Members of Fells Point Main Street, whose mission is to promote, strengthen, and revitalize Fells Point’s commercial and historic districts, nominated the site because it has been sitting vacant for a decade. The building and pilings are rapidly deteriorating, and the area is in need of extensive repair.
Several years ago, Baltimore City officials decided (with the community’s approval) that Baltimore developers J. Joseph Clarke and H&S Properties Development Corporation should relocate Moran Towing Corporation, a tugboat company, from the pier and develop a hotel and restaurant. As of today, work has yet to commence.
“The epicenter of Baltimore’s renaissance is the harbor, and the architectural jewel in the crown is the Recreation Pier,” says Lori Guess, a longtime Fells Point resident, attorney, and former chair of the Fells Point Task Force Recreation Pier committee.
“This beautiful building—one of very few publicly owned waterfront properties—desperately needs preservation to continue the positive momentum of Baltimore development.”
Once the second-leading port of entry (after Ellis Island) on the East Coast, Fells Point’s pier was declared a public recreation center in 1914. The head house even has a grand ballroom and served as one of the first municipal dance halls in the country.
Recently, Baltimore Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano indicated that work should begin shortly. “[We] recognize the unique character of Recreation Pier and its historic significance to Fells Point, Baltimore City, and the state of Maryland,” he says. “Baltimore Housing has been working hard to identify a viable and appropriate reuse for this legendary landmark. I am pleased to announce that we have made dramatic steps toward an agreement that will allow for the permanent relocation of Moran Towing, the remaining resident, thereby allowing Recreational Pier Developers, LLC, to build a 132-room hotel. The restoration of this historic pier will greatly enrich the historic Fells Point community.”
For more information, visit www.fellspointdevelopment.org.
News since this article was published - March 23, 2010 - Baltimore Sun - Recreation Pier hotel development moves ahead
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