 10 parcels could result in the creation of up to 654,601 square feet of commercial space, mostly in the form of shops and restaurants."

If the city is going to sell this land, they are going to have to put it out for bid. If the winning bid is NOT the adjacent property owner, then one would assume the buildings would NOT be connected. If the city doesn't bid it, then they can be sued.

Either way, the proposed plan makes Pratt Street look like it has cancer which has metastasized. All the buildings look like they have grown tumors on their front.

I guarantee you that if the original developers of the Gallery, former IBM building, or any of the other 9 buildings that will have retail tacked onto them had originally proposed a plan in that configuration, the plan would have been denied by the Urban Review and Architectural review committee. If that configuration was bad architecture then, what makes it good architecture now?

The location of these tacky additions will absolutely ruin Pratt Street and do nothing to make the street easier to cross or more pedestrian friendly because it will still be a 5 lane street, only now it will be wider because there will be a median strip added.

I would like nothing better than to see much more retail on Pratt Street. This plan simply puts it in the wrong location and ruins the architectural integrity of at least 8 buildings. I say 8 because the one in front of the Legg Mason building is acceptable.

It just makes more sense to me to configure Pratt Street like Saint Paul Street is configured around Preston Gardens. Imagine driving East on Pratt. Beginning at Howard Street, the street splits. The split begins at Howard Street because the cast iron fronted building, and a few other structures stick out into the wide sidewalk/berm area.

Those cars going to Harbor East (or farther), and those cars turning South on Light would veer right.

Those cars planning to turn on Charles, Calvert, Commerce, Gay or other north bound streets would veer to the left. In the middle, would be the shopping pavilions with sidewalks, cafes, etc. At the Chandler Building, the streets would merge again because the Chandler building sticks out into the sidewalk/berm area too.

The streets are more pedestrian friendly because they would be no more than 2 or 3 lanes wide. There is room for even more retail because the block in front of the Courthouse can now have stores. In fact, the stores could go all the way to the Convention Center addition. The buildings won't have tacky afterthought additions sticking out, and I'm happy.

I'm glad to see that the connector between Light and Pratt that comes before the actual intersection with light if you're coming from the west is going to be gone. It makes it a lot more pedestrian-friendly and a lot easier to reach the Inner Harbor. Right now, you have to cross so many roads, and a lot of them are blind spots to the pedestrians and the drivers. It's a death trap right now walking from the city center to the Innner harbor. Fixing that is my favorite part of the project.

Now, it's time to demo HarborPlace and put something else there. Something new, fresh and much better!

^^i'm just glad to hear that the 2 harborplace pavilions will finally get redone. i can't say i'm really fond of that olive green color of the roofs....

Are they a part of this too? :? :? :?

I sware I was thinking the same thing, because of what Rockin.Baltimore said. I never heard they were going to get redone to.

Are they a part of this too? :? :? :?yeah, i'm asuming (again, assuming....lol) that when they say "giving the harborplace a fresh, new look", one of the first things they meant was giving it an updated look. that olive color looks horrendous. i've never liked that color from the first day i saw them. make it teal or turquoise or something to that effect....

^^ I really wish they would demo those buildings one at a time obviously. Build something bigger and better there.

I want The Gallery could get redone from level's 2-4, because those store's are sorry, on the 4th floor isnt not even upscale anymore, I wish they could make it very upscale, move The Cheesecake Factory in to the Gallery, put tiffany and co somewhere in there, anything else to add. Then Demolish one of the Harborplace Pavilion's at a time becasue you don't want the entire complex shut down at one time.

^^ I really wish they would demo those buildings one at a time obviously. Build something bigger and better there.

I agree with you, Steven. The problem with Harborplace is that it's a dated concept and the buildings reflect that. The question is should Harborplace be redeveloped to be timeless so we don't have to worry about reinventing it ever decade or should it be cutting edge and be updated every decade or so? Either way, the current condition of a concept that was outdated years ago is out of the question.

It might be worthwhile to redevelop Pratt St. first, observe what kind of culture and atmosphere it takes on, and redevelop Harborplace accordingly. Harborplace should fit into the new Pratt St., not the other way around.

i agree.

^^i'm just glad to hear that the 2 harborplace pavilions will finally get redone. i can't say i'm really fond of that olive green color of the roofs....

Did they say that? For better or worse, both pavilions were just recently redone. Almost everything in there aside from Phillips was either moved or replaced. Like it or not, HP is busy when nothing else downtown is.

