Baltimore Development News

[Northern]

Originally Posted by BaltoSteve

I think Malls with alot of Department Stores have deceptively large amount of square footage.

Yeah, thats why the number of stores can be a lot more telling about a mall, than its square footage.

[D.E.L.Soul]

Originally Posted by Maudibjr

Noticed in Wada, very nice pictures, especially in the one Northern commented on above.

The Ritz looks totally empty, does anyone live there?

Spoke with a resident last week and she said about 18 units were filled.

[D.E.L.Soul]

Came across a book today titled "Historic Photos of Baltimore" by Mark Walston. If you haven't seen this yet then check for it, it's a great read, and for all of you "bookworms" out there, it is mostly photos and only enough words for a brief description and history of what you are looking at. Anyone on here who didn't grow up a "Baltimoron" but now reside in our charming metropolis can probably learn at least one historical fact. Of course some of us may be too busy to look for a book (and i'm a photojunkie) so for tonight's show-and-tell I took some photos of photos. Only a few though, 'cause it's not cool to O.D. on copyright infringement.

Lexington Market 1920's



Federal Hill view of the harbor 1912 (check out the Bromo to the left of center)



Democratic convention 1912



Howard St. around 1910



Baltimore St. W of St. Paul 2/8/1904 after the great fire



Around Hanover st. -great fire



The Continental Trust building around 1906 @ 5yrs old, it was briefly the tallest south of N.Y.



300 block W. Lexington in the 1970's



Arieal view- no date given... my guess is mabye mid to late 1940's



The book came out in 08 and it covers the time period between 1840-1980... very informative.

P.S. Didn't mean to temporarily hijack the development thread but I figured we could take a moment away from slow times and enjoy a look back.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[micrip]

Originally Posted by k25150

Those mall stats seem weird to me. Columbia bigger than Arundel Mills? HUnt Valley whatever bigger than Towson! Weird.

It's outdated. Westfield Annapolis has now edged out Arundel "Thrills", and more square footag is being added as we speak.

[Exrexnotex]

Wow, amazing photos. The continental trust building, is it still standing to date ?

[rockin'.baltimorean]

great photos. i love the one from the 70's......

[DrzBrooklynChulo90]

Originally Posted by RavensFan0606

Yeah, I thought Arundel Mills was the 2nd biggest mall on the East Coast after completion? (following King of Prussia in PA)

Did we forget about the malls in New York City,Philadelphia, and Boston?

[scando]

Originally Posted by Exrexnotex

Wow, amazing photos. The continental trust building, is it still standing to date ?

Yep. At the corner of Baltimore and South St. It survived the 1904 fire, although it was gutted. Behind it is the red brick building that used to be Mercantile and subsequently a bunch of failed night clubs, another survivor of the fire. The building that is being framed in the background is now being converted to a hotel.

[PeterSmith]

Another solid step in the direction of making downtown a retail destination:

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article...0358&type=UTTM

Owner of vacated First Union bank building looking for retail tenant
ROBBIE WHELAN
Daily Record Business Writer
December 22, 2008 7:17 PM



With the departure of World Relief Services, the owner of the century-old First Union National Bank building at 1 E. Baltimore St. is looking for a retail tenant to fill 15,000 square feet on three floors of space in Baltimore’s Central Business District.

The nonprofit’s staff completed its move to adjoining 7 E. Baltimore Street, which World Relief owns, in late November, and the owner of 1 E. Baltimore St., listed in state records as Huron Associate LLC, has retained Matt Copeland and Jeff Bach of CB Richard Ellis to market the property.

“We’re marketing it to a retail user because of what’s going on across the street at the theater,” Copeland said.

In September, the city’s design panel took preliminary steps toward approving a plan to convert the Morris Mechanic Theatre, located directly opposite the First Union building, into a mixed-use development with a 32-story residential hotel tower.

Several former bank buildings have seen new life as office or retail spaces in the city in recent years. Bedrock, a night club that closed its doors last week, was located at 401 W. Baltimore St., a 4,700-square-foot former bank branch built in 1900; the campaign headquarters for state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh, at the corner of Charles Street and North Avenue, was housed in a former Bank of America branch.

World Relief, a Christian international development nonprofit, was seeking to purchase the bank building, but could not agree on a price with the seller, and moved from the space because its lease expired. In addition, the building’s open floor plan, designed as a bank lobby, wasn’t ideal for its office setup, officials said.

“That was not usable space for us,” said Andrea Kaufmann, spokeswoman for World Relief. “We used it very rarely for big group meetings. … [We] were intending to purchase the building, but we had different ideas on what the price of the building was.”

State records show that the building was bought by its current owner in 2003 for $835,000 from a subsidiary of Citigroup. World Relief bought the adjacent property in 2001 for $1.4 million.

Copeland also said that restaurant tenants for downtown retail properties are few and far between in this market.

“With the economy right now downtown, there isn’t much going on,” he said. “A lot of the restaurants being signed right now are holding off [opening] until 2010.”

