'Charm City's' Tallest Buildings, and Ambitious Proposals Thwarted by the Recession
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| Proposed 44-story Four Seasons Hotel & Residences (currently only partially completed) |
Washington is well known for it's short, uniform skyline with nearly every building being built less than 200 ft. high. Of course this allows the 555 ft. Washington Monument and the 289 ft. U.S. Capitol to easily stand out against the backdrop of mostly 10- to 15-story "highrises." Unlike Washington D.C. though, it's more blue collar neighbor to the north has a more "conventional" urban skyline. Baltimore has a number of considerable number of skyscrapers (defined as buildings over 300 ft on this site) including the tallest building in the entire Baltimore-Washington Region--the 529 ft. Transamerica Tower (formerly the Legg Mason building).
Despite having a significant amount of buildings over 300 ft., Baltimore still lacks any "supertalls" (buildings over 1,000 ft. tall) and it's tallest building is shorter than the tallest buildings of many less-populated cities. A major reason for this has been the weak residential and office market in Baltimore over the last few decades. While Washington D.C. has seen a boom in new residents and hasn't lacked for well-paying jobs thanks to the federal government, Baltimore, on the other hand, has been somewhat struggling to attract and retain businesses as well as residents (as has been the case in many blue-collar cities in the Northeast and Midwest).
Baltimore's fortunes have begun to change though. A recent reversal of the decades-long population decline and a large influx of residents into the city's core neighborhoods surrounding the Inner Harbor, are promising signs of a brighter future, although business growth has still remained slow. Developers have taken notice of the city's recent resurgence and have proposed (and constructed) a multitude of new buildings in the city (nearly all residential), including skyscrapers.
Unfortunately, the recent recession took it's toll on Baltimore's real estate market, and many of the more ambitious (read: very expensive to finance) projects have failed or been postponed indefinitely, including a number of buildings that would have been the city's tallest. Below is a ranking of the tallest buildings in the city currently and, following that, proposals for new skyscrapers that were derailed by the recent recession. In a second part to this post will be a list of new skyscraper proposals that are somewhat toned down in scale, but (hopefully) more likely to actually be constructed.
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| Transamerica Tower- Currently the tallest building in Baltimore |
| Name | Stories | Height (ft) | |
| 1. | Transamerica Tower | 40 | 529 |
| 2. | 10 Light St | 37 | 509 |
| 3. | William Donald Schaefer Building | 37 | 493 |
| 4. | Commerce Place | 31 | 454 |
| 5. | 100 E Pratt St | 28 | 418 |
| 6. | Baltimore World Trade Center | 32 | 405 |
| 7. | Tremont Plaza Hotel | 37 | 395 |
| 8. | Charles Tower South Apartments | 30 | 385 |
| 9. = | Blaustein Building | 30 | 360 |
| 9. = | 250 W Pratt St | 24 | 360 |
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| 701 E. Baltimore St. |
Developer: Cordish Companies
Height: 34 stories
Details: 250 residential units with 50,000 sq. ft. of retail/entertainment space
Status: Unknown. First planned in 2005, development rights expired and were put out to bid again in Dec 2012
Westport Waterfront
Status: Unknown. First planned in 2005, development rights expired and were put out to bid again in Dec 2012
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| Westport Waterfront tower (2nd building from right) |
Developer: Patrick Turner
Height: 65 stories
Details: Part of a 43-acre, $1.4 billion development originally proposed in 2004 which included 2,000 residential units, 2 million sq. ft. of office space, 300,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space 350-room hotel, and 150-room hotel. The 65-story tower would be divided between between the 350-room hotel on the upper floors and office space on the lower floors
Status: In Default. Currently the subject of a protracted court battle between Turner and the project's largest creditor, Citigroup, which is seeking to claim and auction off the site as soon as possible. The developer has been trying to get the project rolling since the recession nearly killed it a few years ago
Canton Crossing
Status: In Default. Currently the subject of a protracted court battle between Turner and the project's largest creditor, Citigroup, which is seeking to claim and auction off the site as soon as possible. The developer has been trying to get the project rolling since the recession nearly killed it a few years ago
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| Canton Crossing high-rise |
Developer: N/A
Height: TBD
Details: 500 residential units
Status: Unknown. Originally planned by owner Ed Hale as part of a large mixed-use development over a decade ago. 31 acres were sold to developers which (unfortunately) built a suburban-style shopping center, "The Shops at Canton Crossing," on the site which opened last fall. A residential tower is still planned for the remaining 2.8 acres, but the specifics are unknown.
Status: Unknown. Originally planned by owner Ed Hale as part of a large mixed-use development over a decade ago. 31 acres were sold to developers which (unfortunately) built a suburban-style shopping center, "The Shops at Canton Crossing," on the site which opened last fall. A residential tower is still planned for the remaining 2.8 acres, but the specifics are unknown.