I agree with you, Steven. The problem with Harborplace is that it's a dated concept and the buildings reflect that. The question is should Harborplace be redeveloped to be timeless so we don't have to worry about reinventing it ever decade or should it be cutting edge and be updated every decade or so? Either way, the current condition of a concept that was outdated years ago is out of the question.

It might be worthwhile to redevelop Pratt St. first, observe what kind of culture and atmosphere it takes on, and redevelop Harborplace accordingly. Harborplace should fit into the new Pratt St., not the other way around.

What we mainly need downtown almost always comes up with more residents. I think that the idea of 650K sq ft of retail is a joke without another 50K residents. There's no way that the current thin crowd of downtown shoppers would spread out to fill the equivalent of a big mall. I think the residents will have to come first. I'm around that area on a regular basis and I don't understand how some of those stores stay in business as it is. Harborplace and Barnes and Noble are the only parts of the retail there that are ever busy. HP is mainly busy in proportion to the number of people in the Aquarium and Science Center, mostly kid/school/camp groups and families on vacation. Unless the Pratt St plan addresses the question of just who would shop in all those stores, this is just a CAD exercise.

I totally agree. If we can’t maintain high-end retail in the 250,000 sq/ft Gallery at Harborplace (per earlier comment that levels 2-4 need serious upgrading – to which I also have the same opinion) then how will we increase existing retail by threefold along Pratt Street?

This is one of the reasons I am very skeptical of the Pratt Street plan in general. It sounds nice; says all the right things to make us feel good, but it isn't rooted in economic reality.

If existing property owners could make money by adding retail, they would have done it already. The obstacle isn’t the green berms along Pratt Street, or the width of sidewalks, or the direction in which Pratt Street flows - it’s the flow of GREEN bills - as in disposable income.

As Scando says, that only comes with more people. We need a serious infusion of new downtown residents and workers before we see a Tiffany’s or a Nordstrom - and that's high income jobs - not the minimum wage salaries we've been generating.

The only hope we have right now is in the residential market, because as we all know, the office market in town has been pretty much flat for two decades...

What we mainly need downtown almost always comes up with more residents. I think that the idea of 650K sq ft of retail is a joke without another 50K residents. There's no way that the current thin crowd of downtown shoppers would spread out to fill the equivalent of a big mall. I think the residents will have to come first. I'm around that area on a regular basis and I don't understand how some of those stores stay in business as it is. Harborplace and Barnes and Noble are the only parts of the retail there that are ever busy. HP is mainly busy in proportion to the number of people in the Aquarium and Science Center, mostly kid/school/camp groups and families on vacation. Unless the Pratt St plan addresses the question of just who would shop in all those stores, this is just a CAD exercise.

…except for the Red Light District along Baltimore Street. You can always get a hot dog on Baltimore Street long after every other joint has closed in Federal Hill or Fells Point.

As far as hot dogs and liveliness go, earlier on this board, there was talk of Gampy’s on Charles Street. (Gampy’s, aka “The Great American Melting Pot”)

Gampy’s was one of those truly lively and urban places where at 2:00 am you could get a decent bite. With its dark interior and streaks of red and blue neon lights and “cubbish” music, as much as it wasn’t a diner or bar…it was. By 1:00 am it would be tough to get a seat, and a line would form at the door. By 2:00 am the crowd would be joined by a few hungry dancers from The Block.

Once I remember waiting in a particulalry long line and cursing to myself that I should have arrived earlier. While waiting, I turned around to find a rather attractive blond standing behind me. All was good, until I heard the blond utter something to her friend…in a very deep voice. At closer inspection I spotted the few missed whiskers, and I knew what I was dealing with…



Did they say that? For better or worse, both pavilions were just recently redone. Almost everything in there aside from Phillips was either moved or replaced. Like it or not, HP is busy when nothing else downtown is.

^^ :lol: :hilarious that's funny!

We can always use more residents downtown, but isn't part of the Pratt Street endeavor to draw the millions of tourists north from the Inner Harbor. Downtown shoppers are few and far between, but people roaming the Inner Harbor are a dime a million. If you get even a fraction of them to travel one block north, you could support a lot more retail than is currently there. Also, don't forget about the growing number of hotel rooms in downtown itself. That's most likely going to put more tourists north of the Inner Harbor than ever before. I also think it's about attracting shoppers from elsewhere, especially the county. Right now, there really isn't anything that would cause someone to go to downtown to shop as opposed to Towson or White Marsh. Sprucing up Pratt Street may change that though. Of course, more downtown residents would be the best thing, but I think a redeveloped Pratt Street might be able to survive on tourists and county-ites alone until the downtown population grows.

