Plans Revealed for 3,750-Seat ‘The Paramount Baltimore’ Music Venue Across From M&T Bank Stadium

Plans were presented on Thursday to Baltimore City Planning Department’s Urban Design & Architecture Advisory Panel (UDAAP) for a new music and entertainment venue called The Paramount Baltimore at 1300 Warner St. in Stadium Area. The proposed $50-million, 80,000 sq. ft., 3,750-seat venue will take the place of an existing 91,744 sq. ft. brick building and warehouse on a two-acre lot.

The Paramount Baltimore is a partnership between The Paramount, which runs a music venue in Huntington, NY on Long Island, and the Horseshoe Casino owners CBAC, which is comprised of Caesars, Rock Gaming, and local developers Caves Valley Partners (CVP). The Paramount Baltimore was first announced in early-2016. CBAC purchased the long-vacant property in January of last year for $4.8 million, according to tax records.

CBAC is planning an entertainment district along Warner St., an area Baltimore City has branded the Southern Gateway Entertainment District. CBAC has acquired additional properties including 1400 Warner St. which is a three-story, 41,193 sq. ft. building on a 1.476-acre property. This building is partially the home of Game, but much of the remaining section of the building is vacant. CBAC also purchased 1301 Warner St., which is a vacant two-story, 31,377 sq. ft. building on a 1.26-acre property. It additionally acquired the Office of Animal Control and nonprofit Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc. (BARCS) at 301 Stockholm St. along with adjacent Parking Lot J and a small City-owned property in a Baltimore City request for proposals (RFP) that will bring a 65,000 sq. ft., six-acre Topgolf to the site. Topgolf is expected to begin construction in the March 2020.

CBAC and the Baltimore Development Corporation are also partnering on a renovation of a waterfront park situated behind the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore garage and adjacent to the proposed Topgolf. The park is also located along the Gwynns Falls Trail and Ridgely’s Cove. This project is expected to begin construction next year.

CBAC and The Paramount Baltimore design team of Matt Herbert of Design Collective and Jim Beck of Design 3 showed a master plan for this area on Warner St. The area will be anchored by The Paramount Baltimore to the north and the existing Horseshoe Casino Baltimore to the south. While The Paramount Baltimore and Topgolf are the only projects that have been presented, CBAC’s design team showed the possibility for a hotel at 1400 Warner St. and an additional entertainment venue at 1301 Warner St.

In a statement, The Paramount Baltimore team said the project is expected to break ground in Spring 2020 and open in Summer 2021. It said the facility “will feature a diversified program of events including; rock, county, R&B, comedy, hip-hop, disco, metal, pop, alternative music, and children’s shows.” It added, “The Paramount will create the ultimate concert experience for the public and entertainers. The Paramount Baltimore aims to become a world class, legacy venue for the greater Baltimore market.”

The Paramount Baltimore is proposing to demolish most of the existing building, while keeping a portion of the metal roof framing of the warehouse part of the building on the west side of the property for a pergola-type structure. This will serve as an outdoor area to be used for queuing people into the venue and for additional outdoor events.

Herbert said that the “dilapidated” building at 1300 Warner St. is “beyond repair” and has to come down, but that the team will try to recycle and reclaim as much of the brick and timber for the new design. Beck said they “spent two years trying to shoehorn the program into the building, but it just did not work from a program and efficiency standpoint.”

Herbert said the core of the design is essentially a box that will contain the 3,750-person entertainment venue with the appropriate sound insulation and acoustics, but they are proposing different masses on the front of the building to bring it to life. There will be a one-story, glass-front retail pavilion facing Warner St. on the eastern edge of the building, and a glass bump out facing Ostend St. for the box office. The western corner of the building along Ostend St. will have a marquee and a large vertical sign that will tower above the building and be visible from the Russell St. ramp.

The retail will be leased to separate businesses. The team said that while they hope The Paramount Baltimore will be “ambitiously programmed,” it will not be open seven days a week, so the retail will bring daily activity to the property.

With the design of the building, the designers want to maintain the industrial feel of the area and make it look like a building that has “been there forever.” It will include reclaimed brick, metal, windows, a faded The Paramount Baltimore sign, and murals on the walls that face the underpass of Russell St. and the CSX on the southern facade of the building.

The eastern edge of The Paramount Baltimore will face a one-block underpass that is also shared by the site of the proposed Hammerjacks music venue and sports bar. Just like Hammerjacks, The Paramount Baltimore wants to see the City paint the top of underpass and allow this area to be open for tailgates and outdoor festivals.

Herbert said when you enter The Paramount Baltimore the goal is to make the lobby a “wow” moment with the feeling you are “coming into a special place.” The venue will also have a second-story private club called the Founders Room where members can have meals and drinks every day, as well as stop by when shows are taking place. In the venue, there will be tiered seating, a balcony, a sky lounge, and flexible seating arrangements on the floor. The building will also have kitchens, dressing rooms, and green rooms.

Buses and trucks will be directed to a southern alley of the building against the CSX train tracks, and there will be a valet and ride-share zone along Ostend. St. along the front of the building. Herbert said The Paramount Baltimore will use the existing stadium parking lots in the area.

“We’re excited at the prospect of another world-class venue in the Southern Gateway as part of our vision for the Warner Street redevelopment,” said Horseshoe Casino Baltimore Senior Vice President and General Manager Randall Conroy in a statement. “This concept has the potential to complement the dynamic entertainment experience available at Horseshoe Baltimore and being planned for Topgolf Baltimore.”

Next door to the proposed The Paramount Baltimore along Ostend St. will be the new Hammerjacks at 1300 Russell St. This location was the former home of club Paradox and a vacant warehouse that was most recently the home to a ceramic tile company. The new Hammerjacks will be a 48,000 sq. ft. live music venue for 2,500 patrons, club, and beer garden.

The 2,500-person concert venue will replace Paradox. The existing warehouse facing Ostend St. will be renovated into a club/sports bar area that will feature smaller 300-person live music shows. An outdoor beer garden area will be constructed where a structure connecting the two building sits. Along Ostend St., the property will have space for 3,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail.

Hammerjacks has started initial construction to the existing warehouse and property, and exterior signs show a “notice of demolition” for the Paradox building. Hammerjacks is a project by Kevin Butler and Andy Hotchkiss of the Hammerjacks Entertainment Group. David Nevins of Nevins PR, which is representing Hammerjacks, said in an email: “Hammerjacks is moving forward at a rapid pace. Some big announcements will be forthcoming shortly.”

1300 Warner St.

Photos of the The Paramount Baltimore presentation 

Area master plan

Corner of Ostend St. and Warner St. 

Views from Ostend St. 

View from Russell St. 

Adjacent Hammerjacks property 

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.