Y'all can rejoice now. It's going bye bye
Mar 25, 2013, 11:01am EDT
End is nigh for Baltimore's Morris A. Mechanic Theatre
Kevin Litten
Staff Reporter-
Baltimore Business Journal
Email | Twitter | Google+ The six-month waiting period on demolition of the shuttered Morris A. Mechanic Theatre has expired, allowing developer Howard S. Brown to proceed with a 476-unit apartment, retail and parking project.
Brown, the chairman of David S. Brown Enterprises Ltd., said he is close to submitting updated plans for the site. Demolition could occur within a few months, he said.
Brown last year announced plans to build a two-tower project with 600 apartments. The development team in January presented a project with 476 apartments, but Brown said the plan continues to evolve.
What we want to do is do the project in phases, Brown said. Youve got to demo the building and then shore up the property and then excavate down two levels.
Brown said he expects the excavation to reach the level of the subway, which will eliminate concerns about the new buildings weight on subway infrastructure. A new entrance to the Metro Subways Charles Center stop was included in past plans Brown submitted for city review.
Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc. officials have touted the project as helping meet demand for downtown residential apartments. Downtown Partnership President Kirby Fowler has supported the demolition of the theater, which was built in the 1960s and closed in 2004.
From an urban design perspective, the building is not built to stand the test of time, Fowler said of the theater. Its extremely hard to reuse the building, it turns its back to Charles Street and once the original use is no longer valid, its not feasible for other uses.
Past plans incorporated the existing theater into the site, but Brown last year said he wanted to demolish the Mechanic because of its design limitations and deterioration.
The Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation rejected Browns demolition permit in September. But that rejection only meant Brown couldnt apply for a demolition permit until this month, giving CHAP time to explore ways to preserve the building.
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore....html?page=all
Mar 25, 2013, 11:01am EDT
End is nigh for Baltimore's Morris A. Mechanic Theatre
Kevin Litten
Staff Reporter-
Baltimore Business Journal
Email | Twitter | Google+ The six-month waiting period on demolition of the shuttered Morris A. Mechanic Theatre has expired, allowing developer Howard S. Brown to proceed with a 476-unit apartment, retail and parking project.
Brown, the chairman of David S. Brown Enterprises Ltd., said he is close to submitting updated plans for the site. Demolition could occur within a few months, he said.
Brown last year announced plans to build a two-tower project with 600 apartments. The development team in January presented a project with 476 apartments, but Brown said the plan continues to evolve.
What we want to do is do the project in phases, Brown said. Youve got to demo the building and then shore up the property and then excavate down two levels.
Brown said he expects the excavation to reach the level of the subway, which will eliminate concerns about the new buildings weight on subway infrastructure. A new entrance to the Metro Subways Charles Center stop was included in past plans Brown submitted for city review.
Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc. officials have touted the project as helping meet demand for downtown residential apartments. Downtown Partnership President Kirby Fowler has supported the demolition of the theater, which was built in the 1960s and closed in 2004.
From an urban design perspective, the building is not built to stand the test of time, Fowler said of the theater. Its extremely hard to reuse the building, it turns its back to Charles Street and once the original use is no longer valid, its not feasible for other uses.
Past plans incorporated the existing theater into the site, but Brown last year said he wanted to demolish the Mechanic because of its design limitations and deterioration.
The Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation rejected Browns demolition permit in September. But that rejection only meant Brown couldnt apply for a demolition permit until this month, giving CHAP time to explore ways to preserve the building.
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore....html?page=all