We've also got to remember that the Pratt Street redevelopment is a seven to ten year phased project. As Pratt Street is improved little by little, downtown is going to look like a more attractive place to live. You can't expect people to start moving downtown if you don't continually work to make it a better neighborhood. Pratt Street is one of those improvements, but hopefully it won't occur in a vacuum.

Did they say that? For better or worse, both pavilions were just recently redone. Almost everything in there aside from Phillips was either moved or replaced. Like it or not, HP is busy when nothing else downtown is.the earlier post from saint ayers gross way back when they were in competition for the rights to do pratt street mentioned "redoing the tops of the two harborplaces", whatever the hell that meant. naturally, they didn't go through with the 2-way traffic, but this rendering below supports their statement when you look at the harborplace along pratt street. there's even an addition to it, or maybe i'm seeing things.......


http://www.baltimoregrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/baltimore-pratt-street.jpg

We can always use more residents downtown, but isn't part of the Pratt Street endeavor to draw the millions of tourists north from the Inner Harbor. Downtown shoppers are few and far between, but people roaming the Inner Harbor are a dime a million. If you get even a fraction of them to travel one block north, you could support a lot more retail than is currently there. Also, don't forget about the growing number of hotel rooms in downtown itself. That's most likely going to put more tourists north of the Inner Harbor than ever before. I also think it's about attracting shoppers from elsewhere, especially the county. Right now, there really isn't anything that would cause someone to go to downtown to shop as opposed to Towson or White Marsh. Sprucing up Pratt Street may change that though. Of course, more downtown residents would be the best thing, but I think a redeveloped Pratt Street might be able to survive on tourists and county-ites alone until the downtown population grows.

We've also got to remember that the Pratt Street redevelopment is a seven to ten year phased project. As Pratt Street is improved little by little, downtown is going to look like a more attractive place to live. You can't expect people to start moving downtown if you don't continually work to make it a better neighborhood. Pratt Street is one of those improvements, but hopefully it won't occur in a vacuum.

It's definitely a long term project that needs to be coupled with other long term projects like attracting the affluent residents who will shop there. Unless something unexpected happens, I don't expect White Marsh people to come downtown to shop, so downtown will have to grow its own. The other rub is that since many of the "millions" of tourists are school and family groups visiting the usual attractions, most of them are spending the day on the cheap and have a schedule to keep. They are not interested in buying expensive Tiffany jewelry or other high-end baubles. I agree that hotel guests are a good target, but again, that will require a coordinated effort to attract the sort of visitors who want to shop and have the sort of retail that appeals to them. That's why I think this won't be just a job of redesigning the street.

Pratt St. plan gets mixed reviews
City developer says proposed $100 million makeover is too much for downtown
By Sumathi Reddy | sumathi.reddy@baltsun.com
September 15, 2008

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.pratt15sep15,0,2866679.story

A prominent Baltimore developer says the city's planned $100 million makeover of a 16-block section of Pratt Street is not feasible and would exacerbate existing traffic problems and oversaturate an already ailing downtown with retail space.

David Cordish, developer of the Power Plant Live complex, called the plan to add up to 650,000 square feet of retail and commercial space "absurd."

"One, that's almost three Harborplaces," he said. "They are having enough problems. Two, physically there is no room on the north side of Pratt Street for that much retail. It's impossible, physically."

But others, including some merchants in Harborplace, say they would welcome more business downtown, despite the fact that business in Harborplace is slower than usual. Several businesses, including the California Pizza Kitchen, have pulled out recently.

"Any enhancement of Pratt Street is only going to help Harborplace," said Mike Durham, president of the Harborplace Merchants Association and owner of Stadium Sports and The Sport Shop. "If you have more traffic on Pratt Street, it's going to help."

City officials unveiled a conceptual plan for transforming Pratt Street last week at an annual meeting of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, a civic organization that has led the drive for the overhaul. The plan would make changes to downtown traffic patterns, create a new public square with an extra acre of parkland near the water's edge and remove a half-dozen pedestrian bridges in an effort to create a more walkable, pedestrian-friendly downtown. The plan also includes reworking the intersections of Pratt and Light streets, and Pratt and Calvert streets.

