This Lakefront Promenade, which can be seen from Route 29, is considered by many to be the heart of Columbia. Yet times are changing: Columbia’s Rouse Company building is now the home of General Growth Properties, a development corporation that plans to modify the face of downtown.
“The Lakefront is graced by our most treasured icons,” says Bridget Mugane, president of the Howard County Citizens Association, who was among those nominating the site for this year’s list. “These include a major building in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, with its long, horizontal lines set in pristine white against the blue water of Lake Kittimaqundi, capped by an arbor of trailing ivy.”
Mugane, who has lived in Columbia for 28 years, adds, “Another treasure is the Teacher’s Building, where one of our oldest and most popular restaurants provides a gathering place filled with the hubbub of animated conversation and the aroma of fine food. Through the window, you can see Columbia’s People Tree, a sculpture which symbolizes humanity and diversity, our founding principles.”
Mugane is among residents concerned that redevelopment of the Town Center will include demolition of architecturally significant buildings and the promenade.
However, Greg Hamm, vice president of General Growth Properties, says his company has been working on a plan for all of downtown Columbia for five years now. “We have divided downtown into a number of different neighborhoods, and one is the lakefront,” he explains. “We want to retain the original character of the lakefront, but bring it back to its life and give it vibrancy.
“Many days, there is a not a soul out there, and it’s a shame,” says Hamm, adding that development could begin as early as 2012. For more information, visit www.preservationhowardcounty.org.
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