Representatives of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) held a topping-off ceremony on Wednesday for a six-story, $120 million building at 600 W. Lexington St. that will house its School of Social Work.
A topping-off ceremony is a tradition that marks the moment when the final steel beam is placed atop a building’s skeleton – a construction milestone.
More than 100 UMB faculty members, administrators, students and guests watched as a crane lifted a white steel beam that supported an American flag and an evergreen tree. The beam had been signed by UMB leaders, construction workers, and School of Social Work students and employees.
Construction began in October of 2024 for the 127,000-square-foot building, which will consolidate the school’s Master of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy programs. UMB President Bruce Jarrell noted that it will be the first net-zero emissions building within the University System of Maryland and the first in downtown Baltimore, with features such as geothermal wells, solar panels and a green roof.
The construction site is bounded by Saratoga Street on the north, Greene Street on the east, Lexington Street on the south and Pearl Street on the west. Whiting-Turner Contracting Company is the builder and Ballinger of Philadelphia is the architect.
The new School of Social Work will contain a mix of research, teaching and gathering spaces, including 10 classrooms; 13 conference rooms; 16 small meeting rooms; 27 huddle rooms; a coffee lounge; bike racks; showers; a foot-washing station; a prayer and meditation room; a lactation space and a large multi-purpose event space for education and community outreach. Banners on fences around the construction site call it “A New Home for the Changemakers.”
The ceremony was followed by a catered lunch for construction workers and a hard-hat tour for guests. The building is expected to open in mid-2027.
The timelapse videos below show the construction of UMB’s new School of Social Work building. Videos courtesy UMB.