National retail experts say downtown revitalization projects in other cities have had mixed results.

Sidney Donnell, an executive professor of real estate finance at Texas A&M University, said projects in New Orleans; San Antonio, Texas; and New York's South Street Seaport failed to realize their promise.

Location is critical, Donnell said, noting that the projects in San Antonio and New Orleans weren't in the tourist centers.

"I think the question of whether downtown retail is going to be successful has to do with what kind of viability does downtown have on its own," Donnell said. "Do you have people who live and work downtown, and do you have a vibrant tourism industry? You look at Baltimore and you have both."

Michael Beyard, a senior resident fellow for retail at the Urban Land Institute, said concerns about the oversaturation of retail are unfounded. "I don't think Baltimore is in any danger of that," he said. "The problem with retailing in downtown Baltimore is that it's not integrated well. There are different districts within downtown that have retailing but the main spine, Pratt Street, is completely retail-unfriendly."

Beyard said the plan would transform Pratt Street from a barrier into a connector.

But Cordish said the market in Baltimore does not have the demand for such an immense increase in retail space. "How many vacancies are there in Harborplace today?" he said. "There's a reason why. There's a lot of restaurants and retail space and you know, it's not easy to fill them up. So you're adding 650,000 square feet on top of it? I think that's silly. It isn't going to work."

Mark Millman, a retail consultant and CEO of Millman Search Group in Owings Mills, agreed, saying he doesn't think Baltimore can absorb such a large increase in retail space with the current economy and market. "I don't see it happening until the convention center hotel is up and running," Millman said. "I don't think the city is ready for it at this particular time. We're a little over-retailed. To add more retail now in a tough economic climate when we're over-retailed may be wishful thinking."

Sandy Fleming, manager of Destination Baltimore in Harborplace, said she's worried about the competition from more businesses.

"Harborplace in general has definitely gone down in business," said Fleming, whose store sells Baltimore-themed gifts and merchandise. "Shops have left and they haven't been replaced. We've closed two of our stores."

But Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership, said vacancies in malls across the country are always going to exist and aren't an indication that there's no appetite for more retail. He said the Pratt Street project would likely create somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 square feet of new retail and commercial space, with possibly an additional 150,000 square feet coming from private development.

Harborplace has about 152,000 square feet of retail space and The Gallery, across the street from Harborplace, has about 132,000 square feet, according to company officials.

"We've been meeting with national retailers for years, and most have said we would bring more retail downtown if there were more spaces," Fowler said.

He said the problem is that the spaces are usually not big enough for large retailers and that the Pratt Street plan would open up such spaces.

Cordish said he is concerned with traffic on Pratt Street, which he said is bad. "It's the main artery of Baltimore City," he said. "It's crucial that you not make it any worse than it already is. I'm petrified they're going to make a bad traffic situation worse."

Fowler said traffic was studied intensively for eight months and planners decided against making Pratt two-way for fear of worsening traffic. "Not much is changing," he said. "You're not really losing anything."

The one change would be a bike path separated from the rest of the travel lanes by a median strip. It would replace an orange barrier that currently separates the car lanes from Harborplace, Fowler said.

That serves as a crucial service lane for businesses such as Power Plant, said Cordish. Delivery and emergency services, and buses to the aquarium use that lane, he said. "You can't afford to eliminate that," Cordish said. "You eliminate it, you're going to put businesses out of business."

General Growth Properties, which owns Harborplace and The Gallery, expressed support for the Pratt Street plans.

"General Growth Properties has a vested interest in the continued success and growth of downtown," Christopher S. Schardt, senior general manager of Harborplace and The Gallery, said in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with all the city agencies to create the most outstanding experience for the city's residents and visitors who come downtown every day."

^^Sounds like Cordish is more worried about his own developments than anything else. Maybe he thought he could maintain a monopoly on retail in the area.

I still hope they incorporate a video board into the plans as the earlier rendition shows. I think it would add life and excitement to the Pratt St. corridor and really help to establish the area as the "Times Square" of Baltimore.

Yes, yes, I know it takes a lot more than that, but that would be a nice piece.

I still hope they incorporate a video board into the plans as the earlier rendition shows. I think it would add life and excitement to the Pratt St. corridor and really help to establish the area as the "Times Square" of Baltimore.

