Now that the five-story Bard Building has been reduced to rubble, work crews are turning their attention to grading the land for creation of Baltimore’s newest public amenity — a temporary green space.
Maryland’s Department of General Services this week released a site plan and rendering that show how the 1.1-acre site will look after it’s landscaped for use by the public.
The vacant Bard Building was razed starting last December after city and state officials determined it was an eyesore and safety hazard. Maryland’s Board of Public Works allocated $4.2 million for the structure to be taken down while its owner, the Baltimore City Community College (BCCC), comes up with a new “vision” for the property.
Former Gov. Larry Hogan had approved a plan that called for the land to be used as a parking lot but Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson pushed for it to be turned into a temporary green space instead, and that approach won out. The state’s long-range plan still calls for the property to be redeveloped in some way and for the green space to be an interim use.
The property is bounded by Lombard Street on the south, Market Place on the east, Water Street on the north and Baltimore’s Holocaust Memorial on the west.
It’s about the same size as the city block at Charles and Baltimore streets that was formerly occupied by the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, a structure that was taken down starting in 2014 but never landscaped or made available for use by the public.
The landscape architect for the green space on Lombard Street is Floura Teeter of Baltimore. Drawings released by the Department of General Services show that the Bard site will be replaced by an open lawn, surrounded on three sides by double rows of trees, 38 in all.
New trees include London planes, swamp white oaks and willow oaks, some in existing tree pits along Market Place. A new concrete sidewalk will be poured along the western edge of the BCCC property, where it meets the Holocaust Memorial grounds. Contractors are aiming to complete all work by the end of 2024.
Removal of the Bard Building opens up views that were previously blocked by the college structure, including views of the United States Custom House at 40 S. Gay Street and of low-rise buildings on Water Street that are part of the Power Plant Live! complex.
Numerous real estate studies have indicated that homes and businesses tend to be worth more when they’re near a well-maintained park or green space. At least one neighbor of the Bard site, the operator of Baltimore Soundstage at 124 Market Place, is happy about the change.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for the abandoned BCCC building…to be torn down and the time is finally here!” a representative of the entertainment venue posted on social media. “Who else is excited to have some green space to relax in before shows?!…The views all around are already so much better and the more green space the better!”
Yawn. I understand that it is temporary (in Baltimore that could be 10+ years) but still…
Baltimore should NOT be planting London Plane trees anywhere. They have been a disaster for New York City.
“Oaks, tulip trees, and other native species attract throngs of songbirds, especially in the spring and fall migration seasons. London planetrees do not. While all trees have physical or chemical defenses, insects in New York City haven’t adapted to the planetrees’ fortifications the way they have with native trees, causing cascading effects throughout the food web. This means fewer plant-eating bugs; in turn, fewer bug-eating birds grace these trees.”
https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/london-planetrees-new-york-parks-nonnative-species-bad-why.html