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| 300 East Pratt St (original proposal) |
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| 300 East Pratt St (revised) |
300 East Pratt Street
Developer: Urban America
Height: 50 stories (640 ft) - original design/40 stories - revised design
Details: 300 residential condo units, a 250-room hotel, and 40,000 sq. ft. of retail space (original design). 300,000 sq. ft. of office space and 270-room hotel (revised design)
Status: Unknown. The site was originally purchased by Urban America in 2006 which planned to begin construction on the new hotel/condo tower by the end of 2007, the plan was postponed during the recession and scaled back to 40 stories (now a mix of office and hotel space). The site was purchased last August by InterPark Holdings who plan to build a mixed-use residential tower on the site in the near future in partnership with a yet-to-be-selected development firm
New Baltimore Arena Sheraton Hotel
Status: Unknown. The site was originally purchased by Urban America in 2006 which planned to begin construction on the new hotel/condo tower by the end of 2007, the plan was postponed during the recession and scaled back to 40 stories (now a mix of office and hotel space). The site was purchased last August by InterPark Holdings who plan to build a mixed-use residential tower on the site in the near future in partnership with a yet-to-be-selected development firm
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| New Baltimore Arena and Hotel Tower |
Developer: Whiting-Turner
Height: ~30 stories + arena base = ~400 ft +
Details: Part of $900 million project consisting of a new 18,500-seat arena; a $175 million, 500-room hotel; and a $400 million, 760,000 sq. ft. expanded convention center on the site of the existing Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel and convention center
Status: Unknown. First proposed in 2011 by Whiting-Turner CEO Willard Hackerman, the completion of the project became uncertain after his death in February of this year
10 Inner Harbor
Status: Unknown. First proposed in 2011 by Whiting-Turner CEO Willard Hackerman, the completion of the project became uncertain after his death in February of this year
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| 10 Inner Harbor |
Developer: Arc Wheeler
Height: 59 stories/715 ft
Details: 285 residential condominium units, 192-room boutique hotel, 74,600 sq. ft. of ground- and second-floor retail, and 800 above-grade parking spaces
Status: Cancelled. Originally purchased by Arc Wheeler in 2006, after delaying the project during the recession, the developers tried to revive it by converting it into an office/hotel tower, but the site eventually went into foreclosure in November 2010. The skyscraper would have been the tallest in Baltimore (assuming the Naing Towers would not be built), as well as on the East Coast between Philadelphia and Charlotte. Questar later purchased the site and now develop it with a 485 ft residential tower
Naing Towers
Status: Cancelled. Originally purchased by Arc Wheeler in 2006, after delaying the project during the recession, the developers tried to revive it by converting it into an office/hotel tower, but the site eventually went into foreclosure in November 2010. The skyscraper would have been the tallest in Baltimore (assuming the Naing Towers would not be built), as well as on the East Coast between Philadelphia and Charlotte. Questar later purchased the site and now develop it with a 485 ft residential tower
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| Naing Towers |
Developer: Richard Naing
Height: 64 stories
Details: Originally a mix of condos and apartments, then later office towers
Status: The tallest and most ambitious of all the skyscraper proposals, it ended up being temporarily postponed before the recession even began, and was eventually terminated permanently when the site was sold in 2011. The project would have been the tallest in Baltimore, by far, as well as on the East Coast between Philadelphia and Charlotte
Port Covington Tower(s)
Status: The tallest and most ambitious of all the skyscraper proposals, it ended up being temporarily postponed before the recession even began, and was eventually terminated permanently when the site was sold in 2011. The project would have been the tallest in Baltimore, by far, as well as on the East Coast between Philadelphia and Charlotte
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| Port Covington Conceptual Master Plan Rendering |
Port Covington Tower(s)
Developer: ?
Height: (up to) 38 stories
Details: In 2007, site owners Finmarc and Kodiak Properties LLC proposed a $2 billion community with homes, offices, shops and a hotel. The city sponsored Conceptual Master Plan completed in 2007 called for three residential towers ranging from 11 stories to 38 stories, with the entire project including 1,940 residential units, 62,000 sq. ft. of of office space, and 83,800 sq. ft. of retail space
Status: Site was sold this past January, and any future development plans are unknown. A suburban-style Walmart and shuttered Sam's Club (both built in 2002) remain the only two structures on the site, branded the "Port Covington Shopping Center"
Status: Site was sold this past January, and any future development plans are unknown. A suburban-style Walmart and shuttered Sam's Club (both built in 2002) remain the only two structures on the site, branded the "Port Covington Shopping Center"
Really great article! Enjoyed reading about your research--well developed, with spot on facts, information and photos.
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