Yes, yes, I know it takes a lot more than that, but that would be a nice piece.

I think the video board or something similar is an almost necessary addition. Pratt Street needs something to tell everyone that it, in and of itself, is a destination. Right now it's just another downtown street, albeit the one that happens to be closest to the water. All it takes is something as simple as a video board to change people's perceptions about what Pratt Street is supposed to be about. Unfortunately, they'll probably put the video board and every other defining feature as close to Harborplace as possible. '

From what we've seen, my guess is that the Pratt Street redevelopment will be less and less successful the further from Harborplace you get. The question I want answered is: when the redevelopment is finished, why should I go to Pratt and MLK?

yep, great points peter.

1)the videoboard is a MUST. as you can see, it's doing wonders for time square...

2)developing pratt & MLK seems pointless. they're going to give that area new curbs, street plants, etc, but that's about it....

Videoboard seems like it would be tacky as a permanent thing.

Videoboard seems like it would be tacky as a permanent thing.

They have a few in DC's Chinatown/Gallery Place and they have continued to make the area very lively. They're not tacky at all if done correctly. These were put up to compete with the Verizon Center's screens. I have a feeling these will be replaced soon, however, with higher resolution screens (there is a lawsuit pending whereby the developer is suing based on the fact that the screens provided by the company were of lower quality than those on the Verizon Center and the contract stipulated that they need to be of equal or better quality). Moral for Baltimore before getting screens: make sure the screens have good resolution so you don't have to file a lawsuit!

You can see the 3 screens on the cylindrical portion of the building in the lower right-hand quadrant of the photo. To the right outside the picture is very lively 7th Street, and about a block further is the Verizon Center (which has its own outdoor screens as well). I'll have to go out and take some of my own pics because these aren't great.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/3152/chinatowndcoq9.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2282/2161660775_f7f2e3a0ef.jpg

the 650,000 sf of retail is alot, especially since all of the proposed retail spaces are small. the average retail space typically is carved out in 1200sf sections to average 3,00-5,000 sf. that's A LOT of restaurants and small retailers.

baltimore needs bigger footprints to attract bigger users

If the screens were that small, yeah, I think they'd look fine. But not if we had one that took up the whole side of a building.

If the screens were that small, yeah, I think they'd look fine. But not if we had one that took up the whole side of a building.

Even that would be cool. It makes things livelier, just as it does for Times Square in NYC and Piccadilly Circus in London. It puts forth a mindset that, "hey, if someone has invested thousands of $$ to put a large screen here, then there MUST be a lot of people around to see it--I should come around here more often because this is the place to be".

CPK is a bad example for the business enviro at Harborplace -- that place closed too early in the evening. It was just a bad fit, and the neighboring restaurants are busy, even on weekdays.

Agree that they need bigger footprints on Pratt St. Baltimore City is god-awful for big-name retail chains, and if they're talking about adding a lot of floor space, it would seem logical to add more of the Best Buy type of large retail players and not dick around with little "shoppes".

skip the small-potato video screens like everybody else is doing (and better ) - why make it like, "oh, how cute, a tiny little low-budget times square!!!" :ohno: I say launch directly into something new and provocative: an interactive holographic sculpture garden or some kind of 3d virtual reality stuff!!!!!!:nuts::lol:
(and then i woke up....)

good link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk7SW0Ubc9o

good link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk7SW0Ubc9o

Good link, Steven. Thanks for posting. It's a good sign that Mayor Dixon's event was sold out.

^^ Hey, how do you like that overhead/flying view from west to east on Pratt? Pretty cool.

So a couple of the berms have been removed in front of the Federal Courthouse and Bank of America buildings. Should we expect the rest of "Phase 1" to go ahead this year? In particular, I'm wondering about McKeldin Plaza at the intersection of Light and Pratt.

Baltimore needs a mirror bean. :D

I wonder to what extent University of Maryland is involved in this process. UMB is the only major force on the western end of the Pratt Street redevelopment area, and the manner in which this project is pursued is currently perhaps the single greatest determinant of that area's future. UMB has a lot to gain from ultimately what the city decides to do with the Pratt Street/MLK intersection. I'm certain that the UMB med school, law school and biotech park all suffer from the edginess of the neighborhood. All three would be much more appealing if the area was cleaned up a bit, and the Pratt Street Redevelopment is probably the best mechanism for doing that.