Historic Mayfair Theatre façade to be deconstructed and reconstructed as part of new building plan

For the past eight years, the front façade of the historic Mayfair Theatre on Howard Street has been preserved even though the rest of the building has been demolished, with a local developer intending to make it part of a new mixed-use project planned for the block.

But now that the developer is ready to move ahead with construction, the last remnant of the 1903 theater is about to be taken down, at least temporarily.

The mixed-use project in question is a $25 million, six-story building planned by Zahlco Development, with Moseley Architects as the designer. The construction site is the footprint of both the former Mayfair Theatre at 506 N. Howard Street and the former Franklin-Delphy hotel at 300-304 West Franklin Street, now a vacant corner lot. The project, called Mayfair Place, has been designed to contain 93 apartments, 10,000 square feet of commercial space and about 30 parking spaces.

During a meeting of Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) this week, panel members were told that the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) did not approve the preservation process that the developer planned to follow to brace and stabilize the theater’s façade while construction was underway on the rest of the building.

CHAP held a hearing because the Mayfair Theatre is a city-designated landmark, which means the panel is empowered to review and approve any changes to its exterior before any construction or demolition begins. CHAP approved plans in 2021 that called for the theater’s front façade to be salvaged and incorporated into the design of an otherwise new structure.

The MTA has the authority to intervene because it’s the state agency that operates the light rail line in front of the Mayfair property, with trains running within 30 feet of the front façade.

‘Too close to the light rail’

Lauren Schiszik, a Historic Preservation Planner Supervisor with CHAP, told the panel that the developer submitted plans to obtain building permits when state officials expressed concerns about how close the proposed bracing for the façade would be to the light rail line and the potential danger of pieces of the structure falling onto the light rail tracks during construction.

“MTA is refusing to approve the shoring that they’ve proposed because the shoring is, in MTA’s opinion, too close to the light rail” tracks, she said. The developer proposed to have the bracing coming out from the façade about 15 to 17 feet, she said, but “MTA is saying, no, your bracing can come out from the façade no more than 10” feet.

In addition, Schiszik said, engineers with Skarda & Associates have determined that “it’s also not feasible to stabilize the façade from the interior because the interior of the building is actually over catacombs. There were Turkish baths in the basement in a previous iteration.”

Meanwhile, she said, “the levels within the space are failing. There are two stairwells. One of the stairwells is completely collapsed. The other one is collapsing. The roof is also failing. All of the wood is saturated and failing. It is not really possible or feasible to stabilize it from the interior due to the severe degradation of the building itself. Skarda also said that the building is in such poor condition that it is at risk of collapse now.”

Deconstruct and reconstruct

 Given that assessment, Schiszik said, the developer has responded with a plan to deconstruct the façade carefully and reconstruct it as part of the new structure’s façade.

“What they are proposing to do is to carefully reconstruct the terra cotta elements of the façade,” she said. “There actually are already really amazing 3-D scans of this building that had been done years ago…They will, basically, in their deconstruction, carefully label each piece, map where it is, store it carefully, and then reconstruct it on site after they’ve built the building.”

In addition to reconstructing the front façade, Schiszik said, the developer has applied to demolish the remaining brick side walls.

“The majority of the brick walls are no more than a story high and they’ve been open to the elements for at least eight years now and the argument is the brick walls that are there are not structurally sound either,” she told the panel.

CHAP’s guidelines say that stone or masonry walls of a historic building can be removed for “structural integrity reasons, and that’s where we are,” she said. “This is a structural integrity issue.”

Schiszik said that for as long as she has lived in Baltimore – close to 20 years – “I have been worried about this building and whether or not it was going to survive. And now we have such a tiny bit of it still surviving. And luckily, it is the character-defining feature of this building. It is still here. And I think we are at a point where the options are to either deconstruct it and reconstruct it, or we lose it. That’s really where we are.”

Deconstruction and reconstruction of a façade “is not cheap,” she continued. “The developer is committed to preserving this façade and staff is recommending approval, because given all of the regulatory and practical and structural issues that are at play here, this is the best option to save this façade.”

The developer “was submitting for building permits to do the stabilization and start the project” when the MTA raised concerns, she said. “They were ready to go. They were committed to stabilizing it.”

‘For future generations’

Yonah Zahler, the president and CEO of Zahlco, attended the CHAP meeting with architect Tom Liebel of Moseley. Zahler confirmed that he is committed to reconstructing the façade as part of the development.

In his application to CHAP, Zahler stated: “Zahlco is dedicated to the meticulous deconstruction and subsequent reconstruction of the historic terra cotta façade, ensuring that this significant architectural element is preserved for future generations. Our design team’s approach is grounded in respect for the theater’s historical value and a deep understanding of the technical and logistical challenges involved in preserving the key architectural elements of this unique facade. We are prepared to invest the necessary resources and expertise to achieve a successful outcome that honors the theater’s legacy.”

After hearing about the MTA’s intervention, Skarda’s assessment and Zahlco’s pledge, the commissioners voted unanimously to give concept approval to the plan to deconstruct and reconstruct the Mayfair Theatre façade, with final details to be worked out with CHAP’s staff. The commissioners also recommended that a test area of the theater’s terra cotta façade be prepared for review by CHAP’s staff before the entire facade is dismantled.

The Mayfair site previously housed a building called the Natatorium, which opened in 1870 and included a large indoor pool and gymnasium. In 1891, it became a theater called the Howard Auditorium. In 1903, that structure was demolished and replaced with a theater that was initially called The Auditorium and still used for live performances. J. D. Allen & Co. of Philadelphia was the architect.

In 1929, the Auditorium was equipped to show “talking pictures” and live performances. In 1941, it was turned into a movie theater and renamed the Mayfair. It was remodeled again in 1963 and continued operating as a downtown movie house until 1986, when it closed permanently. The City of Baltimore acquired the then-dormant building in 1987 from J. F. Theatres Inc. for potential redevelopment.

In 2016, the city demolished the majority of the theater’s side and rear walls on an emergency basis to prevent further collapse. The Baltimore Development Corporation, acting on behalf of the city, selected Zahlco to be the developer in 2018.