Baltimore’s Department of Recreation and Parks has selected Henry H. Lewis Contractors LLC to restore the Howard P. Rawlings Palm House in Druid Hill Park.
The city agency has asked Baltimore’s Board of Estimates to award a contract for the work at its meeting on Nov. 5. According to the board’s agenda, the amount is $7,176,705.
This is the second time this year that the parks department has recommended a contractor to restore the historic Palm House at 3100 Swann Drive. The agency asked the spending panel to approve a $9,448,320 contract with Wohlsen Construction Co. of Baltimore at its Aug. 5 meeting, but officials later withdrew the item from the panel’s agenda and sought new bids, opening them on Sept. 16.
“The Department finds the bid acceptable and recommends the award of this contract to Henry H. Lewis Contractors, LLC d/b/a Lewis Contractors,” says a statement on the board’s Nov. 5 agenda from the parks department.
Historic landmark
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rawlings Conservatory features five distinct greenhouses – Palm, Orchid, Mediterranean, Tropical and Desert – and surrounding gardens. Designed by George Frederick, the conservatory opened in 1888. Each greenhouse features a different climate and plant collection.
The project up for award is a comprehensive restoration of the Palm House, the oldest and most historically-significant part of the Rawlings Conservatory, along with its Orchid Room.
Rising 50 feet, the Palm House is the tallest section of the conservatory and its centerpiece, with 175 windows and a vaulted roof and cupola. Its skeleton was modeled after grand European greenhouses to contain towering palms, including the Green Malayan Coconut; Bismarck; Fan; Cat and Foxtail specimens, as well as seasonal and tropical plantings.
The conservatory’s last major restoration took place from 2002 to 2004, when it was closed to the public and upgraded with UV-protective glass. After it reopened, its name was changed by law to the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, in honor of the Maryland legislator who died in 2003 at the age of 66.
First announced in 2024
The Palm House renovation project was first announced in 2024. The scope of work includes:
- Replacement of failing glazing and windows;
- Structural repairs and stabilization;
- Preservation of historic elements;
- Modernization of mechanical and electrical systems, and
- Re-establishment of lush landscaping and palm trees.
Funds for the work are coming from the city, the state and private donors led by The Friends of the Rawlings Conservatory. The Friends group has raised money in part by holding a series of fundraisers in which members turn the conservatory into a party palace for the night.
Extensive experience
In the first round of bids, the city received two proposals, the low bid from Wohlsen and a bid from W. M. Schlosser Co. of Hyattsville for $11,966,000. Schlosser had planned to protest the award to Wohlsen before it was withdrawn from the Board of Estimates’ Aug. 5 agenda.
After the project was rebid, the city received proposals from four contractors. Lewis submitted a bid of $7,176,669. Schlosser submitted a bid of $9,233,000. Wohlsen submitted a bid of $7,284,810. Nichols Contracting Co. of Columbia, Md., submitted a bid of $7,946,650.
Besides submitting the lowest bid, Lewis has extensive experience restoring historic and architecturally significant structures.
A family-owned business founded in 1966, Lewis’ past restoration projects include: the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon; Baltimore’s Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Homewood Museum and the Maryland Hall cupola at Johns Hopkins University, and Davidge Hall at the University of Maryland Baltimore.
Also, Old St. Paul’s Church on Charles Street; First and Franklin Presbyterian Church on W. Madison Street; Everyman Theatre; the historic gatehouse at Sheppard-Enoch Pratt Health System; Charles Carroll House and James Brice House in Annapolis; the Roland Water Tower; the Walters Art Museum’s Hackerman House; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, and many others.
According to the Board of Estimates agenda for Nov. 5, the contract with Lewis has a duration of 1,095 days, or three years. The start date for the contract is dependent on the board’s approval.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the Board of Estimates will meet virtually via Webex on Nov. 5. There will be no in-person attendance. Members of the public will be able to access the meeting through Webex by dialing (408)-418-9388 (Access code: 2334 253 2329). It will also be shown on Charm TV.
