State Funds Approved to Turn BCCC’s ‘Bard Building’ in Downtown into a Green Space

Earlier this month, the State of Maryland Board of Public Works approved $4.2 million to turn the Bard Building at 600 E. Lombard St. Downtown into a temporary green space. The Bard Building, which is owned by Baltimore City Community College (BCCC), has been vacant for 14 years. The green space will be a temporary use until BCCC develops a vision to redevelop the land.

The building will be demolished by The Berg Corporation.

In 2021, BCCC put out a request for expressions of interest (REOI) to find a partner to turn the building into a surface parking lot, but Senate President and District 46 Senator Bill Ferguson made a request to then Governor Larry Hogan to fund demolition costs for the building and to make it a green space “until we can figure out what comes after.”

The 169,000 sq. ft. Bard Building sits adjacent to the Power Plant Live! complex and the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial. BCCC was previously looking for a developer to build on the site and had a memorandum of understanding with Power Plant Live! owner The Cordish Companies to build a 45-story tower at the site, but BCCC pulled out of the agreement in 2020.

At the Board of Public Works meeting, Governor Wes Moore said: “My administration is committed to working in partnership with President McCurdy, with BCCC, with members of this Board, this Legislature, this City leadership, and other critical stakeholders to make sure that we are actually advancing the plans that are going to strengthen BCCC’s mission of providing quality, affordable, and accessible education for generations to come. So we are very excited to see what is in store for this property; the role that it’s going to play in Downtown Baltimore; and to continue the dialogue and the engagement for many, many years to come.”

Overhead shot courtesy of CBRE

Screenshot from Google Maps