BALTIMORE | L on Liberty | 4 fl | U/C

Since demolition is in full swing, I figured I'd start a thread for this project. It's not the biggest construction site in Baltimore, but it's an important step in bringing the Westside back.

The site is literally below my bedroom window, so I'll be able to keep this thread updated as construction continues.

This photo is from this morning.

PeterSmith said:

Updated the title. Thanks for getting this thread started. I'm looking forward to this one as well.

Click to expand...

Thank you! I'm really hoping this is the beginning of some real movement on the Westside. Imagine if we saw movement with 325 W Baltimore, Brager Gutman apartments, Lexington Market redevelopment, and more redevelopment along Howard. I still don't understand how Lexington Street between Eutaw and Liberty is the way it is.

Anyway, here's an update from about 6:00pm on 2/20. Demo is moving along pretty quickly and has been interesting to watch.

I haven't posted any updates of this project in a while because they're still doing demo and it isn't sexy. I will admit that it's been interesting seeing how two conjoined buildings are separated during demo. If you're interested, they basically knock down all walls that aren't connected to the adjoining building, then they send in two guys with a cherry picker to remove the remaining wall brick by brick.

Anyway, this is from this morning (3/16/18).

They're still chugging along here. It's interesting that this site and Della Notte started demolition at just about the same time and they're already drilling at Della Notte. Workers are at both sites daily.

At this stage, they're digging up old junk left behind when the buildings that once stood there were demolished and simply paved over to create the parking lot that was there for more than 20 years. There were four foundations initially, but they've removed two. I'd imagine they'll soon remove the others. I'm already sick of watching site prep progress. I'd like to see some construction!

Significantly heavier machinery on site this week. They're drilling foundation piers now, right?

About a month later...

Taken on the morning of June 18. Definitely starting to look like site prep instead of demolition. Maybe I'll get to see some construction soon.

This was taken the morning of July 11. Foundation work is very much underway. I'm hoping Peter or another mod can edit the title from Demo to U/C!

Here's a story about local government working for me:

Workers at this site, which is literally just outside of my bedroom window, had been starting construction earlier and earlier. They'd also been working later and later in the evening. Two weeks ago, they began at 6:36am and didn't finish working until 7:40pm, well outside of the legally allowed 7am to 7pm time frame as per the city ordinance governing this sort of thing. I wrote Eric Costello, my councilman, explaining the situation and inquiring about whether or not the developer got a waiver. Eric connected me with a woman who works with the city's housing and urban development department. A few days later, the woman wrote me back to say that a construction inspector was sent to the site and talked to the foreman. I was encouraged by both the BCHUD and the councilman to follow up if I have any more issues with this. Since that day, workers don't even show up to the site until 7am.

In a city in which we all have tons to complain about w/r/t to our local government, this is a small but personally significant story I just had to share.