Baltimore Grows

We’re happy to have a guest post today courtesy of Urban Discoveries Living Blog. Check out all their great content.

An ambitious redevelopment of an abandoned landmark. In East Baltimore. During a recession. Sound like a good idea to you? But against all odds, things seem to be working in favor of Columbia-based non-profit Humanim’s redevelopment of the American Brewery Building—the once-abandoned structure should be open for business by this summer, and Humanim will use it as their Baltimore headquarters, providing workforce development to people with barriers to employment.

Humanim’s connection with the American Brewery building began when a staff member scouting the area spotted “the most amazing building.” As anyone who’s seen it knows, the structure is immediately striking. A 2002 CityPaper article put it nicely: “The design has been described as everything from ‘Bavarian Gothic’ to ‘Teutonic pagoda’ to ‘circus architecture.’”

When Humanim staff members snuck inside to look around in 2005, the place was in bad shape. The structure was compromised, there was rot everywhere—not irreparable damage, but close. “I’m not sure it would’ve gone another year without fatal structural damage,” Truitt said. The 19th-century building hadn’t been in use since 1973 and was so run-down that The Wire filmed several drug deal scenes in its overgrown parking lot.

Needless to say, the project was daunting—but four years later, despite a recession that’s seen many similar plans implode, Humanim’s American Brewery redevelopment is on budget and on time, with offices slated to open by June of this year.

The non-profit is fully aware of the symbolism of bringing a neglected building in a largely neglected community back to life. Humanim sees the widespread blight in East Baltimore as an opportunity more than anything else. As Truitt put it, “Part of what we’ve done for 35-plus years is take risks to provide services where they’re lacking.” Looked at from that perspective, the East Baltimore location has multiple advantages. Humanim expects the building to house 250 employees, and they’ve committed to hiring from within the community. Furthermore, they’ll be providing services where they’re most needed—they hope to serve 1300 people in the Brewery building’s first year. Right now they’re engaging in focus groups with community merchants to figure out exactly what local businesses need… so they can train people to provide it.

The timing is lucky, too—Humanim managed to raise the majority of their funds when foundations still had money to give out (they’ve come up with $24 million of their projected $25 million cost), and they’ll be opening at a time when need is at its greatest. As the sole owner and occupant of the building, Humanim won’t have to worry about finding tenants or securing leases.

As for the redesign itself, one goal was to “keep the building alive as much as possible,” which meant that architect George Holback (of Cho Benn Holback) incorporated structural features like the grain chute, tanks, and grain elevator into the new plan. General contracting work is being done by Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse. The community already seems to be rallying around the project—at a recent ceremony to mark the façade’s unveiling from behind the scaffolding, 400 community members showed up to cheer Humanim on.

It’s an ambitious project to be sure—do you think it will work? Is it what the neighborhood needs? Can East Baltimore sustain its much-touted revival?