Still, Copeland said Monday that two new eateries had signed on for space at Centerpoint, an $85 million residential and retail development at Howard and Lexington streets. A Wow Cafe & Wingery franchise and an as-yet unnamed deli will take about 3,000 square feet of space on Centerpoint’s Eutaw Street side next year, he said.

[Eerik]

...corner of Baltimore and Calvert.

Originally Posted by scando

Yep. At the corner of Baltimore and South St. It survived the 1904 fire, although it was gutted. Behind it is the red brick building that used to be Mercantile and subsequently a bunch of failed night clubs, another survivor of the fire. The building that is being framed in the background is now being converted to a hotel.

[Exrexnotex]

Originally Posted by scando

Yep. At the corner of Baltimore and South St. It survived the 1904 fire, although it was gutted. Behind it is the red brick building that used to be Mercantile and subsequently a bunch of failed night clubs, another survivor of the fire. The building that is being framed in the background is now being converted to a hotel.

Thanks. I just looked at it on streetview. I should really take a day to walk around downtown.

[waj0527]

Damn, Bedrock is done already?

[rockin'.baltimorean]

yeah, i know right? i thought they were actually doing good business being that they opened a restaurant next door & all. me and a couple of my buddies shot pool there from time to time. it was nice....

[yankee_doodle]

Originally Posted by vivo

http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/loc...08redline.html


Local News

[Print] [Email]
End of the line for transit route?

By Stephen Janis
Examiner Staff Writer 12/19/08
Feds withdraw crucial red line funding



Two million dollars in federal funds designated for engineering studies of route alternatives for the proposed Red Line transit system has been withdrawn by the Federal Transit Administration.

The funds were part of a congressional earmark that Maryland Transit Administration planners allowed to lapse after missing a deadline for filing paperwork last year with the FTA.

The lost funding marks a setback for backers of the proposed 12-mile light rail of rapid bus transit system slated to run between Woodlawn and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, which is currently in the planning stage.

"I am deeply disappointed that the administration chose to ignore the intent of Congress by redistributing these funds," said Sen. Barbara Milkulski, D-Md., a strong supporter of the project. "I will continue to fight for these funds."

In June The Examiner reported that MTA planners allowed the earmark to lapse after missing a key deadline for filing paperwork required to use the funds authorized by Congress.

But MTA officials blamed FTA restrictions on the lapse, promising last summer to file necessary paperwork to restore the lost funding.

"We are surprised and disappointed as well," said Jawauna Greene, spokeswoman for the MTA. "We would like the money, but the planning of the project is going forward," she said. "Bear in mind it's only $2 million for a $1.6 billion project ,and the money will be there when needed."

Baltimore City Red Line coordinator Danyell Diggs also blamed federal officials for the loss of funds.

"This is just one final anti-transit action by the Bush administration on its way out the door," said Diggs in an e-mail.
"We are looking forward to January 20 and a president who values transit as a means of strengthening communities."

Milkulski spokesman Cassie Harvey said FTA officials decided to redistribute the funds outside Maryland after Congress failed to re-authorize New Starts, a federal program that funds mass transit projects nationwide.

Federal Transportation Administration officials did not return calls for comment.

Maryland is not the only state to lose funding for mass transit projects, Harvey said, noting FTA has cut funds in 16 other proposed transit projects in 12 states. Among other area projects affected is the proposed Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit bus or light rail line in Virginia.

WOW! A JUWAUNDA and a DANYELL are in charge of our hopes of a decent transit future? Good luck with that one.

[StevenW]

Has anyone sent out any recent "update" e-mails to any developers lately? Just wondering. It's been a while since I have, so I sent out a few a few days back. Nothing yet. Maybe we all could question the BDC, Downtown Partnership as well as developers and/or architectual firms on the latest news they have on all the projects going on?

[StevenW]

BTW, D.E.L.Soul, those are great pix you posted. Love 'em!

[cgunna]

Originally Posted by yankee_doodle

WOW! A JUWAUNDA and a DANYELL are in charge of our hopes of a decent transit future? Good luck with that one.

As opposed to a MaryAlice and a Becky??

WTF is that supposed to mean.

lol

[pepperjack]

The verizon store in the Bagby building is open. I don't think i saw anyone mention that.

[StevenW]

Check out this link: http://www.citywiderobbery.com/

Wild!!

[Tricia_Lvs_Baltimore]

Originally Posted by yankee_doodle

WOW! A JUWAUNDA and a DANYELL are in charge of our hopes of a decent transit future? Good luck with that one.

Originally Posted by cgunna

As opposed to a MaryAlice and a Becky??

WTF is that supposed to mean.

lol

Yes, I will have to agree with this one Cgunna. What in the world does one's name have to do with the amount of production they can contribute to a company? There's been enough mudslinging to last us all for decades and the last thing we need is this forum is another forumer (a NEW forumer at that) throwing some of the most ignorant comments in the world. It has no place if development news.